RE: France's latest green idea: underwater nuclear reactors
I like the idea, but don't kid yourself about it being less vulnerable
to earthquakes (many of which have epicenters off shore),
though structurally, as long as it is not attached to the sea floor, it
won't be cracked and/or torn apart like a land based structure. As
for vulnerability relative to Tsunamis, it depends on how the
Tsunami is generated, as well as other factors. When the big on
occurred in 2005 in Southeast Asia, the cause was a fault line
600+ miles long, which shifted upwards approximately 23 feet.
This generated a wave, which went all the way from the bottom of
the ocean to the surface. Thus a similar causal factor would
potentially impact this technology. There are also phenomenon
known as Turbidity Current (think underwater land slide), which
can wreak havoc on technology, as do freak currents associated
with storm surges. As for a cataclysmic failure of the containment
vessel, I would rather have it happen in the ocean than on land
anytime. It would not be great if it happened, but the overall
impact on life and property would be minimized compared to a
similar breakdown on land.
