Atlantic+Generating+AH

=33. " A Reporter at Large: The Atlantic Generating Station ." //The New Yorker// 51 (12 May 1975), 51-2ff=

This article is about an idea to build a nuclear power plant that would float on the Atlantic Ocean. At first this seems completely ridiculous but after following some of the people involved and the process they were going through, it doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

It seems like a half baked idea that was appropriately thought up one morning in the shower, but once you get in to it, you can see some of the benefits. It could be transported to areas that need it, when they need it. We get reminded that there are nuclear powered vessels already on our seas, but definitely not the size of this potential project. McPhee tells us of a time when a nuclear submarine was used to power a city during a crisis once, definitely a handy resource to have.

The mobility doesn't seem to be the key factor though. The intake of water needed for the cooling process is what makes the ocean seem reasonable. The amount of research that was done to analyze, predict, and protect the surrounding marine life was pretty impressive. McPhee mentions that any 1 of 50 different organizations had the power to deny a license and shut down the project, so the regulations were pretty strict.

It's hard to shake the image of the fat capitalist concerned only with the bottom line, but this article really does remind you that one persons greed is not enough to implement a project this big. The research funding alone that this idea generated almost makes me think fondly of the whole idea. That could also be because a good 30+ years later, we don't actually have anything like it.

One major concern was how volatile and unpredictable the sea can be. The idea of a break water and a strangely shaped object used to line the outside of it, which essentially disperses the waves impact, seems like a decent solution. We learn of the testing procedures and the ability to withstand border line impossible conditions quite easily.

The article does not go into the debate of nuclear power in general. I don't think there is a clear answer to the question of whether or not to use nuclear power. The unbelievable half life of radioactive material terrifies me and regulations on tritium have to be tightened before I can ever feel at ease with the idea. But, after reading this article, if I have no say in whether a power plant goes up or not, I'm not entirely sure if I would rather it in my back yard or a few miles out to sea.