Japanese company plans underwater city for 5000 people
Tokyo - An underwater city for 5,000 people, which would draw energy from the ocean floor located several kilometers below, has been proposed by one of Japan's leading construction companies. According to them, the project named Ocean Spiral could become a reality in just a few decades. The South China Morning Post reports on this.
Shimizu Corporation, which has gained a reputation for its futuristic designs, believes that its latest plan could help at a time when rising ocean levels threaten the survival of island communities.
The underwater city is proposed to be divided into three parts. Just below the surface, there would be a floating sphere with a diameter of 500 meters, which would contain commercial and residential zones as well as hotels.
The sphere would be connected to a 15-kilometer long spiral that would wind down to the ocean floor at depths of three to four kilometers from the surface.
At the ocean floor, there would be a factory that would use microorganisms to convert carbon dioxide into methane, which can be used as an energy source. Electricity would also be generated by generators utilizing temperature differences in seawater at various depths.
Rare earth elements and metals would also be extracted from the ocean floor. Desalinated seawater would flow through the spiral to the city's residents. The company emphasizes that the city would be less affected by earthquakes, which pose a significant threat in Japan.
Company representatives believe that the construction of the city would take about five years and cost approximately three trillion yen (564 billion CZK). The company's experts are convinced that the technology necessary to build the city and sustain life below the ocean's surface will be available within 15 years.
"This is not a pipe dream, but a real objective," stated the company's spokesperson Hideo Imamura. Shimizu Corporation hopes to secure financing for the project, which is based on the work of experts from Tokyo University, government ministries, and energy companies, from private entrepreneurs and the government.
Among other ambitious projects by Shimizu Corporation are a base on the Moon and a space hotel, as noted by the South China Morning Post.
Shimizu Corporation, which has gained a reputation for its futuristic designs, believes that its latest plan could help at a time when rising ocean levels threaten the survival of island communities.
The underwater city is proposed to be divided into three parts. Just below the surface, there would be a floating sphere with a diameter of 500 meters, which would contain commercial and residential zones as well as hotels.
The sphere would be connected to a 15-kilometer long spiral that would wind down to the ocean floor at depths of three to four kilometers from the surface.
At the ocean floor, there would be a factory that would use microorganisms to convert carbon dioxide into methane, which can be used as an energy source. Electricity would also be generated by generators utilizing temperature differences in seawater at various depths.
Rare earth elements and metals would also be extracted from the ocean floor. Desalinated seawater would flow through the spiral to the city's residents. The company emphasizes that the city would be less affected by earthquakes, which pose a significant threat in Japan.
Company representatives believe that the construction of the city would take about five years and cost approximately three trillion yen (564 billion CZK). The company's experts are convinced that the technology necessary to build the city and sustain life below the ocean's surface will be available within 15 years.
"This is not a pipe dream, but a real objective," stated the company's spokesperson Hideo Imamura. Shimizu Corporation hopes to secure financing for the project, which is based on the work of experts from Tokyo University, government ministries, and energy companies, from private entrepreneurs and the government.
Among other ambitious projects by Shimizu Corporation are a base on the Moon and a space hotel, as noted by the South China Morning Post.
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