With fossil fuel prices soaring and demand for clean energy growing, governments around the world are reconsidering nuclear power projects that have been shelved because of safety concerns and huge costs.

The Philippines is the latest example. Gerardo Erguiza Jr, Deputy Minister of Energy of the Philippines. The Philippines will sign a cooperation agreement with the United States to study the feasibility of integrating nuclear power into the country's energy structure, it said on Wednesday. The Philippines aims to reduce the use of coal while improving the reliability of its power system, and clean energy demand is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4.4% by 2040.

"given this demand and the expected depletion of natural gas resources, nuclear power will play an important role in meeting the required capacity," Philippine President Duterte said in an executive order signed on Monday. "

Nuclear power has lost its appeal in many countries because of nuclear accidents and delays and cost overruns in new nuclear power projects in Europe and the United States. In recent months, however, nuclear power has returned to the attention of some governments as global energy supplies are tight, coal and natural gas prices have risen to record levels, and energy costs could rise again as a result of the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

In January, Brazil began selecting sites for new nuclear power units; the Ministry of Mines and Energy said nuclear energy was the key and foundation of Brazil's energy transformation. French President Jean-Claude Macron announced a massive revival of nuclear power in February, which represents a major shift in France's position on nuclear power. In addition, countries such as India and South Africa also plan to significantly expand nuclear power, using nuclear power to reduce dependence on coal while meeting the growth in local electricity demand.