I think it quite likely that by the time this plant is completed, the threat from sea level rise will be raising serious questions about its operating lifespan.
Unlikely, as this was incorporated into the design of the plant’s raft and sea defences already (and the latter are designed to be raised further if needed in the future).
I do know how they work, and I agree the French experience with river-cooled plants has not been great lately. But I'm surprised if the engineers are confident about future sea levels, when climate scientists aren't, though it's not really our problem of course.
I still don't get why we should build nuclear power stations on low-lying coasts that will be subject to tidal flooding within a century, and will be underwater before the structures are safe, when other technologies are available.
They put them by the coast because you need access to large amounts of reliable water for cooling, which would be a problem if you built the reactor inland and e.g. your lake or river dried up in a drought. They’re also designed to take future sea levels into account - the whole thing is built on a raised concrete ‘raft’ and protected by sea defences that can be adapted over time.
I think it quite likely that by the time this plant is completed, the threat from sea level rise will be raising serious questions about its operating lifespan.
Unlikely, as this was incorporated into the design of the plant’s raft and sea defences already (and the latter are designed to be raised further if needed in the future).
Let’s hope they got it right. There’s a whole load of unknowns to deal with.
I do know how they work, and I agree the French experience with river-cooled plants has not been great lately. But I'm surprised if the engineers are confident about future sea levels, when climate scientists aren't, though it's not really our problem of course.
I still don't get why we should build nuclear power stations on low-lying coasts that will be subject to tidal flooding within a century, and will be underwater before the structures are safe, when other technologies are available.
They put them by the coast because you need access to large amounts of reliable water for cooling, which would be a problem if you built the reactor inland and e.g. your lake or river dried up in a drought. They’re also designed to take future sea levels into account - the whole thing is built on a raised concrete ‘raft’ and protected by sea defences that can be adapted over time.