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.
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Gagarinskii, A.Y., Ignat'ev, V.V., Ponomarev-Stepnoi, N.N. et al. Role of Nuclear Power in World Energy Production in the 21st Century. At Energy 99, 759–769 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-006-0014-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-006-0014-7