It was just gathering momentum, the discussion Labor proposed to have with itself at the national conference later this year on nuclear energy.

But it's over. In the minds of its architects, the unfolding crisis in Fukushima has rendered the debate impossible.

No one is saying publicly the pro-nuclear push is dead, not yet - it would be in poor taste to bloviate about domestic nuclear policy while Japan grapples with its terrible tragedy. But among Labor powerbrokers, that's the general prognosis.

There were two strands for the Labor conference to consider: whether Australia should develop a nuclear industry, and whether Labor should adjust its policy allowing uranium to be sold to India.

It's the first strand that's become too fraught. Selling uranium to India is problematic, but still an outside prospect. It will come down to the Prime Minister. If Julia Gillard wants to sell yellowcake to India, then key figures on the Right and the Left will marshal the numbers to support the executive.