Radiation leaks from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant, following the recent earthquake and tsunami, have cast a shadow over the global nuclear industry, causing governments to rethink their energy policies.
Germany has temporarily closed a third of its nuclear power plants and China, which has ambitious nuclear power expansion plans, is reviewing approval for future roll-out. Other countries are still digesting events before taking action.
But what is the effect of Japan’s nuclear damage on energy investment views? As yet the full extent of the crisis is unclear but opinion in the investment community is divided over whether countries will continue to rely heavily on uranium to provide energy for reactors, shift to coal and gas or to alternative energy sources such as wind or solar.