| Abstract: | World growth of energy consumption in the 21st century is unavoidable. The most intense growth will occur in the developing
countries. Of course, fossil fuels will continue to serve as the main source of energy, but the problems due to the growth
of the raw materials base will also increase. The growth of nuclear power production will facilitate a successful solution
to these problems. Various estimates show that by mid-century nuclear power will grow by a factor of four or five from the
present level.
Under such conditions, the solution of certain internal problems of nuclear power, such as preventing proliferation, handling
spent fuel and radioactive wastes, and developing a reliable intrinsic raw materials base based on a closed fuel cycle and
innovative nuclear technologies, will be exceedingly important for large-scale nuclear power to be successful.
In this article, an assessment of the possible role of nuclear power in providing for the stable advancement of human civilization
on global and regional scales is made on the basis of predictions of the growth of power production.
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Translated from Atomnaya Energiya, Vol. 99, No. 5, pp. 323–336, November, 2005. |
