"The important element is the change in the mind of policymakers," Echavarri says.

"More policymakers are telling their populations that energy security is a big concern, that we have to be careful, and that protection of the environment is another concern," says Echavarri.

The tripling of oil prices since 2002, instability in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute at the beginning of the year have made securing reliable future sources of energy a matter of national priority.

The main resource required for nuclear power is uranium, more than half of which is produced in relatively stable OECD countries, all developed industrialised democracies, according to NEA data.

The NEA is the nuclear research arm of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a multilateral economic coordination agency based in Paris.

Furthermore, nuclear power emits no greenhouse gases, giving it advantages over rival technologies at a time when climate change and its apparent danger for the planet are in the spotlight.

"If you put these two things together (energy security and global warming), it is very logical that policymakers are now looking at nuclear with the interest of newcomers," he says.

In a broad look at likely new projects in the next few years, Echavarri says that China is expected to build 30 new reactors in the next 20-25 years while 15-20 nuclear units are under consideration in the United States.

He says that 6-10 reactors are being reviewed in Britain, while Finland and France have begun construction of new plants. Japan and South Korea have never stopped their nuclear programmes, while Russia and India already have nuclear experience and it is "very realistic" to expect them to add capacity to provide the electricity required to fuel their economic development.

However, Echavarri says that nuclear power will remain steady as a proportion of total electricity production in the next 20 years -- despite these new projects -- because of surging demand.

His statement reveals more about the need to find increased capacity from other sources of energy to meet demand than it does about the world's dependence on nuclear power.

"In the next 20 years, the percentage of nuclear power in total electricity will be relatively stable. "There will be more reactors come in and some reactors will be decommissioned at the end of their life, but there will be growth in electricity demand overall."

Nuclear power currently provides 17 percent of world electricity supply, with a higher proportion, 23 percent, in OECD countries.

The OECD and NEA predict a doubling in energy demand by 2050 compared to the level of 2000 based on a scenario of modest growth over the period.

Nowhere is the trend of rising nuclear production struggling to keep up with accelerating demand more evident than in east Asia and Echavarri has some arresting statistics to illustrate the point.

"To give you an idea of the order of magnitude of the Chinese programme, the percentage of electricity from nuclear in China is currently 1.6 percent from nine reactors. By 2030, if they have 40 reactors in operation, this will represent only 4.0 percent of total electricity in China."

Installed nuclear capacity in east Asia is set to double by 2020, according to projections by the NEA.

China has announced its intention to buy technology from foreign companies, with the main players, AREVA of France and Westinghouse of the United States, shadowed by competition from Canada and Russia.

"The company that gets the first orders logically is in a very good position for many new orders in the future," says Echavarri.

Echavarri even believes that nuclear power has been able to win over some of its critics in the environmental world, with some campaigners now recognising the role of the technology in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Nevertheless, the influential lobby group Greenpeace remains fervently opposed and public opposition rooted in fears about proliferation, safety and waste remains strong in many European countries.

In the meantime, the nuclear industry, which Echavarri describes as "mature" 30 years after its creation, has begun work on a fourth-generation reactor.

Third-generation reactors are now off the drawing board and under construction in Finland and France among others.

The fourth-generation is expected to be cheaper, more efficient, safer and less vulnerable to proliferation.

"The idea is to have the technology available from 2020-2030, so that prototypes could be operated and then used normally from 2040-2050."

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