Russia Building 1st Floating Nuke Plant
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Sunday April 15, 2007 7:46 PM

MOSCOW (AP) - Russia began construction of its first floating nuclear
power plant Sunday, and plans to build at least six more despite
long-standing environmental concerns that they are vulnerable to
accidents at sea, Russian news agencies reported.

Russia justifies the program as a way of bringing power to some of the
country's most remote areas, also saying some of the plants could be
sold to other nations.

The head of Russia's atomic energy agency, Sergei Kiriyenko, said the
plants will be safe.

``This plant is much safer than atomic energy stations on the ground,''
the RIA-Novosti news agency quoted him as saying at a formal ceremony at
the Sevmash fabricating plant in Severodvinsk on the White Sea coast.

He cited the 2000 sinking of the nuclear submarine Kursk as evidence of
the reliability of the plants, which will use reactors similar to those
on the submarine.

``After the boat was raised, specialists proved that the reactor could
be put into service that very moment,'' he said, according to RIA-Novosti.

The atomic energy agency and Sevmash on Sunday signed a document on
their intent to build six more floating power plants, the ITAR-Tass news
agency said.