Plugging in to Nuclear

For many Australians, nuclear power brings to mind glowing earth and mutant babies. State and federal laws ban nuclear development, more than 100 municipalities are self-declared "nuclear free zones," and not a kilowatt of the nation's electricity comes from uranium. But in Europe, Asia and North America, millions of people live near nuclear reactors with no more fuss than if they were grain silos. And fueling many of those reactors is Australian uranium.

As familiarity displaces fear overseas, rising demand for electricity and concerns about the environmental costs of getting it from coal and gas are prompting...