Why green investors are warming to nuclear opportunities

NUCLEAR energy is a controversial topic among sustainable investors. While the technology does not require the burning of fossil fuels and does not release carbon dioxide, nuclear power stations pose other social concerns over safety and the treatment of radioactive waste.

Many investors focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors have therefore chosen to exclude nuclear energy from their portfolios.

Attitudes towards nuclear power, however, are changing in many countries. Nowhere is this more noticeable than in Japan, where the world’s most recent serious nuclear accident took place in 2011 following an earthquake and tsunami. Tokyo has since launched a major nuclear push, restarting dormant reactors and extending the operational lives of others.