posted on Dec, 9 2008 @ 08:48 PM
The companies hope to have their minireactors on the market and running within the next decade, marking what could be the beginning of a
nuclear-energy renaissance.
But critics say there are safety and security risks, as well as the possibility that the reactors could fall into the hands of terrorists. And those
risks, they say, outweigh any benefits the minireactors may bring.
"Our concern is that it really takes a concerted effort to protect a nuclear power plant from terrorist attack," said Edwin Lyman, a senior
scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists. "It's just not plausible that you could deploy these small reactors widely to communities and the
developing world with no infrastructure and no experience with operating and protecting a nuclear reactor."
The Toshiba 4S — "super safe, small and simple" — will be about 72 feet tall and buried about 100 feet underground. The remote Alaska town of
Galena is considering obtaining a 4S to provide its electricity
Miniature Nuclear Reactor link