Finnish oil tankers ready to ease California's power crisis

A Finnish company wants to ease California's electricity crisis by sending old oil tankers to act as floating power plants.

It says the generators on board two oil tankers could provide enough power for a town of 10,000 people.

Energy group Fortum Corporation is offering to moor the ships off California and hook up to the state's power grid. The oil on board the ships would last six months.

Jukka Laaksovirta, head of logistics at Fortum Oil & Gas, revealed the idea to the Dagens Industri newspaper.

She said: "Our marine division started investigating the possibilities of using older tonnage for something other than transporting oil. We are talking about two older 16,000-ton tankers, the Lunni and Uikku."

Last updated: 10:09 Wednesday 23rd May 2001

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_302370.html?menu=news.quirkies

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), May 23, 2001

Answers

I thought we had the corner on crack pots but looks like it reached the Finnish shores. The oil in those tankers is not exactly the cleanest burning fuel. If they burn this junk in a boiler, it going to smoke and if they burn it in a diesel it's going to smoke.

-- David Williams (DAVIDWILL@prodigy.net), May 23, 2001.

It will power enough energy to keep a town of 10,000 people going for six months. Whoop-de-do! Out of a state of 34,000,000 people that will be a big help. Finland to the rescue. I offer up a toast and a 21-gun salute.

-- Wellesley (wellesley@freeport.net), May 23, 2001.