The Global Quest for Nuclear Energy: Opportunity, Constraints and Prospects

Nuclear energy is undergoing a global renaissance. While nuclear energy has been contributing between 14 and 16 per cent of the total electricity in the world in recent years, most of the countries that are operating nuclear power reactors are expanding and/or reviving their nuclear energy development programmes, including countries such as the US and the UK. At the same time, several new countries and regions, many of which are rich in other energy resources, are also opting for nuclear energy. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) projects that nuclear energy will generate 800 GWe by 2030, and that about 60 countries will have a nuclear energy component in their domestic electricity profiles.