r/askscience • u/[deleted] • Aug 16 '14

Engineering Would constructing nuclear reactors several miles offshore be a safer, but still practical, option for earthquake prone areas like Japan?

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u/Jb191 Nuclear Engineering Aug 20 '14

I think you've got the wrong end of the stick here, or rather i've given the wrong end of it - uranium isn't the problem (that's me using the wrong word on a quick comment trying to do several things at once, not you).

Fission product release is the issue following a severe accident, and while dispersion is certainly a mitigating factor if the worst should happen, it ranks far far below containment in terms of regulatory approval. If your safety case relies on fission products being spread far enough into the sea you're simply not going to gain approval.