It wasn’t that long ago that nuclear energy was a pariah, politically and environmentally. But with climate change and and energy crisis headlining our political campaigns and agendas, nuclear energy just might be back on the table…

And not only here in the U.S., either.

France’s GDF Suez (GSZ:Paris), newly-formed energy group, and Spain’s Iberdrola (IBE:Madrid) just announced that they will join forces to build nuclear plants in the United Kingdom… As have German companies RWE and E.ON (EOA:Hamburg).

But friendly European countries teaming up to build nuclear power plants isn’t the only card in play. Nuclear energy is on the table in Russia, China, and Iran.

German company Siemens (SI:NYSE) is expected to partner with Rosatom in Russia to invest $45 million in a transformer factory. The two companies are hoping to partner on more projects, too, in both Russia and Germany, and also in other countries.

China is well on track to double its nuclear power capacity over the next ten years. In 2009 alone, the country expects to add 8.4 gigawatts-worth of nuclear power plants. In fact, China is investing about $84.8 billion in the power industry this year. Technology will come from “third-generation nuclear power technologies, such as the AP100 developed by the United States-based Westinghouse Electric Co,” said Fu Manchang, secretary-general of the Chinese Nuclear Society, to China.org.

With so much development on the nuclear energy agenda, it should come as no surprise that the geopolitical eye has once again fixed itself of Iran, and the posibility of its nuclear weapons program.

Today, representatives from five permanent member countries of the UN Security council met to talk about diplomacy and Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Yesterday, it became public that Iran had launched its first home-built satellite. This means that long-range weapons and the ability to fire ballistic missiles are fast becoming a reality.

This has folks a little edgy, as many people believe that if Iran gains nuclear weapons, and has the ability to fire long-range missiles, it might attack Israel.

But the UN Security council is encouraged by the new U.S. administration’s “willingness… to engage in talks with Iran.”

That won’t make the job any less hard, and if indeed Iran capitulates to every demand in order to pursue a peaceful nuclear energy program, would the UN Security council actually sanction the move? How can it not when China is pouring money into nuclear energy programs, and when Russia, our old Cold War enemy who is still dismantling its nuclear bombs, is partnering with Western companies to develop plants?

If we’re ready to negotiate, we’d better be ready for a nuclear Iran… even if it’s just to generate electricity, not bombs.

Source: Nuclear Energy Back on the Table