There may be a reverse rennaisance with respect to nuclear power plants based upon the existing technology widely in use today, but that's understandable since this was a poor technology choice for purposes of energy production. This nuclear energy technology was chosen over other technologies much better suited to energy production that were developed in the 1950's/ 1960's because the uranium-plutonium life cycle employed by this technology was consistent with Cold War efforts to enrich as much uranium as possible for nuclear weapons.



Absent these Cold War pressures, it makes little sense to employ a technology based upon a uranium-plutonium life cycle in plants operating at 50 times normal atmospheric pressure. Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors employing a thorium-uranium life cycle in plants operating at normal atmospheric pressure make much more sense. This technology was developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboraties and has been widely abandoned until recently.



Other countries, including China, Japan, and India are now racing to commercialize this technology, so a nuclear power renaisance is indeed likely -- it's just not taking place here in the US even though the technology being pursued elsewhere was developed here.