Utilities in the US are once again turning to the notion of nuclear power, over 30 years after the last nuclear facility was proposed. Driven by the pressing need for more baseload generation, a desire to escape the volatility of natural gas and crude oil markets and the need to reconcile power generation with future carbon legislation, the nuclear concept is undergoing a renaissance.

Yet the challenges are significant. With today's multi-billion-dollar cost of building a nuclear plant taking up