Energy in the Soviet Union
Abstract A prominent commentator on Eastern European affairs takes up some points raised by J.H. Chesshire and Miss C. Huggett in their paper, ‘Primary Energy production in the Soviet Union’ which appeared in the September 1975 issue of Energy Policy.
Primary energy production in the Soviet Union problems and prospects
Abstract Analyses and commentary on the Soviet energy situation by observers in the non-communist countries have usually been primarily historical or have dealt with particular aspects only. However, in this article, Mr Chesshire and Miss Huggett review the current situation, problems and prospects of the primary energy industries in the USSR and the extent of Soviet trade in fossil fuels with both her COMECON partners and the non-communist countries. They also discuss the implications of long-term Soviet economic growth projections and possible changes in international relations, with particular reference to the possible emergence of the USSR in the longer term as a significant exporter of primary fuels.
Atomic energy for peaceful purposes in the Warsaw pact countries
MUCH has been said in the West about Soviet nuclear developments in the military sphere and the nuclear arsenal at the disposal of the Warsaw Pact countries, but less attention has been given to the peaceful applications of atomic energy in these countries.1 Although up to the mid-195os the Soviet nuclear programme was overwhelmingly dominated by military considerations, since that time atomic energy has been increasingly harnessed to economic uses, and the USSR has also decided to pass on some of this technology to other Warsaw Pact countries for peaceful applications. It is not generally realized that several nonmilitary uses of atomic energy were pioneered in these countries and that in some fields they are ahead of the most advanced capitalist nations. In this article we shall examine the considerations which have prompted the Warsaw Pact countries to turn to atomic energy for peaceful purposes, the cost of nuclear power, the extent of nuclear power developments, nuclear power reactors and equipment, other peaceful uses of atomic energy, Soviet nuclear aid and diplomacy and the implications for the capitalist world. Special attention is given to comparisons with Western countries and to the latest and prospective developments.