TOKYO — Uranium prices have climbed roughly 50% so far this year to a 12-year high as growing concerns over energy security spurs countries to look again at nuclear energy, an option that had been shunned since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns.

The spot price of uranium ore concentrate came to $72.75 on Monday, according to research firm UxC, firmly above the most recent peak of $63.75 reached in April 2022 in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.