There are many countries in the world that use nuclear power plants to generate electricity, even though there are risks associated with these power plants, look no further than what happened at Fukushima. Since nuclear power plants pose a safety risk even on solid ground, one would think twice before putting on something that’s not ground at all, but China doesn’t see it that way. It’s actually working on a floating nuclear power plant.
China General Nuclear expects to complete construction of its small modular multi-purpose reactor by 2020. Work on the first floating reactor is likely to begin in 2017 with electricity generation scheduled for 2020.
In theory, a floating nuclear power plant will enable China to just sail this power source to where it’s needed, anchor offshore, and then generate electricity for as long as it’s necessary.
The company’s ACPR50S reactor design has been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic, it’s part of the plan that includes developing more than 100 nuclear reactors over the next decade, with the government looking to invest more than $100 billion to develop seven new reactors per year between now and 2030.
China appears to be experimenting with the concept of a floating nuclear power plant, for now, it may very well want to become the largest exporter of nuclear energy in the world, and since energy-starved countries are in abundance, it would make sense to make something like this.
However, there will always be questions about the safety and security of such a nuclear power plant. Since it will sail the seas, it will be vulnerable to all sorts of natural calamities such as storms, accidents can’t be ruled out as well, and nor can be the fact that ships can sink.
It will be interesting to see how it deals with all of these possibilities in its quest to build these floating nuclear power plants.
Filed in . Read more about China and Nuclear. Source: forbes