The number of utilities expecting renewable and nuclear power to be a bigger part of the future energy mix has more than doubled since last year, according to a global survey published by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

But it remains to be seen how quickly these low-carbon energy sources can become more dominant.

Last year, only 17 per cent and 19 per cent of those utilities questioned were looking at wind and nuclear fuel, respectively, according to the annual PricewaterhouseCoopers global survey on energy and efficiency, published on Thursday.

This year, these energy sources were mentioned by 48 per cent and 45 per cent of those who took part in the survey, which PricewaterhouseCoopers said went to the "heart of boardroom thinking" of 114 power companies in 44 countries.

The report warned that without effective regulatory frameworks, real progress towards switching away from climate-warming fuels could be limited.

"It is clear that the climate of thinking and action around cleaner power, renewables and energy efficiency is shifting fast," said Manfred Wiegand, global utilities leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers in a statement.

"The big question is the extent and pace of the actual shift that will take place in the energy mix."

He added that economic incentives would be critical, including a sufficiently high global carbon price to penalise high carbon emissions across the globe.

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