Nuclear power has been in use for over 50 years. Nevertheless, the majority of the world's nuclear power plants are concentrated in industrialized countries with large economies. Several new countries are now considering using nuclear energy. However, since the accident at Fukushima there have been many controversial views aired regarding nuclear power's national and global prospects. The challenges of maintaining nuclear safety has yet again become the focus of arguments against nuclear power among its opponents. These arguments are not new, having been used after the nuclear incidents at Three Mile Island in the USA and Chernobyl in Ukraine.

For those countries seeking to adopt nuclear energy it is very important to be mindful of the history of nuclear power in order to understand the driving forces behind nuclear energy use in countries with different markets size, as well as the various challenges that hinder its large scale use and potential.

Nuclear Power: Past and Future

The appearance of the first nuclear power plants in the United States and USSR was not dictated by economic considerations or by market conditions. The main reason was the desire to introduce and apply the fruits of weapons research in the form of peaceful applications. Today's nuclear power, with its basic reactor and fuel cycle technologies, is just that—the peaceful application and development of technologies designed for military purposes.