The fortunes of nuclear energy have changed markedly over the past decades, driven by:
- Increasing energy demand with limited supply options.
- Rapidly changing costs of different energy production methods.
- Concerns over global warming and international commitments to reduce CO₂ emissions (Paris Agreement, COP28 pledge to triple nuclear capacity by 2050).
- Energy security — the Russia-Ukraine war (from 2022) has highlighted the risks of dependence on imported fossil fuels and has led to renewed interest in nuclear power across Europe and beyond.
In the longer term, requirements to reduce global CO₂ emissions are highly favourable to nuclear power. Nuclear offers reliable, baseload, low-carbon electricity that is not dependent on weather conditions (unlike wind and solar).