Overview
Energy is the fuel of the economy! With increasing size and standard of living of the population and the growth of industries, the demand for energy in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at a tremendous rate in the future. With the rapid depletion of the finite and limited hydrocarbon resources, their potentials to be utilized for the production of higher added value products, and the environmentally detrimental effects of their burning, humanity would be forced to seek or develop other sources of energy. In this context, it would be of basic importance for the Asia-Pacific nations to think strategically on the role and impacts of nuclear power plants. of which the number is expected to increase, in the region. As a consequence, alongside the economics and technology of nuclear power generation, the questions related to safeguards and to the safety of nuclear power plants and radiation protection become quite relevant to the whole region. Per capita power consumption is regarded as one of the yardsticks for the assessment of national development and hence availability of uninterrupted power supply is an intrinsic essentiality for every nation. Development of non-conventional sources for sustainable power generation as against the depleting conventional sources is important. Nuclear power is an attractive alternative available for power generation.
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