Nuclear dawn: Case history

Energy: Attitudes to nuclear power are shifting in response to climate change and fears over the security of the supply of fossil fuels. The technology of nuclear power has been changing, too

OVER the next few decades global electricity consumption is expected to double. At the same time, many power plants in rich countries, built back in the 1960s and 1970s, are nearing the end of their projected lifespans. Meanwhile, concern is swelling both about global warming, and about the Western world’s increasing dependence on a shrinking number of hostile or unstable countries for imports of oil and gas. The solution to this conundrum, in the eyes of many governments, is nuclear power.
Around the world, 31 reactors are under construction and many more are in the planning stages. Some of the most ambitious programmes are under way in developing countries. Both China and India are building several reactors and intend to increase their nuclear-generating capacity several times over in the next 15 years. Some countries, such as Turkey and Vietnam, are considering starting nuclear-power programmes, and others, including Argentina and South Africa, plan to expand their existing ones.

The rich world is also re-examining the case for nuclear. America is expecting a rush of applications to build new reactors in the coming months