Russia floating nuclear power station sets sail across Arctic

[Eugene]

Source: BBC

Russia floating nuclear power station sets sail across Arctic

23 August 2019

Russia has launched a pioneering floating nuclear power station, which will sail 5,000km (3,000 miles) from the Arctic port of Murmansk to Chukotka in the far east.

The nuclear agency Rosenergoatom says the Akademik Lomonosov's mobility will boost the power supply to remote areas.

One of its targets is to power the Chaun-Bilibin mining complex in Chukotka, which includes gold mines.

Greenpeace sees the project as high-risk, in a harsh weather environment.

Critics including Greenpeace point to previous Russian and Soviet nuclear accidents and warn that the Akademik Lomonosov's mission increases the risk of polluting the Arctic - a remote, sparsely-populated region with no big clean-up facilities.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49446235


The Akademik Lomonosov sailed away from Murmansk with three tugs (Reuters)

[Boomer]

1. The final blow

So when the last rag tag band of humans stagger northward to escape global desertification, they'll find themselves in a radioactive hell.

Well played Humanity, well played.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

2. What could go wrong?

[FBaggins]

4. Some things to keep in mind

It has the same type of reactors that Russia uses in their nuclear icebreakers (which operate in the same part of the world under even harsher conditions).

This new model is replacing four reactors from the 1970s that can now be retired.

Hard to see this as anything but a significant improvement.

[hunter]

3. An oil or coal fired power station would work just as well.

Wait... what?