A new concept for an offshore floating nuclear power plant has been unveiled by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which aims to eliminate the risk of tsunamis.
In response to the meltdowns at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant following teh 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the scientists designed this power plant to float in the deep ocean where tsunami waves are not alrge enough to cause significant damage and earthquakes are rarely felt. The surrounding water also offers the power plant access to an “infinite heat sink” for easy, passive cooling, according to MIT’s Jacopo Buongiorno.
However, operating a power station in the middle of the ocean is not without significant environmental risks of its own, with one idea proposed to vent radioactive gases into the ocean rather than the air in emergency situations to protect nearby human populations, but that may have a major impact on the local underwater environment instead.
