EDAM Director Sinan Ülgen, in an op-ed for The National, assessed the renewed global relevance of nuclear energy forty years after the Chernobyl disaster. In his article, Ülgen examines how decarbonisation imperatives, geopolitical energy-security risks, rising electricity demand driven by AI and data centres, and advances in small modular reactor technologies are reshaping the international debate on nuclear power. He also underlines that the future of civilian nuclear energy will depend on the integrity of the global non-proliferation regime and argues that a diplomatic resolution of Iran’s nuclear programme remains essential for sustaining international confidence in the peaceful use of nuclear technology.