Once we start making these predictions with no single one of such project even planned, then people start predicting about all sort of bat shit crazy ideas "within the next 100 years" and there is no philosophical razor we can employ to discern them from the legit ones.
I've read "in 100 years" about many technologies that we'd supposedly have in our current era.
It's an often used qualifier to dodge what can turn out to be meritless predictions. Just long enough into the future to sound promising, but also far enough into the future to not tempt a need for supporting evidence.
In my view if we don't have the underpinnings or motivation today to support such forward looking statements, then there is no genuine foundation for claiming that the situation will improve merely as time moves on. Technology only comes about when we make it, and only develops rapidly when there is a significant motivation for putting serious manpower behind it.
One could just as easily say that we'll have small and portable fusion reactors that completely satisfy our energy needs.
