"The planned site of the floating plant offers other benefits. The OFNP will be situated eight to 12 miles offshore — within the limit of territorial waters — and in water at least 100 meters deep. Thus, it will be far from coastal populations (its only onshore presence will be a small switchyard and a staff and materials management facility), and the deep water beneath it will reduce threats from earthquakes and tsunamis: At that depth, the water absorbs any motion of the ocean floor during earthquakes, and tsunami waves are small. Tsunamis become large and destructive only when they hit the shallow water at the coastline — a concern for nuclear plants built on the shore.
Finally, the open ocean will provide the OFNP with an endless supply of cooling water. If accident conditions arise, seawater can be used to remove heat from the reactor; because the plant is well below the water line, the necessary flows will occur passively, without any pumping and without any seawater contamination. “We won’t lose the ultimate heat sink,” Buongiorno says. “The decay heat, which is generated by the nuclear fuel even after the reactor is shut down, can be removed indefinitely.”
The OFNP thus addresses the three main takeaways from Fukushima cited by Buongiorno: Stay away from dense populations, protect against earthquakes and tsunamis, and never lose cooling to the fuel."
http://scitechdaily.com/floating-nuclear-power-plant-safer-cheaper/
Finally, the open ocean will provide the OFNP with an endless supply of cooling water. If accident conditions arise, seawater can be used to remove heat from the reactor; because the plant is well below the water line, the necessary flows will occur passively, without any pumping and without any seawater contamination. “We won’t lose the ultimate heat sink,” Buongiorno says. “The decay heat, which is generated by the nuclear fuel even after the reactor is shut down, can be removed indefinitely.”
The OFNP thus addresses the three main takeaways from Fukushima cited by Buongiorno: Stay away from dense populations, protect against earthquakes and tsunamis, and never lose cooling to the fuel."
http://scitechdaily.com/floating-nuclear-power-plant-safer-cheaper/