Labor disputes related to uranium mining operations in Africa have gained prominence recently, with several companies reporting strikes. The impact could be considerable if continued challenges become more widespread.
Even as May 6 marked the first day in 40 years that Japan has been without nuclear power, the inevitable steps to incrementally restarting the nuclear facilities appear evident.
As one of the smallest economies in the Middle East, Jordan is looking to expand it's nuclear capacity, transforming the country from an energy importer to an electricity exporter.
Canada recently faced international pressure at the nuclear security summit in Korea because of its use of highly-enriched uranium to make medical isotopes for medical diagnoses.
Uranium prospects remain bullish with projections of an inevitable supply deficit and 491 new reactors planned or proposed globally, a total of nine more than before Fukushima.
Britain and Japan have signed a framework civil nuclear co-operation pact, agreeing to collaborate on nuclear safety regulations. The agreement reflects Japan's concern for independent, competent, and rigorous regulation of nuclear safety and of enhanced emergency preparedness.
Even as a recent nuclear summit concentrated on the security of nuclear materials, private meetings between leaders of Canada, India, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, and the European Union have featured discussions on economic issues and increasing trade.
According to the results of Gallup's annual Environment survey, conducted earlier this month, the majority of Americans continue to favor nuclear energy as a source of electricity for the United States. Since the inception of the survey, the range of support for the nuclear industry had ranged from a low of 46 percent in 2001 to a high of 62 percent in 2010.
As nuclear policies in Poland and other Eastern European countries appear to collide with those of some Western European states, the future of industrial progress and economic growth appears to be rising in the east and setting in the west.
One year after the Fukushima incident, the World Energy Council has issued a report on the current status and the future of the nuclear industry.
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