There were many statements made during a 90-minute Honolulu Mayoral debate Tuesday night but one in particular was the talk at water coolers across the state today.
Honolulu Mayoral candidates Kirk Caldwell, Peter Carlisle and Panos Prevedouros shared their plans for the future Tuesday night.
"The nuclear plant can be an offshore floating platform, other places have done it," said Prevedouros who knew talk of a floating nuclear plant would stir interest and apprehension. "Obviously every time you raise nuclear energy it's a show stopper."
"Blue Planet Foundation definitely appreciates out of the box thinking but we think there are cheaper, cleaner and safer ways to power our future on this island," said Jeff Mikulina of Blue Planet Foundation.
Despite criticism Prevedouros maintains his position and says 15 nuclear submarines already call Pearl Harbor home.
"Plan "B" is planning for nuclear energy not on an island but at a floating platform 20 miles 15, 20 miles outside the horizon and bring in the electricity by cable," he said. "It will definitely not impact the land because we will never site any nuclear plant on the Hawaiian island."
"I think we've all learned from the recent deep water Horizon event which is a very high consequence low probability event that things can happen," said Karl Stahlkopf, the former director of nuclear safety for the largest non-profit research institute in the country. "All nuclear power plants here in the United States and around the world require a significant evacuation zone around them. Unfortunately you can't evacuate an island."
Stahlkopf says floating nuclear power plants were considered in the 1970's and '80's.
"In essence you build a very large sea wall, you float the plant so you don't have seismic issues with it," he said. "Ultimately expenses are extremely high."
Stahlkopf has written six books on nuclear engineering and assisted in the investigation of the nuclear accidents at 3-Mile Island and Chernobyl. "The down-wind radioactivity from Chernobyl went several hundreds of mile."
"What are we afraid of, it's more psychological," said Prevedouros. "Right now as we speak there are 440 nuclear plants on planet earth I think that says it all of them in populated areas more or less. It is not a high risk technology."
