How popular is nuclear power? There are 430 nuclear power plants worldwide supplying 17 per cent of the world's electricity.
The oil crisis in the 1970s produced a surge in orders for nuclear power plants but lower oil prices and the nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island (1979) in the US and Chernobyl (1986) in Ukraine led to a drop in orders.
Nuclear power plants generally have a lifespan of about 40 years, which means that many countries now face a critical decision on whether to build a new fleet of nuclear power stations.
What different types of nuclear reactors exist?
There are currently three main types of nuclear reactor, which use different types of coolants to transfer heat from the radioactive core and prevent a melt down.
The most common type is called a pressurised water reactor. It uses water as both coolant and moderator (the element used to slow down the neutrons released from nuclear fission).
Other types of reactors use heavy water or graphite to cool the reactor core, which allows them to use natural uranium rather than enriched uranium as fuel.
How do nuclear plants create electricity?
A nuclear reactor produces and controls the release of energy from splitting the atoms of certain elements.
The most common element used as nuclear fuel is uranium, which contains millions of times more energy than conventional fuels such as coal, oil or gas.
The process of splitting the atom is called nuclear fission, which generates energy to boil water and make steam to drive huge turbines that produce electricity.
What energy stocks are currently available?
There is enough uranium to power the latest generation of nuclear reactors for more than a thousand years, according to an OECD study due to be published shortly.
Debate rages over the availability of fossil fuels such as oil and gas, with some experts predicting shortages within 40 years while others predict new discoveries will prolong the use of fossil fuels as an energy source.
Using renewable energy is becoming cheaper. However, experts warn that these are not "constant" - in other words, they do not provide power when the wind is not blowing. This means they must be supplemented by other energy sources to maintain a consistent energy supply.