Low-temperature reactors for space heating: Simply constructed nuclear plants are being used in the USSR to provide heat at a cost substantially below that of oil-fired plants

Nuclear generation of electric power is on the defensive in most of the world today. Manufacturers and operators of nuclear power plants are encountering not only increasing public concern over safety, but also increasing costs and a slowdown in the growth of electricity demand. These factors have crippled the nuclear power industry in the United States and hampered it elsewhere. However, engineers in the Soviet Union, Canada, Sweden, and France are developing a new use for nuclear energy that they hope will help counter the negative trends. The new application is in space heating.