Why is nuclear power back on the agenda?

Abstract

On 26 April 1986, a major accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant dispersed radioactive material over vast areas of Europe. This disaster, together with the relatively minor Three Mile Island accident in the USA, was instrumental in bringing the expansion of nuclear power in many western countries to a halt. Twenty years later, the nuclear power option is being re-examined in several countries, and an expansion of the global nuclear power industry seems likely. © 2006, The Royal Australian Chemical Institute Inc.