On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
On April 22, the rig collapsed causing the worst spill in U.S. history (and maybe the world's).
Despite all the attempts to stop the mile-long pipeline, oil inundated delicate wetlands, smothering plants and wildlife.
Beaches closed and fishing grounds were shut down.
The environmental, economic and political repercussions spread well beyond the oil-slicked surface of the Gulf...
In Pevek, a small Siberian town bathed by one of the earth's coldest seas, the Russians are completing the first prototype of floating nuclear power plant.
This power plant is composed of 2 mini reactors of 35 megawatts, mounted on a platform which can be transported offshore. Indeed, the designers created this all to be able to transport it in the remotest regions of the Arctic Ocean.
As if this were not enough, this power plant is going to be used to give energy to the drills of the Arctic oil platforms. The manifacturer said that other floating nuclear power plants of 1000 megawatts to be moored off the cost of Siberia are in planning, to produce energy that, through submarine cables, will be brought to the mainland.
The power plants are using the Arctic marine water for the cooling.
If something went wrong (which is very likely) an intervention in those seas would be almost impossible, while the destruction of the extremely fragile Arctic environment would be granted...and an enormous, shocking tragedy would be about to fall upon us all.
(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)
