The study, led by Benjamin Sovacool of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, suggests nations should instead invest in renewable energy systems and small scale decentralized generation technologies.

Sovacool says the electricity sector, as currently operated, is at the mercy of natural disasters, price fluctuations, terrorist attacks and blackouts. Coupled with other, more long-standing problems such as increasing levels of pollution, growing vulnerability and inefficiency of transmission and distribution networks, the challenges add to the need for an evaluation of alternative energy technologies.

Sovacool said three other sets of technologies -- energy efficiency practices, renewable energy systems and small-scale distributed generation technologies -- appear to offer many advantages over large and centralized nuclear and fossil fueled generators.

He presents his analysis and recommendations in the current issue of the journal Policy Sciences.