Chinese oil, nuclear companies to develop floating atomic platforms for offshore drilling

[bananas]

Source: Bloomberg

China National Offshore Oil Corp. and China General Nuclear Power Corp. will work together to develop nuclear technology for use in sea-based oil fields, the country’s biggest offshore explorer announced on Friday.

The state-owned companies signed the strategic cooperation framework on Jan. 14, China National Offshore said on its official Weibo account on Friday. CGN, China’s biggest nuclear power operator, announced on Jan. 12 that the government had approved construction of a demonstration floating nuclear reactor that could be used for offshore oil production.

“This partnership will push forward the organic integration of the offshore oil industry and the nuclear power industry,” China National Offshore said in the statement.

The National Development and Reform Commission, China’s economic planner, has urged CGN to speed up the pace of development of the floating reactor, known as the ACPR50S, the company said in its Jan. 12 statement. Construction of the demonstration reactor is expected to start next year, with it powering up by 2020, according to CGN.

Read more: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/01/15/business/chinese-oil-nuclear-companies-develop-floating-atomic-platforms-offshore-drilling/

[paleotn]

1. What could go wrong?

[closeupready]

4. +1 - was just going to post that.

[villager]

6. As was I

What an "ingenious" plan!

[Android3.14]

14. My first thought

[reACTIONary]

20. Exactly my thought !

[AngryAmish]

27. The only stupider idea is to make it self propelled and travel under the water

With no windows.

[geardaddy]

2. Oh yay...

[LongTomH]

3. Nuclear reactors on deep-ocean oil rigs.......what could possibly go wrong????

Deep Horizon meets Fukushima!!!!!

[closeupready]

5. ...

[MynameisBlarney]

7. They're either insane

Or fucking stupid.

[ananda]

9. Both.

This is such a bad idea on so many levels.

Climate change alone should obviate this, notwithstanding
the dangers.

[vkkv]

8. Sounds like a WINNER !!

We are so doomed.

[Wilms]

10. Shouldn't they have a coal furnace.

Ya know. As a back up.

[Cassiopeia]

11. My first reaction is what could possibly go wrong

with a floating nuclear power plant.

Then I realized we use them on our naval ships and subs today.

I still think it's a horrible idea. We need to get away from oil, not pump it out of the sea floor with a nuclear plant.

[Bernin]

12. Guess how

the navy disposes of the nuclear waste from those ships and subs.
Go ahead guess you're gonna just love the answer.

[Cassiopeia]

13. Spent nuclear fuel is shipped by rail

to the Naval Reactor Facility in the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), located 42 miles (67 km) northwest of Idaho Falls, Idaho, where it is stored in special canisters.

[Android3.14]

15. Seems to be a lot of misinfo popping up these days

Thanks for looking into it. Here is the source, for those interested.

I wonder what is actually motivating that previous comment.

[Cassiopeia]

19. Maybe a reference to this article

http://www.tampabay.com/news/military/veterans/the-atomic-sailors/2157927

I don't see any evidence that this is still taking place today, much less for the last 4+ decades.

[Bernin]

22. The damage is done.

http://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/900M0700.txt?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=EPA&Index=1976%20Thru%201980&Docs=&Query=&Time=&EndTime=&SearchMethod=1&TocRestrict=n&Toc=&TocEntry=&QField=&QFieldYear=&QFieldMonth=&QFieldDay=&UseQField=&IntQFieldOp=0&ExtQFieldOp=0&XmlQuery=&File=D%3A%5CZYFILES%5CINDEX%20DATA%5C76THRU80%5CTXT%5C00000010%5C900M0700.txt&User=ANONYMOUS&Password=anonymous&SortMethod=h%7C-&MaximumDocuments=1&FuzzyDegree=0&ImageQuality=r75g8/r75g8/x150y150g16/i425&Display=p%7Cf&DefSeekPage=x&SearchBack=ZyActionL&Back=ZyActionS&BackDesc=Results%20page&MaximumPages=1&ZyEntry=1

[hunter]

18. Nuclear waste is actually pretty boring.

It just sits there getting less and less radioactive, unless its producers or keepers do something stupid.

That's not to say stupid things haven't been done with nuclear waste, especially during World War II and the Cold War.

For example, putting radioactive waste in old 55 gallon oil drums and throwing them in the ocean was a bad idea.

Who knows what bad ideas humans will think of next?

[Javaman]

16. creating a nuke plant to power oil extraction...

isn't that like building a solid fuel rocket to lunch a liquid fueled rocket?

just more human stupidity.

[reACTIONary]

21. You may know this, but fyi...

.... liquid fuel rockets are often launched with solid fuel boosters strapped on.

The New Horizons spacecraft was launched by a Lockheed Martin Atlas V 551 rocket. The 551 configuration uses five solid rocket boosters.

The space shuttle also used solid fuel boosters which actually provided most of the thrust in the first few minutes of flight.... basically using solid fuel rockets to launch a liquid fuel vehicle.

[Javaman]

25. thanks for the info. I'll use a better analogy next time. nt

[hunter]

17. What's the point?

Once you are building nuclear power plants why not just use them to charge electric automobiles? And use electric appliances like heat pumps and microwaves rather than gas furnaces and stoves. Then you don't need so much oil and gas...

... unless you plan to export oil and gas to nations without nukes.

Double trouble. We are so screwed.

We humans really have to quit contributing to high energy industrial society.

Use birth control and be lazy to the best of your ability, don't participate in the high energy "consumer" economy.

(Like I should talk, I just stopped by WalMart today because they had what I needed, for food and for work, in one stop rather than two.

[FLPanhandle]

23. Luckily the Chinese have a great safety record with industrial projects.

[Pauldg47]

24. You are absolutely right...we need to have talks with them!

[restorefreedom]

26. yeah, this doesn't have trouble written on it all.