[url=http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/8/4505118/russia-hopes-to-have-a-floating-nuclear-power-plant-by-2016]Source (The Verge)[/url]
What could POSSIBLY go wrong?
-
It's actually a pretty cool idea. They're using [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KLT-40]modified KLT-40s[/url], which are relatively small (you'll never get a Chernobyl event out of this) and purportedly self-contained. I can't find specific details about the modifications, but it seems likely that a reactor that size could be designed with entirely passive safety systems, meaning they wouldn't need an operator to shut them down. That said, the modifications may indicate that it will run off of <20% enriched Uranium, as the 30-40-90% the Wikipedia article cites aren't exactly kosher these days. It's an interesting step forward in what is likely to be the dawning age of modular reactor use. On the subject of terrorism, one must accept that no reactor design is 100% safe, but making use of smaller reactors limits the potential damage.