The Nuclear Regulatory Commission currently considering 30+ license requests for new nuclear power plants.  15 years ago there were no active requests for nuke plants because early implementations were improperly sized and mismanaged, making nuclear the most expensive power production method per kilowatt hour.  A lot has changed since public utilities bungled the first nuclear implementations 40 years ago.

The price of oil is the prime mover behind this new trend, however, nuclear now power makes sense for other reasons. 

Technology:

Modern reactor designs are light-years ahead of the dinosaur designs of the 1960’s.  Cost-competitive, meltdown-proof smaller, modular reactors with a lifespan of 60-80 years and some are small enough to be transported by truck.  The "plug-and-play" construction and small footprint means that a new plant can go from ‘Greenfield’ to actively producing power in months instead of years.

Economics:

According to an OECD Nuclear Energy Agency study entitled “Costs of Generating Electricity” at a 5% discount rate nuclear energy is cheaper than coal in 7 out of 10 countries and cheaper than gas in all but one country.

I’m not so sure I trust an OECD study, but advances in technology (and maybe common sense) have changed everything.  Rather than a “bigger is better” approach in the 1960s, next-generation reactors are modular and can be scaled to demand for a particular serving area.  Smaller start-up investments and shorter lead-times overcome the chief obstacles to new plant construction.  New designs have kept the capital costs competitive on the front end.  Fuel (uranium) costs are stable and the massive infrastructure costs required for gas and oil transport, refining and distribution are avoided. 

Your thoughts?