Demand for uranium is driven by growth in nuclear energy production. From 2000 to 2009, the costs of building new power plants have increased 131%. The ongoing economic crisis should cause costs to fall, but not enough. With credit tightening and electricity prices falling, the government is the industries only hope to overcome the massive fixed costs of building new nuclear power plants. Government across the globe are increasing their support of nuclear power, but are limited by shrinking budgets.