ABSTRACT
This chapter examines two aspects of the development of nuclear power in the USSR and Eastern Europe: policy considerations that have accompanied the move into nuclear power generation and the legal framework within which nuclear power activities are carried out. It considers energy problems that make the development of nuclear power desirable and projected role of nuclear power in the USSR and Eastern Europe; and the general attitude toward the problem of nuclear safety. The chapter examines legal arrangements established in the countries concerned with regard to the creation and use of nuclear power. Predictions of a coining downturn in Soviet oil production were made by several Western sources in the late 1970's. The generating capacity of the nuclear stations has grown slowly, reaching 9,000 megawatts in 1976 and 12,000 megawatts in 1978. Licensing is a major aspect of nuclear law in the West. Civil liability for nuclear damage has been the subject of much attention in the West.
