Uranium explorers are calling on Australian state governments to lift bans on mining the fuel, which analysts believes is likely to see a long-term increase in demand as decarbonisation spurs renewed interest in nuclear energy around the world.

“The bans in some states like Western Australia, which is known for its mining history, is nonsensical and leave the nation at risk of missing out on soaring global demand,” said Jonathan Fisher, chief executive officer of Cauldron Energy, a Sydney-listed explorer for the fuel.

“The time is now to remove these bans – there’s a real economic cost to not doing it,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg before the annual Diggers & Dealers conference that started on Monday in Kalgoorlie, Australia.