Podcasts about smrs

As artificial intelligence evolves into a core driver of global industrial competition, China's strong power supply system and its forward-looking computing-electricity synergy strategy will give it an unparalleled edge in rolling out AI infrastructure, according to experts, corporate executives and on-the-ground evidence.专家、企业高管及实地证据表明，随着人工智能发展成为全球产业竞争的核心驱动力，中国强大的电力供应体系及其前瞻性的算电协同战略，将为其部署AI基础设施提供无与伦比的优势。Zhang Qin, former deputy chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology and fellow of International Academy of Artificial Intelligence Sciences, said that "AI is creating an explosive demand for energy, and the solution lies in safe, reliable and green power. China has great strength in that area".中国科协原副主席、国际人工智能科学院院士张勤表示，“人工智能正在催生爆炸性的能源需求，解决方案在于安全、可靠且绿色的电力。中国在这一领域拥有强大实力”。"Apart from solar and wind power, nuclear energy can also be a crucial power supply for data centers if safety is guaranteed. This is a technological frontier to be conquered rather than a barrier to AI adoption," Zhang told China Daily on the sidelines of the recent World Internet of Things Top 500 Summit in Beijing.张勤在近日于北京举行的世界物联网500强峰会期间接受《中国日报》采访时表示：“除了风能和太阳能，核能若安全保障到位，同样可以成为数据中心的关键电力来源。这是一个有待攻克的技术前沿，而非AI应用的障碍。”The comments came as China embraces AI with open arms. The value of its core AI industries exceeded 1.2 trillion yuan ($177 billion) last year, maintaining annual growth of more than 20 percent for several consecutive years, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.这些言论正值中国全力拥抱AI之际。据工业和信息化部数据，去年中国核心AI产业产值超过1.2万亿元人民币（约合1770亿美元），连续数年保持20%以上的年增长率。Furthermore, the country is turning AI into real-world applications and a driver of economic growth. In the first half of this year, China's industrial output of AI-related sectors, including integrated circuit manufacturing and in-vehicle intelligent equipment manufacturing, grew more than 30 percent year-on-year.此外，中国正将AI转化为实际应用和经济增长的驱动力。今年上半年，中国集成电路制造、车载智能设备制造等AI相关产业的工业产值同比增长超过30%。Wei Zhigang, chairman of CNNC Hainan Nuclear Power Co, said that as AI triggers unprecedented global demand for computing power, "the ultimate constraint has become clear: the need for vast, stable electricity supplies".中核集团海南核电有限公司董事长魏志刚表示，随着人工智能引发全球对算力的空前需求，“最终的约束已变得清晰：对庞大而稳定电力供应的需求”。Tech giants such as Microsoft and Google are actively exploring small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs, to power AI data centers.微软、谷歌等科技巨头正积极探索利用小型模块化核反应堆为AI数据中心供电。Wei added that CNNC's Linglong One — the world's first onshore commercial SMR — is nearing completion, and the company plans to begin commercial operations later this year. One key advantage of SMRs, Wei said, is their flexible placement, allowing them to be deployed right where computing power is needed, enabling close load-matching.魏志刚补充说，中核集团的“玲珑一号”，全球首个陆上商用小型模块化核反应堆已接近完工，公司计划于今年晚些时候开始商业运营。他指出，SMR的一大优势在于其部署灵活性，可直接建在算力需求地，实现就近负荷匹配。Zhou Ji, a senior researcher at market consultancy Pangoal, said that "China's energy system has an edge in three dimensions: scale, structure and system, which constitutes solid support for AI computing infrastructure at the foundational level".市场咨询机构盘古智库高级研究员周济表示，“中国能源体系在规模、结构和体制三个维度上具有优势，这为AI算力基础设施奠定了坚实基础”。Regarding scale, China ranks first in the world in total electricity generation and also leads in incremental growth. In terms of structure, the country has the world's largest installed capacity of new energy, with the share of green power continuing to rise, Zhou said.周济指出，在规模上，中国发电总量位居全球第一，增量增长同样领先；在结构上，中国拥有全球最大的新能源装机容量，绿色电力占比持续上升。As for system, China's ultra-high-voltage grid technology enables cross-regional optimization of power resources, while the country is also adopting a pioneering approach that aligns computing infrastructure with clean energy sources, he added.他补充说，在体制上，中国的特高压电网技术实现了电力资源的跨区域优化配置，同时，中国还在采取一种开创性做法，即让算力基础设施与清洁能源协同布局。Looking ahead, the Beijing Institute of Technology's Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research projected that by 2030, China's data centers will consume about 525.76 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, accounting for 4.8 percent of the country's total societal electricity use.展望未来，北京理工大学能源与环境政策研究中心预测，到2030年，中国数据中心将消耗约5257.6亿千瓦时电力，占全社会用电量的4.8%。In the United States, meanwhile, the amount of electricity consumed by data centers is expected to cause significant tightening across the national power market.与此同时，美国数据中心的电力消耗预计将导致全国电力市场显著趋紧。That strain is already feeding through to the real economy, as big tech data centers are driving up power bills for manufacturers across the US Rust Belt, Reuters reported. For example, the Belden Brick Co in Sugarcreek, Ohio, a 141-year-old enterprise, saw its electricity costs surge 90 percent last year, largely due to rising power demand from regional data centers.据路透社报道，这种压力已传导至实体经济，大型科技数据中心正在推高美国“铁锈地带”制造商的电费账单。例如，俄亥俄州舒格克里克市拥有141年历史的贝尔登砖公司，去年电费飙升了90%，主要原因是区域数据中心的电力需求不断增长。China, by contrast, is taking a coordinated, long-term approach. Wang Hongzhi, head of the National Energy Administration, has said that China's energy system will become significantly more secure, resilient and structurally optimized by 2030, driven by over 20 trillion yuan in planned investments for key energy projects and emerging sectors.相比之下，中国正采取协调一致、着眼长远的方法。国家能源局局长王宏志表示，在重点能源项目和新兴领域计划投资逾20万亿元的推动下，到2030年，中国能源系统将显著提升安全性、韧性和结构优化水平。To accommodate the surging electricity demand driven by AI, Wang said China will closely align national computing hubs with large renewable bases in the western regions, advancing the synergy between computing and electricity, while simultaneously promoting distributed power, microgrids and virtual power plants to meet localized computing needs.王宏志表示，为满足AI驱动的激增电力需求，中国将把全国算力枢纽与西部地区大型可再生能源基地紧密对接，推进算电协同，同时推广分布式电源、微电网和虚拟电厂，以满足本地化算力需求。A virtual power plant is a network of small, distributed energy resources, such as solar panels and electric vehicle chargers, that are connected and managed as one.虚拟电厂是一个由小型分布式能源资源（如太阳能电池板和电动汽车充电桩）组成的网络，这些资源被连接起来并作为一个整体进行管理。Song Yunbo, chief sustainability officer of GCL Group, a major Chinese new energy company, said that China "already generates over one-third of its electricity from renewables — a global leader — and the country's energy surplus makes it an ideal testing ground for AI-driven applications".中国新能源巨头协鑫集团首席可持续发展官宋赟波表示，中国“已有超过三分之一的电力来自可再生能源全球领先而国家的能源富余使其成为AI驱动应用的理想试验场”。Miao Qing, chairwoman of Yingli Group, another Chinese new energy company, said AI-powered virtual power plants are reshaping electricity systems by aggregating distributed renewables, storage and flexible loads to smooth peaks and valleys while dynamically responding to real-time market prices.另一家中国新能源企业英利集团董事长苗青表示，AI驱动的虚拟电厂正在重塑电力系统，通过聚合分布式可再生能源、储能和灵活负荷，削峰填谷，同时动态响应实时市场价格。Miao said China has already built more than 530 virtual power plants, and the prospects for wider application are "very promising".苗青表示，中国已建成530多个虚拟电厂，更广泛的应用前景“非常乐观”。load-matching /ləʊd ˈmætʃɪŋ/负荷匹配incremental growth /ˌɪŋkrɪˈmentəl ɡrəʊθ/增量增长installed capacity /ɪnˈstɔːld kəˈpæsəti/装机容量ultra-high-voltage grid /ˈʌltrə haɪ ˈvəʊltɪdʒ ɡrɪd/特高压电网cross-regional optimization /krɒs ˈriːdʒənəl ˌɒptɪmaɪˈzeɪʃən/跨区域优化配置societal electricity use /səˈsaɪətəl ɪˌlekˈtrɪsəti juːs/全社会用电量Rust Belt /rʌst belt/铁锈地带coordinated /kəʊˈɔːdɪneɪtɪd/协调一致的

Send us Fan MailIn the third episode of our series recorded live at Datacloud Global Congress 2026 in Cannes, Andy Davis is once again joined by co-host Rory Flashman from Spa Communications to explore one of the biggest challenges facing the data centre industry: power. Joining the conversation: Chris Pennington, Director, Energy and Sustainability, Iron Mountain Afonso Salema, CEO, Exus Digital Together, they discuss whether the industry is really at power capacity, or whether data centres need to become smarter, more flexible and more responsive to the grids they depend on. The conversation looks at how the industry can unlock stranded grid capacity, the role of energy storage and flexible load, and why the traditional approach of simply asking the grid for constant supply may no longer be enough. Chris and Afonso also explore behind-the-meter power, the differences between the US and European markets, and whether on-site generation is a short-term bridge to grid connection or a longer-term part of the data centre power mix. The episode also tackles the debate around nuclear, microgrids, renewable energy, affordability, total cost of ownership and the need for data centres to work more closely with TSOs, regulators and local communities. Recorded live at Datacloud Global Congress 2026 in Cannes. Key Topics: Why access to power has become one of the industry's biggest challenges How data centres can use flexible load and storage to unlock grid capacity The role of behind-the-meter power as a bridge to grid connection Why power affordability is becoming central to AI infrastructure growth The differences between US and European power strategies Whether gas can play a viable role in European data centre power The future of nuclear, SMRs and grid-connected clean energy Why there is no one-size-fits-all solution to power constraints How peak shaving and smarter energy use can reduce costs The importance of community engagement and listening to local priorities Why the industry needs to do more to challenge myths around power, water and local impact Tune in for a timely conversation on how power is shaping the future of data centre development, why flexibility and affordability matter, and how the industry can work more closely with grids and communities to support sustainable growth.Support the showThe Inside Data Centre Podcast is recorded in partnership with DataX Connect, a specialist data centre recruitment company based in the UK. They operate on a global scale to place passionate individuals at the heart of leading data centre companies.To learn more about Andy Davis and the rest of the DataX team, click here: DataX Connect

This episode of FreightWaves Today covers key developments across logistics, freight technology, and the industrial economy: Key Episode Highlights & Topics Industry News & AI Breakthroughs: The hosts review major headlines, including JB Hunt's partnership with startup Overroot to deploy AI-led freight execution platform agents across millions of loads. They also examine Forward Air's nonbinding agreement to retain 50% to 75% of a crucial $250 million account (believed to be NVIDIA) that was at risk due to customer diversification, alongside MARAD's agreement with the Port of Long Beach to test small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). Modal Shifts & Bulk Logistics with Circle Logistics: Nicholas Schipe, Director of Premium Transportation at Circle Logistics, discusses automotive expedited shipping, intermodal conversions, and chemical/liquid bulk freight. He highlights how supply disruptions, port downtimes, and domestic energy production trends (like wastewater and transformer oils) drive modal shifts between rail and truckload. AI and Automation in Warehousing: Andre Luecht, Global Strategy Lead for Transport & Logistics at Zebra Technologies, details how "physical AI," mobile devices, and environmental sensors (e.g., tracking temperature, shock, and ripening gases) empower frontline warehouse workers. He explains how smart assistants give frontline workers instant access to tribal knowledge and standard operating procedures. AAR Rail Data Analysis: The hosts break down the latest Association of American Railroads (AAR) weekly report, pointing to overall volume growth (up 3.4% total traffic, 3.8% intermodal) as a strong indicator of industrial momentum. They contrast solid U.S. demand with declines in Canadian auto parts and commodities tied to trade policy uncertainties. Class 8 Truck Orders & Used Market Dynamics: Chris Ciolino (Industrials Analyst from Bloomberg Intelligence) shares insights on strong Class 8 truck orders and dealer sentiment. He notes that while order backlogs are full through early 2027, much of the volume represents replacement demand ahead of EPA 2027 regulations rather than aggressive fleet expansion, due in part to driver shortages, engine pricing, and tariff impacts. Earnings & Financial Trends with Triumph: Aaron Graft, CEO and Founder of Triumph, breaks down their spectacular Q2 earnings. He reports a 26% increase in average invoice size in their factoring business and highlights why this tight, supply-driven freight market feels structural rather than short-lived. He also discusses operational efficiencies, their 65% market touch in brokered freight, and the rapid 49% growth of their LoadPay digital wallet product. ⁠Follow the FreightWaves Today Podcast⁠ ⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Energy Newsbeat podcast episode, host Stu Turley sits down with nuclear experts Grace Vanderheide (nuclear fuels engineer and former Miss America) and Alina Voss (NX Atomics) to explore the nuclear industry's pivotal moment. As the U.S. restarts decommissioned reactors and deploys advanced reactor designs, the conversation reveals that nuclear's future hinges not on engineering breakthroughs alone, but on solving the unsexy realities: grid infrastructure, ratepayer affordability, and honest public communication.From passive safety mechanisms to manufacturing innovation, the speakers tackle misconceptions about nuclear while confronting hard truths about cost discipline, transmission bottlenecks, and the need to engage women and younger generations in the energy transition.Here is Grace's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracevanderhei/Here is Alina's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinavoss/1. Nuclear Fleet Expansion & Reactor RestartsThe conversation highlights the restart of decommissioned reactors (Three Mile Island, Palisades, Dwayne Arnold) and power upgrades to existing plants. Grace explains that power upgrades alone could generate the equivalent of about seven new nuclear reactors over 2-5 years—a cost-effective way to increase energy output without building new facilities.2. Grid Infrastructure & Transmission CrisisA critical theme is the neglected state of America's transmission and distribution infrastructure, which is 20 years behind in many regions. Alina emphasizes that transmission has been “completely slept on” and warns that without grid upgrades, new generation capacity (whether nuclear or data centers) will face the same challenges. The grid is the “missing middle” that most Americans don't understand.3. Ratepayer Concerns & Energy AffordabilityBoth speakers stress that public fear isn't primarily about nuclear safety anymore—it's about electricity costs. They discuss how data centers and new energy projects risk being blamed for rate increases, and how the nuclear industry must avoid the same PR pitfalls by being transparent about costs and protecting consumers from project overruns.4. Net Zero Targets vs. RealityGrace and Alina critique net zero marketing as disconnected from actual energy policy. They argue that closing nuclear plants while pursuing net zero targets is contradictory, and that voluntary blackouts/brownouts represent a failure of grid planning rather than a solution. They advocate for maximizing clean energy generation rather than reducing consumption.5. Advanced Nuclear Fuel & TechnologyGrace discusses accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) and high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU), explaining how 90-95% of spent nuclear fuel is reusable. Alina describes NX Atomics' liquid metal-cooled reactors and passive safety features, emphasizing innovation in manufacturing (3D printing) and financing models.6. Passive Safety & Reactor DesignBoth experts explain passive safety mechanisms—how reactors automatically shut down without human intervention or external power (using gravity to drop control rods). This addresses public misconceptions about nuclear accidents.7. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) & ManufacturingThe discussion highlights SMRs as a manufacturing challenge, not just an engineering one. Alina notes that companies like Allo Atomics are building factories alongside reactors to achieve economies of scale. The key is treating nuclear as a manufacturing game, not just an engineering project.8. Construction Cost & Timeline DisciplineGrace emphasizes that the #1 priority for nuclear expansion is delivering projects on time and on budget. She argues that nuclear engineers' perfectionism culture conflicts with business realities, and that construction specialists—not engineers—should lead builds once designs are finalized.9. Workforce & Gender DiversityGrace highlights the quadrupling of nuclear engineering undergrad enrollment (from 14 to 60+ students per class at UW-Madison). She stresses the need to engage women in nuclear, noting that women are often unaware nuclear is clean energy and need clearer messaging about its value proposition.10. Public Perception & Communication StrategyBoth speakers discuss how to communicate nuclear's benefits authentically, especially as AI-generated social media content proliferates. They emphasize the need for human-to-human interaction and authentic storytelling to build trust, particularly with younger generations and women.11. Uranium Supply ChainGrace expresses interest in the global uranium supply chain and how it will evolve with nuclear expansion—a critical but underexplored topic.12. Political & Policy SupportThe conversation touches on positive momentum from policymakers (like Energy Secretary Chris Wright) and the need for intentional policy to protect ratepayers and avoid the mistakes made with data centers.This was an absolute blast, and honestly it is great to see young people taking the reins and running after nuclear. We need all the power we can get, and the future is bright with nuclear enthusiasts like Grace and Alina. Thank you both for your leadership and stopping by the podcast - Stu Check the articles on https://theenergynewsbeat.substack.com/A shout-out to Steve Reese and the Reese Energy Consulting group for sponsoring the Podcast https://reeseenergyconsulting.com/.Data2 if you have any business systems, can you trust A? Well, they have the patent on validation. . https://data2.zoholandingpage.com/energyAnd we have WellDatabase rolling in as a new sponsor. https://welldatabase.com/

This episode of FreightWaves Today covers key developments across logistics, freight technology, and the industrial economy: Key Episode Highlights & Topics Industry News & AI Breakthroughs: The hosts review major headlines, including JB Hunt's partnership with startup Overroot to deploy AI-led freight execution platform agents across millions of loads. They also examine Forward Air's nonbinding agreement to retain 50% to 75% of a crucial $250 million account (believed to be NVIDIA) that was at risk due to customer diversification, alongside MARAD's agreement with the Port of Long Beach to test small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). Modal Shifts & Bulk Logistics with Circle Logistics: Nicholas Schipe, Director of Premium Transportation at Circle Logistics, discusses automotive expedited shipping, intermodal conversions, and chemical/liquid bulk freight. He highlights how supply disruptions, port downtimes, and domestic energy production trends (like wastewater and transformer oils) drive modal shifts between rail and truckload. AI and Automation in Warehousing: Andre Luecht, Global Strategy Lead for Transport & Logistics at Zebra Technologies, details how "physical AI," mobile devices, and environmental sensors (e.g., tracking temperature, shock, and ripening gases) empower frontline warehouse workers. He explains how smart assistants give frontline workers instant access to tribal knowledge and standard operating procedures. AAR Rail Data Analysis: The hosts break down the latest Association of American Railroads (AAR) weekly report, pointing to overall volume growth (up 3.4% total traffic, 3.8% intermodal) as a strong indicator of industrial momentum. They contrast solid U.S. demand with declines in Canadian auto parts and commodities tied to trade policy uncertainties. Class 8 Truck Orders & Used Market Dynamics: Chris Ciolino (Industrials Analyst from Bloomberg Intelligence) shares insights on strong Class 8 truck orders and dealer sentiment. He notes that while order backlogs are full through early 2027, much of the volume represents replacement demand ahead of EPA 2027 regulations rather than aggressive fleet expansion, due in part to driver shortages, engine pricing, and tariff impacts. Earnings & Financial Trends with Triumph: Aaron Graft, CEO and Founder of Triumph, breaks down their spectacular Q2 earnings. He reports a 26% increase in average invoice size in their factoring business and highlights why this tight, supply-driven freight market feels structural rather than short-lived. He also discusses operational efficiencies, their 65% market touch in brokered freight, and the rapid 49% growth of their LoadPay digital wallet product. Follow the FreightWaves Today Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Matthew Smith. Matthew is the founder and CIO of Chronometer Partners, which invests in energy, industrials, materials, power and utilities, and related infrastructure. For the last 18 months he and his team have modeled nearly every natural gas well, pipeline, and processing asset in the United States. He's reached a conclusion most of the market doesn't share.  Starting in 2028, AI data centers and LNG exports will need more gas than the country can produce and deliver. By his math, the US could exhaust its working natural gas storage by 2030. In his words, the upside risk to prices becomes unbounded and convex. We talk about why this was set in motion long before AI arrived, why the US can't just turn off exports, who wins and loses among producers, nuclear, solar, and the hyperscalers, and what he sees as the only long-term solution. Please enjoy my conversation with Matthew Smith. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  ----- In June, Matthew wrote a letter to a small group of confidants laying out the full case behind his natural gas forecast. He has allowed us to publish it. You can read the full letter here. ----- Become a Colossus member to get our quarterly print magazine and private audio experience, including exclusive profiles and early access to select episodes. Subscribe at ⁠colossus.com/subscribe⁠. ----- ⁠Ramp's⁠ mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ramp.com/invest⁠⁠ to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- Trusted by thousands of businesses, ⁠Vanta⁠ continuously monitors your security posture and streamlines audits so you can win enterprise deals and build customer trust without the traditional overhead. Invest Like the Best listeners get a special offer of $1,000 off Vanta when you go to ⁠vanta.com/invest⁠.  ----- WorkOS⁠ is the infrastructure B2B and AI-native companies use to sell to enterprise. It covers everything enterprise security requires: SSO, SCIM, RBAC, Audit Logs, AI governance, and more. Trusted by 2,000+ fast-growing companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Cursor, and Vercel. ----- Rogo is the AI platform for finance. They're building agents for Wall Street that are trained to understand how bankers and investors actually do work: from diligence and modeling, to turning analysis into deliverables. To learn more, visit rogo.ai/invest. ----- ⁠Ridgeline⁠ has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Visit⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ridgeline.ai⁠. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant. Timestamps: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:02:02) Episode Intro: Matt Smith (00:03:33) The Conclusion After 18 Months (00:04:56) The Die Was Cast Before AI (00:07:24) Sizing AI's Gas Demand (00:09:33) Why Not Just Stop Exporting? (00:11:38) Is the Gas Even There? (00:13:53) The Timing Problem, Not Supply (00:15:15) Flow Versus Stock (00:19:10) What Slows Gas to Market (00:22:21) If Nothing Changes by 2030 (00:26:11) Could Prices Hit Twenty Dollars? (00:27:00) Gas Producers Poised to Win (00:28:54) Utility-Scale Solar's Windfall (00:30:08) What About Nuclear? (00:32:40) SMRs (00:34:29) The US Consumer Pays (00:36:37) Turbine Makers Building Too Late (00:37:57) Are Hyperscalers Exposed Too? (00:44:25) Kickstarting the Nuclear Build (00:46:20) Put Solar on Every Roof (00:46:52) Implications for the World (00:49:26) No One's Securing Supply (00:52:57) The Challenge for Energy CEOs

בפרק זה של הפודקאסט "על המשמעות" עו"ד תמיר דורטל מארח את פרופסור יונתן דובי לשיחה על עתיד משק האנרגיה בישראל ובעולם בצל מהפכת הבינה המלאכותית.האם המעבר לאנרגיות מתחדשות באמת עוזר לכדור הארץ, או שהוא בעיקר גורם לעלייה חדה בתעריפי החשמל של כולנו? במהלך השיחה, אנו צוללים אל מאחורי הקלעים של הפוליטיקה הירוקה. פרופ' יונתן דובי פורס את משנתו ומסביר מדוע פאנלים סולאריים אינם הפתרון הקסום שמבטיחים לנו, וכיצד הם מובילים לסבסוד מעוות שפוגע בכיס של צרכן החשמל הממוצע. אנו מנתחים את מגבלות הסוללות ואגירת החשמל אל מול צרכי הרשת, ושואלים עד כמה טכנולוגיות אלו מסוגלות לספק יציבות בשעות שיא הביקוש. אולם, הדרמה המרכזית בראיון נוגעת להשפעת הבינה המלאכותית (AI) על העולם. האם ידעתם שחוות שרתים ענקיות צורכות חשמל בהיקפים של מדינות שלמות? פרופ' דובי חושף מדוע ענקיות הטכנולוגיה נוטשות את אידאולוגיית האקלים ומפנות משאבי עתק אל עבר טכנולוגיית העתיד האמיתית - תחנות כוח גרעיניות וכורים מודולריים קטנים (SMRs).הפרק מנפץ מיתוסים נפוצים על אסונות כמו פוקושימה וצ'רנוביל, ומסביר מדוע הביטחון האנרגטי של מדינת ישראל בזמן מלחמה תלוי במאגרי הפחם והגז הרבה יותר מאשר בקולטי השמש. בנוסף, אנו בוחנים אירועי קיצון כמו הפסקת החשמל המערכתית בספרד, ושואלים כיצד אנו נערכים להימנע מתרחיש דומה. לסיום, פרופ' דובי משתף מהזווית האישית שלו כאיש אקדמיה כיצד ה-AI משנה את פני המחקר, ההוראה והיצירתיות האנושית. האזינו לפרק שישנה לחלוטין את הדרך שבה אתם מבינים כלכלה, ביטחון ואנרגיה, ויעניק לכם כלים אינטלקטואליים לנתח את המציאות שמעבר לסיסמאות.00:00:00 חרדת טווח, סוללות ורכבים חשמליים00:03:32 טכנולוגיות אגירת חשמל במערכת החשמל00:10:04 כמה באמת עולים לנו הפאנלים הסולאריים?00:20:00 היעדים הירוקים והקשר לאג'נדה פרוגרסיבית00:26:00 מהפכת הבינה המלאכותית ומשבר החשמל00:30:44 למה ביל גייטס זונח את האנרגיה הירוקה?00:33:13 היתרונות העצומים של תחנות כוח גרעיניות00:41:23 האשליה מאחורי הקמת חוות שרתים בישראל00:44:44 הדור הבא: כורים גרעיניים קטנים מודולריים00:52:34 מנפצים מיתוסים על צ'רנוביל ופוקושימה01:00:00 ביטחון אנרגטי בישראל בזמן מלחמה01:06:27 הפסקת החשמל המערכתית בספרד בגלל הסולארי01:09:53 כיצד הבינה המלאכותית משנה את האקדמיה?01:19:42 יצירתיות אנושית מול מודלים של שפה (פרימיום)01:24:38 משמעות החיים בעולם רווי אוטומציה (פרימיום)#פודקאסט #על_המשמעותSupport the showתוכנית המנויים "על המשמעות פלוס" ➕: https://bit.ly/4eOO4g5 גישה מוקדמת לפרקים

Why Data Centers Are Becoming America's New Industrial Backbone w/ Tom Sullivan of Air2O - AZ TRT S07 EP09 (291) 6-14-2026         What We Learned This Week 1. AI Is Creating One of the Largest Infrastructure Booms in History The AI revolution isn't just software. It requires: physical buildings massive electrical systems cooling infrastructure energy innovation The data center buildout may become one of the biggest infrastructure projects ever undertaken. 2. Cooling Technology Is Becoming Just as Important as Computing Power The future winners in AI may not only be software companies. Engineering and thermal management firms could become critical infrastructure players. Cooling is no longer an afterthought: it's now central to AI scalability. 3. Arizona Is Quietly Becoming a Strategic Technology Hub Arizona's: land climate business environment power infrastructure are making it increasingly attractive for: semiconductors data centers advanced manufacturing Phoenix continues evolving into a major technology corridor. 4. Many Public Narratives Around Data Centers Are Outdated The perception that modern data centers waste massive amounts of water may no longer reflect reality. Modern facilities: increasingly use closed-loop systems focus on efficiency consume more electricity than water The real long-term challenge may actually be: grid power generation. 5. Nuclear Energy May Return Through AI Demand AI could accelerate adoption of: SMRs localized nuclear power next-generation energy systems Technology growth may revive public discussions around nuclear power in ways not seen in decades.       Guest: Tom Sullivan, CEO & Co-Founder of Air2o LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-sullivan-491706b4/ Bio: Tom is a seasoned leader with a diverse background, rooted in military service and later refined in the civilian sector. Commencing his professional journey in 2007 with enlistment in the British Army. Graduating from the Military College of Leadership & Development in Harrogate, he went on to pursue advanced studies in Electrical Engineering at the Military College of Electronic & Aeronautical Engineering. His operational deployments, spanning both peace and wartime roles, equipped him with invaluable experience. Tom served as a pivotal military liaison to civilian weapons development contractors, specializing in diverse missile platforms, including ground-to-air and ground-to-ground systems. Recognition for his exceptional service came as he was awarded a Commander's Commendation for his work on a mission-critical system and process development project he led in Afghanistan. Beyond the battlefield, Tom further underlined his pursuit of excellence and commitment to professional development by achieving accreditation by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).  In 2014, Tom brought his wealth of experience to the fledgling startup Air2O, joining the three-person company as the Operations and Project Management Lead. His role evolved, culminating in his appointment as Chief Operating Officer in 2020. In this capacity, Tom led a management team responsible for the development and implementation of foundational processes and routines, encompassing HR, recruitment, retention, IT management, Health and Safety, and Vendor management. Under Tom's operational guidance, Air2O witnessed substantial growth, expanding from a modest three-person team in 2014 to a multinational workforce of over 100 employees across four countries today. His initiatives included implementing modern Quality Management Systems (QMS) and Project Management (PM) techniques, culminating in the recent ISO 9001 company accreditation with zero non-conformances reported during external assessment.   Website: https://air2o.com/  Air2O is a global leader in advanced thermal management solutions to the mission critical environments of Data Centers, Indoor Agriculture/Cultivation and large Industrial Facilities such as Lithium Battery and Semi-Conductor production globally. With custom build capabilities, a culture of creative engineers and an infrastructure to support the manufacture of the most innovative of solutions, Air2O aims to deliver the most efficient and optimal solutions for our clients globally. Air2O is an Eren Groupe company, a multi billion organization based in Luxembourg whose mission is to support innovative technological solutions in the fields of renewable energy production, energy conservation and energy storage. Together, we deliver a unique solution for highly efficient, ecologically sound thermal management systems that can be deployed cost-effectively in the most demanding environments.   Our reach spans North America, EMEA, and Asia Pacific, emphasizing custom-engineered solutions prioritizing efficiency and sustainability. We stand proud as Arizona's exclusive low dew point HVACD system manufacturer.     About Air20 Company Focus "Thermal Management Without Compromise" Industries served: data centers semiconductors pharmaceuticals healthcare lithium industry Growth Story 3 employees in 2017 150+ employees today rapid scaling after COVID fueled by VC and private equity investment   Episode Theme The future of data centers, cooling technology, AI infrastructure, and why Arizona has become a major hub for next-generation digital infrastructure. Segment 1 — What Data Centers Really Are Core Concepts Data centers have existed for more than 30 years, but the explosion of: the Internet cloud computing smartphones AI has dramatically increased demand. Society now depends on massive amounts of digital infrastructure to support: computers cell phones cloud applications AI processing streaming business systems Tom Sullivan predicts that within a few years: 40–50% of the population may live within 5 miles of a data center. What a Data Center Looks Like Usually located in industrial areas Large buildings with few or no windows Inside are: server racks data halls GPUs backup batteries power systems cooling infrastructure The Biggest Challenge: Heat Servers consume enormous electricity and generate significant heat. Cooling systems can account for: roughly 30% of a data center's electricity usage. Evolution of Cooling Traditional Cooling Similar to a computer fan system Cool air pushed in, hot air pulled out Older facilities maintained temperatures around 72°F Modern Efficiency Newer facilities can safely operate in the 90°F range. Immersion Cooling Servers submerged in special cooling fluid (not water) Highly efficient but: expensive difficult to maintain operationally complex Direct-to-Chip Cooling Emerging next-generation solution Liquid cooling piped directly to processor chips More efficient and scalable for AI workloads Segment 2 — The AI Infrastructure Boom Why Cooling Matters More Now AI workloads require: far more computing power denser server environments advanced thermal management Cooling Technology Timeline Immersion cooling gained momentum around 2020 Direct-to-chip cooling accelerated around 2023 Historic Infrastructure Buildout Tom discussed the scale of current infrastructure spending: Estimated global data center infrastructure investment: $7 trillion Comparisons: 12x the U.S. roadway network cost 23x the Apollo moon mission cost Who Is Investing? Major technology companies are driving this expansion: Microsoft Amazon NVIDIA Investment areas include: data centers utilities energy construction AI infrastructure Air20 Company Background Origins Started in 2012 as a part-time engineering company Specialized in: thermal management data centers semiconductor facilities pharmaceuticals healthcare engineering Founder Background Tom Sullivan: former military electrical engineer 10 years military experience entrepreneur with deep engineering expertise Company Growth In 2017: connected with venture capital in Scottsdale moved operations to Arizona expanded manufacturing and engineering Current Capabilities Air20 now handles: engineering software programming manufacturing construction coordination Cooling systems can range from: $50,000 units to $1 million+ systems Private Equity Company was eventually acquired by private equity Significant scaling followed VC and PE investment Segment 3 — Why Arizona Became a Data Center Hub Arizona Advantages Tom explained why Arizona attracts major data center investment: Business Climate business-friendly environment attractive economics supportive infrastructure Geography flat land affordable real estate low natural disaster risk Climate predictable weather conditions strong operational reliability Debunking the "Water Usage" Myth A major discussion centered around misconceptions about data centers and water consumption. Historical Cooling Older evaporative cooling systems: used more water used less electricity Modern Systems Current systems: use more power use significantly less water Closed Loop Cooling Modern cooling systems circulate water through: sealed piping systems closed-loop infrastructure This minimizes water loss. Bigger Water Users Tom pointed out: electric generation plants steam turbines nuclear facilities often use far more water than data centers themselves. Massive Power Consumption Data centers now operate at unprecedented scale. Power progression: homes → kilowatts industrial → megawatts hyperscale data centers → gigawatt-level demand One comparison: A large data center can equal the energy usage of 833,000 homes. Future Energy Solutions Potential future solution: Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) compact nuclear reactors already proven in: submarines aircraft carriers Potential advantages: localized power generation reduced grid strain scalable infrastructure support Segment 4 — Nuclear Energy & The Future Nuclear Energy Perception Tom discussed how technology industries often face negative PR cycles. Modern Nuclear Technology According to Tom: nuclear technology has evolved significantly safety standards are dramatically improved waste is greatly reduced efficiency is far higher Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) SMRs are now: being tested deployed experimentally explored for powering data centers directly Benefits: smaller footprint scalable deployment less pressure on public grids reliable energy generation Key Point "The water usage myth is dead." Larger Theme Modern society increasingly depends on: digital infrastructure electricity AI computing cloud services The challenge is no longer whether we need data centers. The challenge is: how to power and cool them efficiently.     Tech Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Tech-Startup-VC-Cybersecurity-Energy-Science  Best of Tech: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=best+of+tech   'Best Of' Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Best+of+BRT      Thanks for Listening. Please Subscribe to the AZ TRT Podcast.     AZ Tech Roundtable 2.0 with Matt Battaglia The show where Entrepreneurs, Top Executives, Founders, and Investors come to share insights about the future of business.  AZ TRT 2.0 looks at the new trends in business, & how classic industries are evolving.  Common Topics Discussed: Startups, Founders, Funds & Venture Capital, Business, Entrepreneurship, Biotech, Blockchain / Crypto, Executive Comp, Investing, Stocks, Real Estate + Alternative Investments, and more…    AZ TRT Podcast Home Page: http://aztrtshow.com/ 'Best Of' AZ TRT Podcast: Click Here Podcast on Google: Click Here Podcast on Spotify: Click Here                    More Info: https://www.economicknight.com/azpodcast/ KFNX Info: https://1100kfnx.com/weekend-featured-shows/  

Send us Fan MailIn the face of new studies showing increased dangers of exposure to radiation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing the repeal of a 50 year old safety regulation known as as low as Reasonably Achievable or Alara. This is being done to fast track small modular reactors. A proposed new nuclear technology, SMR reactors, are seen as a possible answer to the energy bottleneck for the expansion of data centers that feed artificial intelligence.SMRs would be smaller but spread out in more communities. They would be less efficient and use a more dangerous nuclear fuel. All of this is being greenwash under the banner of a so-called nuclear renaissance by big tech corporations and some supporters, who claim that it is an answer to climate change. On this episode of Breaking Green, we will speak with Peter Jones.Peter Jones is trained as a physicist and as a lawyer, and he is director of nuclear waste policy at the Samuel Lawrence Foundation.We track how the NRC's push to weaken long-standing radiation safeguards lines up with the rush to license small modular reactors marketed as climate solutions. We connect new research on low dose radiation risk to the unresolved nuclear waste crisis and the growing demand for electricity from AI data centers. • Why a “nuclear renaissance” narrative is gaining traction • How San Onofre illustrates the problem of stranded nuclear waste • The missing federal repository problem and the Yucca Mountain dead end • How NRC staffing pressure and rushed rulemaking change the regulatory landscape • Why data centers and AI are reshaping energy investment and political incentives • What recent studies suggest about low dose ionizing radiation and cancer risk • Why repealing Alara shifts risk onto workers and nearby communities • How SMRs can be less efficient and generate more waste per unit of energy • Liability limits, the Price Anderson Act, and gaps for newer reactor categories • HALEU fuel, higher enrichment, and increased non-proliferation concerns • The danger of reducing security requirements while using hotter fuel • Why nuclear contamination is difficult to contain, clean up, and reverse If you're enjoying this episode of Breaking Green, please subscribe or follow wherever you get your podcasts. Consider leaving a review and sharing it with friends and colleagues. You can find the full catalog of previous episodes and sign up to have future episodes delivered straight to your inbox at breakinggreen.org. To learn more about Global Justice Ecology Project, visit GlobalJusticeEcology.org. Breaking Green is made possible by tax-deductible donations by people like you. Please help us lift up the voices of those working to protect forest, defend human rights, and expose all solutions. Simply text GIVE to 716 257 4187. That's 1 716 257 4187. Support the show

On April 29th, the US Senate hosted a panel on the "existential threat" of AI and two of the four panelists worked for the Chinese government. One month earlier, Bernie Sanders and AOC introduced legislation imposing a federal moratorium on American AI data centers. On Bitcoin Policy Hour EP 38, Zack Cohen, Ken Egan, and Zack Shapiro unpack a new Bitcoin Policy Institute report by Sam Lyman exposing the CCP influence operation steering US AI policy. They also cover the Clarity Act vote in Senate Banking, the BRCA fight, and the Digital Asset Parity Act. Sam Lyman's BPI Report: https://www.btcpolicy.org/articles/foreign-influence-in-the-campaign-against-american-ai

With global electricity demand on the rise, the need for reliable power is becoming increasingly critical. Nuclear power is fast emerging as a critical part of this future infrastructure, with small modular reactors, or SMRs, gaining particular attention. Scalable, flexible and able to provide consistently high load factors, SMRs are emerging as an important technology for a reliable, low-carbon energy system. In this episode of Industry Optimized, host Fran Scott speaks to Jacob Stedman, CEO of Blykalla, and Elova Ryegard, Nuclear Expert, Energy Industries at ABB. Together they discuss what a low-carbon future might look like, how SMRs can complement both renewable and conventional nuclear energy sources and why they’re increasingly seen as a practical pathway to expanding low-carbon energy capacity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alina Voss from NX Atomics stops by the Energy News Beat PodcastThe title “The Math Ain't Mathing: Why America Needs Nuclear Now” was derived from a comment Alina made on the podcast. I was very impressed, and as we talked, she made some great points. I am going to follow up with her company and introduce them to some folks.We need to have more nuclear reactors online tomorrow, and we need real solutions.1. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and NX AtomicsThe core focus of the conversation centers on NX Atomics' development of small modular nuclear reactors. Key points include:NX Atomics aims to produce the cheapest SMRs on the market (targeting $20 per megawatt hour vs. $90 for traditional Gen 3 reactors)They're targeting a prototype by 2030 and first-of-a-kind deployment in the early 2030sThe company employs German nuclear engineers with 10-15 years of research backgroundThey're using innovative 3D metal printing technology to manufacture reactor components more efficiently and affordably2. Data Centers and Energy DemandA significant discussion about the explosive growth of data centers and their energy requirements:Data centers are increasingly competing with farmland for space in the MidwestTexas ERCOT has 220 gigawatts of applications for new data center power, but only 54 gigawatts of peak capacityData centers are using eminent domain to acquire land, displacing long-time residentsSMRs and data centers are positioned as complementary solutions (”go together like PB&J”)3. Nuclear Energy's Public Perception and MarketingAlina discusses the challenge of rebranding nuclear energy:Older generations associate nuclear with bombs and warGen X often thinks of disasters (Three Mile Island, Fukushima, Chernobyl)Younger generations, especially men, are more pro-nuclearLiving near a nuclear plant exposes you to less radiation than eating a banana annuallyNuclear plants have high approval ratings among nearby residents4. Energy Policy and SubsidiesCritical examination of current U.S. energy policies:Wind and solar have been artificially inflated by subsidies and can't compete on their own meritsWind turbines last only 8 years; solar panels last ~15 years and 95% end up in landfillsThe farm bill subsidizes ethanol, which is counterproductive (takes more energy to produce than it yields)Ethanol damages vehicles and reduces fuel efficiency by ~4 miles per gallonThe need to reform subsidies to support more sustainable, long-term energy solutions5. Global Energy Competition and ChinaDiscussion of geopolitical energy dynamics:China is rapidly expanding nuclear capacity (50+ reactors with 20+ more planned)The U.S. has 94 reactors and is falling behindIP theft and supply chain vulnerabilities are critical concernsEnergy independence and dominance are central to future global competitivenessSecretary Chris Wright's pro-nuclear stance is seen as crucial for U.S. energy policy6. Transmission Infrastructure and Grid ChallengesThe underlying infrastructure problem:Aging transmission infrastructure is a bottleneck for moving power from generation to demandThis is a bigger issue than just generation capacitySMRs offer distributed generation that can bypass some transmission challenges7. Regenerative Agriculture and Land UseBrief but important discussion about sustainable farming:Current agricultural policies favor monoculture corn production with heavy chemical inputsRegenerative agriculture and sustainable land management are better for both economics and healthThe tension between subsidizing farmland for food vs. for energy productionWe are seeing that Data Centers, AI, Wind, Solar, and Agriculture are more closely aligned than you can imagine. Land and water grabs are ongoing in the U.S., and they are second only to the political corruption we are seeing in our systems.We covered the Levelized Cost of Energy and the importance of its design. I loved the fact that they are 3D printing and getting the system designed faster rather than laterCheck out their website: https://www.nxatomics.com/Connect with Alina on her LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinavoss/It would be fun to get Alina and Grace Vanderhei (Stankie), who was on the podcast as a former Miss America and a nuclear engineer, together to discuss the future of nuclear.This week, I reached out to John Rich to get him on the podcast. While it is a long shot, we need all of the air cover we can get to protect our farmers, farmland, and people's homes from the Wild West of Data centers being overrun by eminent domain on people's homes and farms.We need more future leaders and companies like Alina and NX Atomics.Check out the Energy News Beat SubStack https://theenergynewsbeat.substack.com/A shout-out to Steve Reese and the Reese Energy Consulting group for sponsoring the Podcast https://reeseenergyconsulting.com/.Data2 if you have any business systems, can you trust A? Well, they have the patent on validation. . https://data2.zoholandingpage.com/energyAnd we have WellDatabase rolling in as a new sponsor. https://welldatabase.com/

7investing founder Simon Erickson explains why his firm just re-added NuScale Power (NYSE:SMR) to its scorecard — a stock they originally recommended in 2022, sold in December 2023, and are now buying back at $12/share. The thesis centers on a seismic shift in energy demand: AI data centers are now consuming power at gigawatt scale, and the list of viable baseload solutions is extremely short. With natural gas, solid oxide fuel cells from Bloom Energy (NYSE:BE), and small modular reactors as essentially the only technologies capable of delivering 5+ gigawatts of emissions-free on-demand power, NuScale's position as the sole NRC-certified SMR design in the United States has become dramatically more valuable than it was when Simon first recommended it.The key new catalyst is a $400 million Department of Energy grant awarded to the Tennessee Valley Authority, which then partnered with the Intra-1 utility to target up to 6 gigawatts of nuclear power deployment — with NuScale as the strategic technology partner. Simon walks through why this partnership alone could represent a $50 billion+ capital project and potentially a 20-bagger from current prices, while also detailing the very real risks: cost overruns (the original Utah project collapsed when SMR power costs jumped from $58 to $89 per megawatt hour), regulatory uncertainty, long timelines of 5–10 years to operational status, and the financial pressure on a company generating only $31 million in annual revenue.Simon also reviews the prior energy companies on 7investing's watch list — including Schneider Electric (EPA:SU) for power systems infrastructure and Bloom Energy (NYSE:BE), which has surged 125%+ since being highlighted in March 2026 — and explains why SMRs specifically fit a demand need that solar, wind, and even fuel cells can't fully address at scale.Stocks Mentioned:NuScale Power (NYSE:SMR)Bloom Energy (NYSE:BE)Schneider Electric (EPA:SU)Oracle (NYSE:ORCL)Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)Constellation Energy (NASDAQ:CEG)Southern Company / Georgia Power (NYSE:SO)#NuScalePower #SMR #SmallModularReactors #NuclearEnergy #NuclearStocks #EnergyStocks #AIDataCenters #BloomEnergy #GrowthStocks #StocksToWatch #CleanEnergy #StockAnalysis #7investing #Simonerickson

Nuclear energy is back — and this time, the momentum may be here to stay. In this episode of The POWER Podcast, Executive Editor Aaron Larson sits down with Dagmar Thien, who manages conventional island equipment for nuclear power plants at Siemens Energy, to explore what's driving the industry's renewed optimism and how the company is positioning itself at the center of the action. Thien, a physicist with two decades at Siemens Energy, breaks down the forces fueling the nuclear resurgence: surging global electricity demand, the need for reliable baseload power to back up intermittent renewables, and nuclear's strong climate credentials as a low-lifecycle-emission energy source. The explosive growth of data centers, which require uninterrupted power around the clock, has added particular urgency. The conversation spans the full spectrum of reactor technology — from gigawatt-scale plants that benefit from economies of scale, to small modular reactors (SMRs) promising faster, cheaper deployment through factory standardization, to Generation IV designs like high-temperature gas-cooled and molten salt reactors that could unlock industrial heat applications beyond electricity. Thien explains how Siemens Energy's broad turbine portfolio allows it to support virtually any reactor type. She highlights the value of whole-system optimization — collaborating with reactor developers to find the best overall plant performance rather than optimizing each side independently. The episode also covers the critical but often overlooked work of lifetime extension and modernization. With some U.S. plants pursuing 80-year operating licenses, upgrading turbines, generators, and control systems is essential. Thien discusses the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station — a landmark example of a decommissioned plant being brought back online — and the complex process of managing obsolescence in safety-qualified instrumentation and control systems used in roughly 23% of the world's reactors. Regulatory challenges, international harmonization efforts between the U.S., UK, and Canada, and the growing role of nuclear heat for industrial decarbonization round out a wide-ranging discussion on where the industry is headed next.

Nuclear is having a global moment. But the story in Canada is a lot more complicated.David, Sara, and Ed sat down with Prof. Jason Donev of the University of Calgary for a full, unsparing look at where nuclear fits in a rapidly growing and electrifying Canadian grid.Jason is one of the clearest thinkers on energy systems in the country. He's also someone who started out opposed to nuclear and changed his mind. We set this episode up to tackle two questions. First, what is the case for new nuclear right now, given rising electricity demand from electrification, industry, and AI. And second, why Canada, despite decades of experience, has struggled to build new projects beyond Ontario and New Brunswick.A few things you'll hear about:Canada had a nuclear accident in 1952. Jimmy Carter helped clean it up.“Small” modular reactors can be up to 300 megawatts. A CANDU is closer to 700. “Small” is a relative term.Darlington's BWRX-300 is a closely watched test case for Western SMRs. Will costs fall with follow-on units, or will nuclear repeat its Achilles heel and get more expensive?It turned into a lively and wide-ranging conversation on costs, timelines, small modular reactors, and the deeper issue that keeps coming up with nuclear. The physics may be solved, but the politics and institutions are not.About Our Guest:Prof. Jason Donev is a tenured professor teaching Energy Science and Physics at the University of Calgary. He leads EnergyEducation.ca, the world's largest and most widely used energy resource for adults.  Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(02:20) Jason's journey from nuclear skeptic to advocate(06:53) A brief history of nuclear in Canada(12:39) Canada's nuclear accident record — what really happened(17:56) The global nuclear resurgence: 40 countries, tripling by 2050(20:27) SMRs: hype vs. reality(22:58) Is nuclear being used to delay climate action?(30:09) Why Western nuclear costs are "a joke" — and what to do about it(31:57) Nuclear waste: real problem or political football?(36:06) Why nuclear needs BOTH big business AND big government(52:07) What should Canada actually do?

This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. -------------------- 01 Introduction This is a follow up to my 8 part series on nuclear power. In this episode I will answer questions posed by listeners in the comments to the series. I would like to start by thanking these people for taking the time to submit interesting questions. -------------------- Costs of Small Versus Large Reactors 02 brian-in-ohio asked two questions The first was for a cost comparison between large and small reactors. The second was for nuclear plant safety compared to conventional power plants. 03 Answer I think that any answer to the second question is going to be perceived by some people as politically controversial, so it's probably not a good topic for HPR to address. 04 The first question though about cost of small versus large reactors is an interesting one, although not one that is easy to give an answer to. I will restrict the answer to just grid scale electric power production and ignore use cases such as industrial process heat or power for remote mines and communities. 05 This question comes down to economies of scale versus economies of replication. Economies of scale centre around increased efficiencies of use of materials and labour when making something bigger. For example, the amount of steel used by a pipe increases linearly with its diameter, but the amount of fluid that it transports increases with the square. 06 Economies of replication come from increasing efficiencies which result from serial production. As you repeat the same design over and over again, you learn how to do things better and make fewer mistakes. 07 The exact same principles apply to shipbuilding. Indeed, a lot of the inspiration for Small Modular Reactors comes from the shipbuilding industry. If you build a series of identical ships, then each subsequent ship will cost less and be built faster. There are of course diminishing returns to this process, so the improvements are less with each additional unit and after a sufficient number of units the cost and time reductions level off. 08 However, this doesn't discount the benefits of economies of scale. What it does mean is that there are two ways of approaching the problem, and which way works in any given scenario depends on such conditions as how big the local electricity market is how fast the demand for electricity is growing, the ownership and financing structure of the electricity market, and the geography of the area, which may pose limits on the number of sites. 09 According to the finance people who have crunched the numbers, there are two sizes of reactor which make the most sense in the above context. These are 300 MW and 1000 MW. However, take those as very rough numbers rather than immutable laws of nature and other sizes may work as well. 10 The key point is that there are cases to be made for both small and large reactors, with the large reactor being several times the size of the small one. 11 An additional factor is that building only one reactor does not reap the benefits of efficiency of replication. You need to build a series of them on the same site. So if you are building a power plant, you don't build a power plant that has just one reactor unless you are in a small market which can only use that much power. Instead, you should build between 4 and 6 reactors in sequence next to one another. 12 If you are supply a large population with a growing demand for electricity, then 4 or 6 large 1000 MW reactors gains both economies of scale and economies of replication. If you are supplying a smaller population with slow growth in demand for electricity, then 4 or 6 300 MW reactors at least gets you economies of replication. 13 There is what could be viewed as an interesting example in terms of the above taking place just east of Toronto. There they are building four 300 MW SMRs on a site next to an existing nuclear power plant. 14 Here are the cost estimates from the Government of Ontario. All costs are in Canadian dollars. Unit 1 is $6.1 billion, plus $1.6 billion in costs which are shared by all four unit.s Unit 2 is $4.9 billion. Unit 3 is $4.2 billion. Unit 4 is $4.1 billion. 15 As you can see, building a series of reactors sequentially on the same site results in declining overall costs. They are very confident in these costs as they used data from a series of major nuclear power plant refurbishment projects in Ontario which have been coming in on time and on budget. 16 Construction began last year and the plant is expected to have a 65 year operating life. 17 However, the province of Ontario also has plans for expansion of electrical generation by about 15,000 MW by 2050 in order to meet net zero targets. 18 Given the heavy concentration of population in the Toronto region, and the very high cost and difficulty of building long distance transmission lines, and the limited number of sites which could host new power generation facilities of any sort, I suspect it is quite likely that subsequent reactors will be large 1,000 MW ones rather than SMRs. 19 The Wesleyville site (which is further east of Toronto) is tentatively scheduled for a 10,000 MW nuclear power plant. That would seem to make ten 1,000 MW reactors more likely than 34 300 MW reactors. 20 I don't have a comparable set of numbers for building large reactors to give an exact apples to apples comparison of costs. Different countries use different accounting and financing systems, and finance makes a huge difference to overall costs for nuclear power as operating costs are a relatively small share of the total. 21 Now to look at another side of this equation, the provinces of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick wish to replace their coal fired power plants with nuclear power plants. The populations of these provinces are too small to absorb a large new power plant into their grids, and studies assuming large reactors have foundered on this issue. 22 New Brunswick already have a nuclear power plant, but it was build in the days when reactors were much smaller. Both provinces however are very interested in small reactors, even individual ones, in order to replace the coal fired plants that are of similar size. 23 I think this covers the cost versus size issue. The more I look into it, the more it becomes apparent that there is no simple one size fits all answer but rather there are a series of trade-offs which must be taken in light of local circumstances. -------------------- MOX Fuel in the USA 24 The next question comes from mnw who asked about the use of MOX fuel in the USA. 25 mnw asked I am enjoying and look forward to the rest of the series. Do you think the US will ever wake up and start recycling its spent fuel? It seems like such a huge waste just to try and keep a small amount of fuel away from"the bad guys" or whatever they are imagining. Answer 26 My answer to this is as follows. I think I've addressed this in the original series, although not directly with respect to the US so I can provide some more detail on that aspect of it. 27 First though I will review what plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel is. As mentioned in previous episodes, military grade plutonium is not the same as the plutonium which comes out of commercial power reactors. Just as military grade uranium requires nearly pure U-235 isotope, military grade plutonium requires nearly pure Pu-239 isotope. 28 What comes out of a commercial power reactor as spent fuel is not usable for weapons purposes as the proportion of Pu-239 is much too low. However, plutonium recovered from spent fuel can be used as fuel for nuclear reactors in place of uranium 235 when mixed with uranium 238 either left over from enrichment or extracted from spent fuel. This is what is known as MOX fuel. 29 To look at the US history of this however, here's the sequence of events. The US banned fuel reprocessing in 1976. However, this ban was repealed in 1981. 30 In 2005, the US began building a mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel plant at Savannah River in the state of South Carolina. However, this plant was not intended as a normal commercial operation and it was not intended to recycle commercial nuclear power plant fuel. It was instead intended to convert surplus military grade plutonium into commercial fuel in order to get rid of it as part of an arms control program. 31 The program was suspended in 2018. There were apparently many complex political issues involved in these on-again off-again decisions and I won't pretend to have the time or interest to explore all the details nor do I think most listeners would be interested in hearing abou them. 32 As of March 2026, the US are looking at reviving part of the Savannah River plant to produce limited amounts of fuel for testing of advanced reactors. The issue driving this is the shortage of uranium enriched to just below 20%. This fuel is used in certain types of small SMR. 33 The main commercial supplier of this material was a plant in Russia, but "certain events in Europe in recent years" shall we say, have resulted in that supply no longer being available to commercial operations in the US. MOX fuel based on surplus weapons grade plutonium is intended as a short term quick fix for that problem. 34 Another driving force is legal requirements following from domestic commitments for the US government to dispose of certain stockpiles of weapons grade plutonium from certain sites in the US where it is "temporarily" stored, and the solution to that is seen as burning it up in power reactors. 35 So the history is the US banned fuel reprocessing. Then a few years later they un-banned it. Then the US government started building a MOX plant which was intended to get rid of surplus weapons grade material by burning it up in power reactors. Then they decided they didn't want to do that. Then they decided they may want to make MOX fuel after all to replace supplies of special grades of fuel for experimental or prototype reactors. 36 What is missing from the above history is any actual interest from the US commercial nuclear industry in MOX fuel. The reason for this is, as mentioned in the previous episodes, uranium is so cheap and abundant that fuel made from fresh uranium is cheaper than MOX fuel. 37 Some countries such as France wish to recycle spent fuel to reduce their dependence upon imports. Recall that France's drive to build nuclear power plants was in response to the 1970s era energy crisis when oil imports from the Middle East were suddenly cut off. However, the US are not concerned about this issue and so do not make it national security policy as France did. 38 As a result, US commercial demand is for cheaper fuel made from fresh uranium rather than for MOX fuel. Until such time as fresh uranium greatly increases in price there is little economic incentive for the use of MOX fuel in the US. 39 However, there is another aspect to this. If you recall in previous episodes I described molten salt reactors which used dissolved uranium fuel. These reactors inherently reprocess fuel as part of their normal operation. They just do it as part of maintaining the molten salt chemistry at the correct values rather than doing it as a separate process. 40 If these types of reactors become widely used then they would be achieving the same thing as creating MOX fuel, but without an explicit separate step. 41 As a final footnote to the above, the US has almost exclusively use enriched uranium light water reactors. As mentioned in previous episodes, there are ways of recycling spent fuel from light water reactors which do not involve chemically reprocessing it to make MOX fuel. 42 Experiments have been done involving South Korea, China, and Canada which take spent fuel from light water reactors and repackage it to fit it into natural uranium heavy water reactors. What is used up or "spent" fuel for a light water reactor is high grade fuel to a natural uranium reactor. However, the US has, for whatever reason, never built commercial natural uranium reactors such as are used in a number of other countries around the world. 43 If they were to do so, then nuclear fuel could be used twice, once in a light water reactor, and again in a natural uranium reactor, all without having to turn it into MOX fuel in a separate reprocessing step. However, this particular alternative would likely face the same issue in the sense that fresh fuel would still be cheaper than reusing spent fuel. -------------------- A Variety of Questions from Clinton 44 Next we have a variety of questions from Clinton. Clinton asked I would like some commentary in the current situation, why has hinkley gone off the rails, the new american approach, the odd things done after fukushima, the new radiation rules in the states. 45 Question 1 why has hinkley gone off the rails, 46 Answer The question refers to cost overruns at the Hinkley Point nuclear power project in the UK. The UK government looked into this issue in a more general sense in 2025. They published a report on it titled Nuclear Regulatory Review 2025 Enabling nuclear delivery through regulatory reform John Fingleton There is a link to the report in the show notes. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/692080f75c394e481336ab89/nuclear-regulatory-review-2025.pdf 47 As the report is 162 pages long, I won't try to cover it all in this answer. I will however give a few simple examples. The report focuses on civilian nuclear power and the defence nuclear industry as well. However it also draws examples from outside the nuclear industry to show that the problem is not limited to nuclear. It shows that the same problems exist in the offshore wind industry, and in the HS2 High Speed Rail project. 48 In the view of the authors of the report, the essence of the problem seems to be a lack of any degree of proportionality in terms of mitigating negative effects from any project. Big nuclear projects make the headlines because they are inherently big projects, but as I have just mentioned, they affect things like wind power development and rail transport as well. 49 I will pick one example from Hinkley Point specifically. This is "Case Study: Hinkley Point C Fish Protection" A summary of this is that they spent £700 million of additional money on the cooling water intakes to protect an estimated 0.083 salmon per year, along with 0.028 sea trout, 6 river lamprey, 18 Allis shad, and somewhere between 100 and 528 twaite shad. The report points out that there are ways to protect far more fish for far less money by spending it in other areas, and gives some examples. Again, this problem is not limited to nuclear power, and they give similar examples connected with offshore wind development and HS2 High Speed Rail. 50 I would like to emphasize that I am not expressing an opinion on whether or not any of these decisions were good or bad ones or whether the money was well spent. I am just summarizing the report's explanation of why large projects of all sorts initiated and approved by the UK parliament were not turning out as initially expected. I will leave it up to people in the UK to decide whether or not they are satisfied with the current situation. 51 Question 2 the new american approach, 52 Answer The US have apparently announced changes to their regulatory system. I don't know enough about the subject to really judge the practical effects of regulation within the US. However, I have read and listened to many interviews of people from both the industry and the regulatory side of things who are from outside the US but are familiar with it. They generally contrast two different approaches to regulation. On the one hand there is the US approach, which they see as being more of a box ticking exercise than an in depth safety review. This makes it very hard to get a design other than a traditional PWR or BWR approved in the US. 53 It has the advantage from the regulator side of things though in that it reduces the amount of work required as it primarily requires just following a set of defined procedures. These people then contrast that approach with the one used in the UK and in Canada, both of which they see as being very similar to one another. In those two countries, regulators work with industry to review designs from basic principles rather than just seeing if it meets a pre-defined list of criteria. This is a results oriented system rather than a process oriented system as used in the US. 54 As a result of this, designers of new nuclear reactors are going to the UK and Canada first to go through preliminary review there, and only going to the US later. What designers are looking for is feedback on their design as they go along in order to align the design with what safety regulators see as being required from their standpoint. They want to go into a review process before the design is finalized so they can get guidance on how they should approach things rather than trying to add safety as additional features on top of a finished design. 55 It would take someone with deep familiarity with nuclear regulation systems to understand the practical effects of recent changes in US regulatory systems, but it is quite possible that people within the regulatory structure in the US have been taking the above on board and trying to adapt to current circumstances. However, I can only speculate on that. This is about the best answer that I can give. 56 Question 3 the odd things done after fukushima, 57 Answer This covers a lot of topics, some of which are probably political and so are not suited to HPR. I will try to list a few events however. As a brief summary if the Fukushima events go however, a historic scale earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011 caused huge loss of life and widespread damage. About 20,000 people were killed by the earthquake and tsunami. Three nuclear reactors based on 1960s era GE BWR designs were seriously damaged by hydrogen explosions caused by loss of power to backup generators when they were flooded by the tsunami. However, there were no radiation related deaths or cases of radiation sickness. 58 Following events in Japan was a general review of designs around the world, with various improvements made in some areas, particularly backup generators and hydrogen management. It seems to be conventional wisdom that the Fukushima event caused a number of countries to decide to phase out nuclear power. 59 However, when I tried to make a list of such countries for this episode I found things were not as is often heard. The countries which decided to get rid of nuclear power had largely started down that road at least a decade before then and generally for reasons unrelated to any specific events outside of their own country. In other cases they reversed that decision or are in the process of doing so. Japan itself has restarted many of their nuclear power plants and plant to replace decommissioned nuclear power plants with new ones, although many of the older and smaller ones were considered not economically worth upgrading at this point in their life to restart them. 60 The one possible exception to this may be Taiwan which decided to phase out nuclear power in 2016. However, I don't know enough about Taiwanese politics to state with any confidence that their decision in 2016 was based on anything related to events in Japan, or whether in fact they were a byproduct of other political changes within Taiwan and the shut down of nuclear plants happened to be carried along with those. Currently Taiwan get their electricity primarily from natural gas and coal. 61 Meanwhile across mainland Asia from Turkey to China, large numbers of nuclear power plants were built or are under construction. Taken together on a global scale, did anything really change after Fukushima, or did the countries which had already decided to close down their nuclear power plants simply continue to do so, and those countries who decided they wanted more of them continue to build them? That's a good question for which I don't think anyone has the perspective to answer at this point. 62 Another side of this which is hard to disentangle from it though is the increased use of natural gas for electric power generation which was happening at around the same time. Increased use of fracking in a number of countries, plus increased supplies from Russia and LNG from the Middle East and other places resulted in falls in natural gas prices in many places. Since combined cycle natural gas turbines form the main competitor to nuclear power, anything which improves the economics of natural gas will act to reduce demand for nuclear power. This makes it hard to decide to what degree the reduction in the number of reactors being built was due to the political effects of the earthquake and tsunami and to what degree it was due to cheaper natural gas through fracking and other means. I'll leave that question at that. 63 Question 4 the new radiation rules in the states. 64 Answer I'm not deeply familiar with US radiation rules, but I will attempt to answer the question. Apparently there are wide variety of different things being addressed, only some of which have any relevance to the nuclear power industry. One of these is an epidemiological study on the current exposure limits for workers in the nuclear industry. This study will take place over about 5 years. In the end it may not result in any changes. This is for a number of reasons. 65 One is that US exposure thresholds for workers are currently aligned with international standards. It would be difficult for the US industry to operate on a different basis than the rest of the world when supply chains are global and kit is designed to meet currently recognized standards. Another is that apparently the nuclear industry are not, so far as I can discern, asking for any changes to limits. They instead are looking for changes to how some of the details are being applied, such as for example the criteria for deciding when respirators are required in low risk environments. 66 Some point to recent changes in UK regulations as an example of what they are looking for. I will post a link to the new (November of 2025) UK regulations in the show notes. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nuclear-industry-principles-to-guide-the-application-of-as-low-as-reasonably-practicable-alarp-and-best-available-techniques-bat/ways-of-working-principles-to-guide-the-application-of-alarp-and-bat-in-the-nuclear-industry-accessible-webpage This is about as much detail as I think I can comment on when it comes to this question, as I think it is a subject that requires a fair bit more practical knowledge of than I have in order to give a thorough and balanced answer. -------------------- 67 Question from Antoine Were/are the designs patented? Hi, Whiskeyjack. Nice ep. You said AGR, based on Magnox, was a nuclear reactor type that did not sell well outside the UK. I then started thinking if it were (is) possible to another countries to develop by themselves based on that project, or if it had (has) a commercial restriction for exploration of the technology. I have yet to listen to the following episodes (doing little by little) and may learn better on the choices, but I felt free to present the question by now... Thanks! 68 Answer This is a very good question because it offers the opportunity to talk about a number of interesting things that haven't been touched on yet. Let's cover a bit of background first. 69 A patent is a time limited right to exploit a defined bit of valuable technical knowledge. Patents were involved from the very earliest days of commercial nuclear power, and I will give an example of this later. A key point to keep in mind though is that the nuclear power field moves very slowly and it takes a long time for new knowledge to make it from the lab to commercial application. Patents will often expire before they reach the point where they can be used. 70 Contracts on the other hand are legally enforceable agreements between two parties. A contract may have a time limited life, but that is an arrangement between the parties. A commercial nuclear power plant is a very large and complex bit of kit and not easily copied in detail. It can be far more effective to cover designs under contracts and licenses than to rely on patents. If a country wished to build their own nuclear power plants rather than buying them from someone else, there are a large number of companies who have commercial designs they are willing to license to third parties for them to build themselves. Indeed a number of these companies base their business around licensing of designs or have other reasons for wishing to do so. 71 From a licensee perspective, it could take decades of work and hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars to take a design from first principle to the ready to build state, wheras licensing a design give you a proven design right away. As mentioned in previous episodes, there many types of reactor in the world. The selection of what sort of reactor a country decides to buy often depends more on commercial considerations revolving around licensing terms and conditions than it does with respect to any technical considerations. Here's an example which shows how South Korea decided to license a design, build it for themselves, and then export it to other countries. 72 KunMo Chung - Professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, stated in an interview in 2019 that South Korea wanted to standardize on a single reactor technology in the early 1980s. They had reactors from multiple different vendors, but wanted to license an existing successful design to produce for themselves and for the export market. One of the major factors in deciding to standardize was to allow them to improve operator training by focusing on one design. Professor Chung stated that one of the key factors in selecting a design from ABB-Combustion Engineering was that he personally knew and had a good relationship with the Chief Technical Officer of ABB-Combustion Engineering going back to a time when Professor Chung had been studying and working in the USA. 73 On their side, ABB-Combustion Engineering were having financial problems and they needed a partner to help further develop their new PWR design. Also they stood to gain revenue from this partnership as well. Based on this relationship, the two sides came to a business agreement and South Korea began producing reactors based on this design, while also continuing to develop and improve it further. 74 Here's an example of a case where the developers of a promising technology decided that they had more to gain by not patenting their technology. Instead they decided to freely share their information in order to get other researchers elsewhere to help to advance the technology so that all could benefit from it. 75 In an interview Wacław Gudowski - Prof. Emeritus, Royal Institute of Technology KTH Stockholm stated that the Soviets and later the Russian were the leaders in lead-bismuth cooled reactors. These reactors use lead-bismuth liquid metal alloy as a coolant. In the 1990s the Russian institute working on commercializing this technology were working with Western partners on nuclear technology in general. They considered patenting this technology, but in the end decided to simply publish it openly. 76 Professor Gudowski had even smuggled $60,000 in cash into Russia to finance the patent application in order to get the Russian institute to publish their technology, but the money was not needed. They based this decision on the judgment that it would take 20 years of R&D before the technology was ready for the commercial market, so they wouldn't see a penny on any patents anyway. They were right on this, as it was another 20 years of R&D in Europe, Russia, China, and Korea before lead-bismuth technology was ready for commercial use. 77 It had already seen use in submarine reactors, but the commercial market demanded a more thoroughly developed technology to satisfy commercial needs. By deciding to not patent the technology, the original developers gained from shared R&D rather than chasing the illusary gains from patent licenses on technology that was not ready for the commercial market anyway. 78 I said that patents were involved in nuclear technology from the very earliest days, and I will now turn to that story. When I say the earliest days, I mean probably earlier than you are imaging. I am talking about before WWII. 79 First though I need to give some background information. France and Britain were working on nuclear weapons from the very earliest days of WWII. In Britain's case this was called Tube Alloys. Canada also was conducting nuclear experiments, including building an "atomic pile", but it's not clear if this had any clear practical goals or was done to understand the physics better. 80 If you read the Wikipedia version of history, it states that Tube Alloys was merged into the Manhattan Project. However, participants have stated in interviews that this was not the case, and the Quebec Agreement which supposedly merged them makes no such mention of any merger of the projects, just the setting up of a board to coordinate efforts between the three countries, that is the US, UK, and Canada. In fact the two projects didn't get along that well, and as we shall see below, a big part of that was disputes over patents. ### 81 The following is based on a paper written by Bertrand Goldschmidt, a French nuclear scientist. Two of his colleagues, Hans Halban and Lew Kowarski played a critical role in early nuclear research. Halban in particular was one of the greatest scientific names in nuclear fission. In March of 1939 Halban conducted an experiment showing that neutrons were emitted by the fissioning of uranium. 82 In April Joliot, Halban, Kowarski and Perrin had a pretty good idea of how to use nuclear fission to produce energy and to make an explosive device and decided to file patents on their invention. Each of the four would receive a 5% share of any benefits and the other 80% would go to the research instittute they worked at in Paris. I will now quote from Goldschmidt's paper. 83 The first two patents concerned energy production and were entitled "Device for energy production" and "Method for stabilizing a device for energy production." They roughly defined the principles of the main components of our present power reactors: moderator in heterogeneous or homogeneous arrangements, cooling fluid, control rods, protection shield. The third patent called "Method for perfecting explosive charges" was less brilliant from a foresight point of view though it proposed valid solutions for the trigger, the tamper, and the rapid obtainment of the critical assembly of a possible explosive device. Finally, nearly a year later, after Alfred Nier's experimental confirmation in March 1940 of Niels Bohr's theoretical prediction that uranium 235, the rare isotope of the mixture in natural uranium, was responsible for fission by slow neutrons, the French took out an additional patent on the advantage of using enriched uranium for the chain reaction. End of quote. 84 In May of 1940, the CNRS, the French research institute in Paris, negotiated an agreement with Belgian mining company Union Miniere, who were the world's biggest producer of uranium, at the time a byproduct of radium mining, about a partnership for the world wide exploitation of these patents. However the agreement was not finalized due to the ongoing events in the war. At the beginning of the war, the French government had approved the development of an energy generator - or a nuclear reactor as we would say today, with the intention of creating an engine for submarines. 85 With the fall of France, Halban and Kowarski travelled to the UK with their supply of heavy water where they were received by their UK counterparts, James Chadwick and John Cockroft. The British were already working on an atomic bomb. In the UK the two conducted an experiment showing that it was possible to create nuclear energy using natural uranium and heavy water. In 1941 the British nuclear project was reorganized and given the name Tube Alloys. In 1942 it was decided to move the work on a plutonium bomb to Canada, and Canada would pay for the project. A lab was set up in Montreal and Halban was put in charge of the project. 86 Halban had negotiated this arrangement by offering to arrange to have the French patents for world wide rights outside of France and the French empire transferred to the UK. In return the French team were to be given a key role in the British nuclear project. The author of the paper I am referencing, Bertrand Goldschmidt, was a section leader in Montreal and a colleague of Halban from France. The Montreal group cooperated with the American Manhattan Project and the two shared information and exchanged visits. 87 However, relations between the two began to break down, with a major cause of this being the Americans being unhappy about the French patents and Halban's arrangement to give the British world wide rights to them. The postwar commercial potential for nuclear power was seen to be huge, and this was a major bone of contention. The extensive participation of ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries) engineers in the Tube Alloys project was also objectionable to the Americans. Presumably this had something to do with potential for ICI being involved in future commercialization of the technology. The American Dupont company, a commercial rival of ICI, was also heavily involved in the American atomic bomb project. The eventual result of this was that the US cut off cooperation with the UK-Canada nuclear project. 88 Finally Halban was forced out of the project at the insistence of the Americans, and he was replaced by John Cockroft who moved to Montreal to take charge of the project. The Americans now restore limited cooperation. Kowarski was put in charge of building a heavy water moderated natural uranium reactor at a new site north of Ottawa at Chalk River. This reactor was turned on on the 5th of September, 1945, three days after Japan's surrender. So in what was supposedly a titanic war for survival, key allies were falling out with respect to their ultimate weapon over issues of patents covering post war commercialization. 89 With the end of the war, the nuclear weapons project in Montreal and Chalk River was wound up. Halban, Kowarski, and Goldschmidt returned to France and Cockroft to the UK where they all played senior roles in the nuclear programs of their respective countries. John Cockroft played an important role in the development of the Magnox reactors which Antoine asked about. The Chalk River Site remains as Canada's main nuclear research centre to this day, and Canada was to continue development of heavy water moderated natural uranium reactors. 90 The first commercial nuclear power plant was commissioned in the UK in 1956, roughly 17 years after the original French nuclear patents. At that time, UK patents had a term of 16 years. While I am not a patent lawyer, it would appear that these patents would likely have expired before nuclear power was ever commercialized. So to answer the question about patents, the first patents on nuclear energy date to before WWII started, and the very first two were about nuclear power plants and it was only the third one which covered nuclear weapons. -------------------- 91 Thanks to other listeners. A number of other listeners made comments saying they were really enjoying the series. I would like to thank the following for their kind words of encouragement. They helped make the work required to do this worthwhile. They are brian-in-ohio mnw Clinton Antoine bjb Kevin O'Brien Trey L'andrew Archer72 Jim DeVore If you have commented but I have forgotten your name, or if the show was recorded before I got a chance to read your comment, I would still like to thank you. 92 Conclusion I would like to thank all the listeners for their kind comments and insightful questions. I hope that I have answered these questions to the satisfaction of everyone. I look forward to hearing from all of you in future podcast episodes including those on other topics. -------------------- Proceedings of the 29th annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Association and 10th annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Society. V. 1-3 https://inis.iaea.org/records/m2s41-40917 This has a paper by Bertrand Goldschmidt about the work of the French scientists in Canada. -------------------- Provide feedback on this episode.

Conversations on Groong - April 23, 2026In this Conversations on Groong episode, Warwick Powell joins us to examine the Iran war through the lens of thermoeconomics, energy flows, de-dollarization, and shifting global power. We discuss how oil, gas, AI, data centers, and financial infrastructure shape modern conflict, why the dollar-based order is under pressure, and how BRICS and the Global South are responding. The conversation also looks at techno-economic sovereignty, thermoeconomic imperialism, and the wider geopolitical stakes for the emerging world order.Warwick Powell's Book: Thermoeconomics in a Time of Monsters: Rethinking Theory, China and International Geopolitical EconomyTopics:Thermoeconomics and global powerIran war and energyDe-dollarization and sovereigntyArmenia: AI data centers, SMRs, and imperialismGuest: Warwick PowellHosts:Hovik ManucharyanAsbed BedrossianEpisode 533 | Recorded: April 21, 2026SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/533VIDEO: https://youtu.be/8upbRV0lzjE#WarwickPowell #IranWar #Thermoeconomics #DeDollarization #EnergyPolitics #GlobalSouth #BRICS #AI #Geopolitics #DataCenters #GeoeconomicsSubscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong

April 2026 Sustainable Stock and ETF Picks. Includes articles on wind energy, AI infrastructure stocks, and top 20 ESG ETFs. By Ron Robins, MBA Transcript & Links, Episode 166, April 24, 2026 Hello, Ron Robins here. Welcome to my podcast episode 166, published on April 24, 2026, titled "April 2026 Sustainable Stock and ETF Picks." This podcast is presented by Investing for the Soul. Investingforthesoul.com is your go-to site for vital global, ethical, and sustainable investing mentoring, news, commentary, information, and resources. Remember that you can find a full transcript and links to content, including stock symbols and bonus material, on this episode's podcast page at investingforthesoul.com/podcasts. Also, a reminder. I do not evaluate any of the stocks or funds mentioned in these podcasts, and I don't receive any compensation from anyone covered in these podcasts. Furthermore, I will reveal any investments I have in the investments mentioned herein. I have a great crop of 10 articles for you in this podcast! Note: Some companies are covered more than once. Now with so many articles to potentially cover, I've chosen 3 to quote from. Titles and links to the other 7 can be found on the webpage for this podcast edition. ------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Top Wind Energy Stocks to Buy For Long-Term Portfolio Gain on finance.yahoo.com My first article concerns a sector important to sustainable investing: wind energy. President Trump's antagonism towards wind energy is causing some investors to be concerned about the sector. However, many energy analysts believe that wind energy does have a great future. Hence, I'm beginning this podcast with a recent article titled Top Wind Energy Stocks to Buy For Long-Term Portfolio Gain on finance.yahoo.com. It's by Zacks Equity Research. Here are some quotes from the article. "1. Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) Based in Charlotte, NC, is a premier utility service provider offering efficient power and energy services. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is currently focused on expanding its scale of operations, implementing modern technologies at its facilities as well as enhancing its renewable generation portfolio by investing heavily in infrastructure and expansion projects… Such solid renewable capacity maximization plans should enable the company to further bolster its footprint in the expanding renewable energy market. 2. Constellation Energy (CEG) Headquartered in Baltimore, MD, is a well-recognized provider of electric power, natural gas and energy management services to 2 million customers across the continental United States. Constellation Energy operates 27 wind projects across 10 states that are capable of producing about 1,400 MW of electricity, of which about 750 MW are Constellation-owned. This Zacks Rank #2 company is launching a $350 million initiative to increase the output and lifespan of its portfolio of renewable energy sources. 3. Consolidated Edison (ED) Based in New York, it is a diversified utility holding company with subsidiaries engaged in both regulated and unregulated businesses. The company is involved in the regulated electric, gas and steam delivery businesses across the US. The Zacks Rank #2 company is currently building the Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub, a transmission substation that will strengthen New York's power grid and provide the flexibility for offshore wind resources to interconnect to it during construction and after commencing operation. 4. DTE Energy (DTE ) Detroit, MI-based, is a diversified energy company that develops and manages energy-related businesses and services. The Zacks Rank #2 company has been investing steadily to enhance its renewable generation assets. DTE aims to invest more than $10 billion in the clean energy transition over the next 10 years… The 50-plus wind and solar parks, under this program, already generate enough clean energy to power more than 835,000 homes." End quotes. ------------------------------------------------------------- 2) 6 Best Energy Stocks for the AI Power Grid Buildout from money.usnews.com This second article is also about energy stocks, but from an AI perspective. It's titled 6 Best Energy Stocks for the AI Power Grid Buildout from money.usnews.com. It's by Matt Whittaker and reviewed by Rachel McVearry. Here's some of what they have to say. Note that 2 of these stocks focus on natural gas and thus will not interest some of you. "The computing power required for artificial intelligence is much higher than for conventional computing. For example, a ChatGPT search takes about 10 times more electricity than a traditional Google search, according to Kanoppi, a tech company that provides carbon footprint insights for websites. 'The compute and networking infrastructure being built to run current and future AI systems are increasing in both scale and power density,' says John Campbell, senior portfolio manager with Allspring Global Investments… AI data centers also need power to keep the rows upon rows of computers cool enough to keep working… Here's a look at six energy stocks that could power up a portfolio amid the artificial intelligence data center buildout: 1. Powell Industries Inc. (POWL) Campbell points to this energy sector electrical equipment manufacturer as a momentum play… The company has a $1.4 billion backlog of business, with commercial and industrial growth driven by data centers, he notes. He also points to expanding gross margins, improving product mix, good execution and a strong balance sheet with effectively no outstanding debt and about $475 million in cash. Investing in Powell is not without risk, however, as shares are trading at roughly 31 times consensus forward earnings, which Campbell calls an 'extended valuation.' 2. Array Technologies Inc. (ARRY) This company makes ground-mounted, motorized systems that help solar arrays follow the sun to maximize electricity production. It also may be a bargain, with its shares down around 27% this year and Campbell calling it an 'out-of-favor opportunity.' The company grew its revenue 40% in 2025 as order bookings hit a record and volume grew significantly, but its shares sold off because of a disappointing outlook for 2026, Campbell says. 'The increased demand for its product set is fueled by increasing grid energy demand, coupled with the AI infrastructure buildout,' he says. After the sell-off, the company's shares are trading around 10 times consensus estimates for forward earnings, representing a significant discount to its nearest competitor, Nextpower Inc. (NXT), according to Campbell. 3. National Fuel Gas Co. (NFG) Turning to the extraction side of the AI energy equation, Campbell likes this natural gas producer operating in the productive Appalachian Basin that also gathers, transports, distributes and markets the fuel… 'National Fuel Gas Co. is actively positioning itself as a preferred partner for the massive power demand generated by AI and data centers,' Campbell says… Risks for National Fuel Gas Co. include relatively high debt and the capital-intensive nature of the regulated businesses. 4. NextEra Energy Inc. (NEE) In December, this utility company announced an expansion of its partnership with Google, saying the companies would collaborate to develop new gigawatt-scale data center campuses across the U.S. NextEra's energy generation capacity mix spans what will be needed for the AI data center buildout. More than half of this capacity is from renewable sources, followed by natural gas and then nuclear. The company plans to add up to 30 gigawatts of generation capacity by 2035 to help power data centers and artificial intelligence… That includes another deal with Google to restart a nuclear plant in Iowa. 5. Archrock Inc. (AROC) Murillo also points to this natural gas compression services and equipment company that serves the U.S. oil and natural gas industry. Compressing natural gas helps it move from wells through pipelines to processing and storage facilities… 6. Energy Vault Holdings Inc. (NRGV) One drawback to renewables such as solar and wind for artificial intelligence data center power is their intermittency. They don't produce electricity when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing. To help smooth this out, companies are deploying batteries to store energy and release it when renewable assets aren't actively generating electricity. Energy Vault develops, deploys and operates utility-scale energy storage solutions including battery, gravity and green hydrogen technologies. Last month, the company announced a deal with battery manufacturer Peak Energy to launch energy storage architecture with lower cooling requirements and improved ability to handle high-volatility power demands created by AI training and inference workloads." End quotes ------------------------------------------------------------- 3) The Top 3 Nuclear Energy Stocks to Buy Right Now from finance.yahoo.com Increasingly, sustainable investors believe that nuclear energy stocks are permissible in their portfolio. So I'm including in today's podcast this article titled The Top 3 Nuclear Energy Stocks to Buy Right Now from finance.yahoo.com. It's by John Bromels at fool.com. Now, a few quotes. "With the war in Iran pushing oil and gas prices higher, and the AI revolution contributing to higher electricity prices, alternative energy sources are looking pretty attractive right now. Perhaps none are looking as attractive as nuclear power, which has the advantage of not requiring constant refueling from unpredictable suppliers and the ability to be built anywhere… Here are the top three nuclear stocks to buy right now for investors who want to ride this exciting energy trend. 1. Oklo (NYSE: OKLO)  Early-stage nuclear start-up Oklo has already scored some big wins in its quest to make small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) a reality. The company began construction on its first nuclear facility on the grounds of the Idaho National Laboratory in 2025 as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DoE) Reactor Pilot Program. When completed, the reactor facility -- dubbed the 'Aurora Powerhouse' -- is expected to generate 75 megawatts of clean power… Oklo is still in its pre-commercial stage, and there is still a lot that could potentially derail its ultimate commercial success, including regulatory setbacks and operational challenges. It's an inherently risky and speculative stock, and only the very risk-tolerant should even consider investing in Oklo at this stage, and even they should only invest money they can afford to lose. That said, for growth-focused nuclear investors, Oklo is a top buy right now. 2. NuScale Power (NYSE: SMR) Regardless of whether nuclear power someday supplants oil and gas as a power source, the world may still be reliant on oil and gas for crucial petrochemicals. However, nuclear start-up NuScale Power-- which, like Oklo, focuses on SMRs -- just signed an agreement that could help petrochemical plants become more energy-efficient. NuScale is partnering with Ebara Elliott Energy, a manufacturer of industrial turbomachinery, to field test a commercial-scale, high-temperature steam compressor powered by NuScale's SMRs. If successful, these compressors could use SMRs to provide process heat for petrochemical plants. While standard light water reactors were previously believed to be unable to reliably produce process steam for industrial applications at a temperature of 500 degrees Celsius or higher, NuScale believes its SMRs are up to the task. If successful, this test could open up a massive new market opportunity for NuScale's SMRs… Like Oklo, NuScale is an early-stage start-up that carries a number of risks for its shareholders. 3. Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) If you're not a risk-tolerant investor, or you aren't looking for a pure-play nuclear company, but instead just want to make sure your balanced portfolio includes some nuclear energy stocks, you might consider utility Duke Energy is the second-largest U.S. utility stock, with a $100 billion market cap, and it also has the second-largest nuclear generation portfolio of any U.S. utility company… Duke pays a solid dividend that currently yields 3.3%, which the company has raised every year since 2010." End quotes. ------------------------------------------------------------- More articles from around the world with Sustainable Investment Picks for April 2026 1. Title: NextEra and Brookfield Lead the Green Energy Movement from intellectia.AI. By Emily J. Thompson. 2. Title: The Energy Transition Isn't Dead. Here Are 2 Green Stocks Worth Buying This Month from fool.com. By James Hires. 3. Title: The Best Sustainable Stocks for Passive Income in 2026 from ca.finance.yahoo.com. By Sneha Nahata. 4. Title: Why Mastercard (MA) is one of the best ethical companies to invest in now according to Reddit from msn.com. By Noor Ul Ain Rehman. 5. Title: This Under-the-Radar AI Infrastructure Stock Looks Primed to Skyrocket from fool.com. By Keithen Drury. 6. Title: The Top US GreenTech Companies of 2026 from time.com. Introduction by TIME Staff. (There are some public companies on the list.) 7. Title: TOP 20 ESG ETFs In 2026 from esgnews.com. By ESG News Editorial Team. ------------------------------------------------------------- Ending Comment These are my top news stories with their stock and fund tips for this podcast, "April 2026 Sustainable Stock and ETF Picks." Please click the like and subscribe buttons wherever you download or listen to this podcast. That helps bring these podcasts to others like you. And please click the share buttons to share this podcast with your friends and family. Let's promote ethical and sustainable investing as a force for hope and prosperity in these tumultuous times! Contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for listening. Again, I want to apologize for my voice sounding, at times, a little rough! My next podcast will be on May 29th. See you then. Bye for now.   © 2025 Ron Robins, Investing for the Soul

In this episode of the Everything Electric Podcast, Robert Llewellyn sits down with Professor Jan Rosenow, Professor of Energy and Climate Policy at Oxford University, to reveal why electricity currently only tells 20% of the global energy story. They delve into tackling the "hidden 80%", the mobility and heating sectors still dominated by fossil fuels; and explore why our current system is "astonishingly inefficient," wasting two-thirds of all energy inputs as heat. Jan explains how shifting to electrification at scale could cut total global energy demand in half and tackles the biggest myths and milestones of the transition: The Grid Threat: Why data centers pose a more significant regional challenge to the grid than 100 million electric vehicles. Critical Materials: Is the world really running out of lithium, or are we entering an era of "urban mining" where 95-97% of battery materials can be recycled? The China Factor: A look at the "mind-blowing" scale of solar adoption in China and the declining utilization of their coal plants. Beyond Climate: Why electrification is now a primary lever for energy security and economic resilience in a volatile world. From the efficiency of heat pumps to the emergence of industrial heat batteries , this episode connects the dots on what the next phase of the energy transition really looks like.     00:00 A little error... 03:22 Fragile Fuel Systems and Global Crises 05:53 The Myth of North Sea Energy Security 07:44 The Colossal Scale of Global Oil Consumption 08:44 The 20/80 Rule: Why Electricity Isn't Everything 10:41 Efficiency: Why Electrification Halves Energy Use 12:47 China's Solar Revolution and Coal Reality 15:52 The Mindset of the New Generation of Engineers 18:51 Market Tipping Points: Cheaper, Faster, Lighter 22:26 Data Centers vs. EV Grid Impact 28:04 Raw Materials, Lithium Mining, and Circular Economies 34:02 SMRs, Fusion, and Carbon Capture: The Reality Check 41:41 Energiewende and Global Energy Access 48:14 The Next Big Thing: Industrial Heat Batteries 52:40 Domestic Advice: Batteries vs. Solar   Why not come and join us at our next Everything Electric expo: www.everythingelectric.show    Check out our sister channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EverythingElectricShow   Support our StopBurningStuff campaign: https://www.patreon.com/STOPBurningStuff Become an Everything Electric Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fullychargedshow Become a YouTube member: use JOIN button above Buy the Fully Charged Guide to Electric Vehicles & Clean Energy : https://buff.ly/2GybGt0 Subscribe for episode alerts and the Everything Electric newsletter: https://fullycharged.show/zap-sign-up/ Visit: https://FullyCharged.Show Find us on X: https://x.com/Everyth1ngElec Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialeverythingelectric To partner, exhibit or sponsor at our award-winning expos email: commercial@fullycharged.show   EE NORTH (Harrogate) - 8th & 9th May 2026  EE WEST (Cheltenham) - 12th & 13th June 2026 EE GREATER LONDON (Twickenham) - 11th & 12th Sept 2026 EE SYDNEY - Sydney Olympic Park - 18th - 20th Sept 2026   Tags: #EnergyTransition #Electrification #CleanEnergy #RenewableEnergy #NetZero #ClimateSolutions #EnergyEfficiency #ElectricVehicles #EVs #HeatPumps #Decarbonization #Sustainability #FutureOfEnergy #CleanTech #GreenTechnology #EnergySecurity #BatteryRecycling #CircularEconomy #Lithium #UrbanMining #ChinaEnergy #GlobalEnergy #ClimateAction #LowCarbon #EverythingElectric #JanRosenow

SUMMARY DEL SHOW Futuros levemente en verde porque el mercado compra otra vez la narrativa de paz cerca entre EE. UU. e Irán. El crudo sigue bajo $100 y eso ayuda al risk on, aunque el tape sigue frágil por titulares. Earnings flow sigue pesando. Bancos pintan economía resistente. Hoy vienen $PEP antes de la apertura y $NFLX después del cierre. Macro trae jobless claims y Philly Fed, pero manda guerra versus paz más petróleo. $HIMS sube por comentarios de RFK Jr. sobre mover 12 péptidos fuera de Category 2. Nucleares siguen en rally por SMRs y más catalizadores pro nuclear, incluyendo Wylfa y posible IPO de X Energy.

This was a fun podcast with Mark Mukhija, Eagle Nuclear Energy Corp. (NASDAQ) NUCL." Did you know that a singular ChatGPT search is equivalent to leaving your light bulb on for 20 minutes? "Mark Mukhija, Eagle Nuclear Energy Corp, NUCLI learned a lot from Mark, and this was an absolute blast to find out how much uranium we need just to update our nuclear fleet, and how much we still buy from other countries.If you have listened to the Energy News Beat Podcast, you have heard me say that Energy Security Starts at Home, and Energy Dominance comes through your Exports. Well, Mark and the team at Eagle Nuclear Energy Corp, NUCL, are on top of the largest Uranium deposit in the US, and this is critical. Let's look at their shovel-ready combination and get some permits moving today. Their deposits are on Federal Land, so this should be a Trump dance waiting to happen. I can hear the band staring up as President Trump gets Lee Zeldin to sign the EPA approvals to get the mine moving in months, not years. The average time to open a mine is 20 years, and we will be tracking this one as it is mission-critical.1. Nuclear Energy's Future Role in the U.S.The transcript emphasizes that nuclear energy is critical for powering emerging technologies like AI, data centers, and quantum computing. The U.S. currently operates around 94 nuclear reactors but will need approximately 180 more in the near future to meet growing power demands.2. Eagle Nuclear Energy's Business ModelEagle Nuclear Energy is positioned as an integrated nuclear fuel supply chain company, focusing on:Uranium mining operationsSmall modular reactor (SMR) technology developmentOwnership of one of the largest uranium deposits in the U.S. (in the measured and indicated category)3. Industry Challenges & OpportunitiesKey challenges include:Lengthy permitting and approval processes for nuclear projectsNeed for significant capital investment and project accelerationImportance of domestic uranium production for national security and energy independence4. Financial & Strategic PositioningThe company has $31 million in current funding for exploration and pre-feasibility workFocus on executing key milestones to build investor confidence and secure additional fundingPlans for potential partnerships to address different aspects of the nuclear fuel cycleCheck out Eagle Nuclear Energy Corp. (NASDAQ) NUCL https://eaglenuclear.com/Also, a shout-out to our great Sponsors:A shout-out to Steve Reese and the Reese Energy Consulting group for sponsoring the Podcasthttps://reeseenergyconsulting.com/.A shout-out to our New Sponsor, Data2 - We will be running an AI Centered Series and have lots of data rolling out!. https://www.data2.ai/resources/the-decision-lag-reportAnd check out The Energy News Beat Substack at https://theenergynewsbeat.substack.com/

The nuclear power sector is gaining a lot of momentum. But even as SMRs continue to flourish, the Department of Energy's reactor pilot program moves forward, and decommissioned plants come back online, the question of what to do with nuclear waste has largely stayed out of the spotlight. The U.S. currently houses 90,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel; as more plants come online, that number could rise dramatically.  In this episode, Shayle speaks to Dr. Jen Shafer, a former ARPA-E director and current professor at the Colorado School of Mines, to learn more about waste itself, and how to dispose of — or recycle it — as the industry evolves. The two cover topics like: The physical and chemical composition of spent nuclear fuel Short-term versus long-term hazards of waste The stalled disposal site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada Wet versus dry storage methods for nuclear waste The strategies for managing the waste from advanced reactors The “take back” model for managing microreactor waste Resources Catalyst: The path to market for new nuclear reactors Catalyst: The US nuclear groundswell Open Circuit: Inside Meta's massive nuclear push Open Circuit: Fear and loathing at the Department of Energy Latitude Media: What TerraPower's big milestone says about future nuclear projects Latitude Media: Commonwealth Fusion Systems launches digital twin with Nvidia and Siemens Latitude Media: Trump Media's bizarre fusion play for TAE Technologies Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Max Savage Levenson. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor. Catalyst is brought to you by Uplight. Uplight activates energy customers and their connected devices to generate, shift, and save energy—improving grid resilience and energy affordability while accelerating decarbonization. Learn how Uplight is helping utilities unlock flexible load at scale at uplight.com.  Catalyst is brought to you by Antenna Group, the public relations and strategic marketing agency of choice for climate, energy, and infrastructure leaders. If you're a startup, investor, or global corporation that's looking to tell your climate story, demonstrate your impact, or accelerate your growth, Antenna Group's team of industry insiders is ready to help. Learn more at antennagroup.com. Catalyst is brought to you by EnergyHub. EnergyHub helps utilities build next-generation virtual power plants that unlock reliable flexibility at every level of the grid. See how EnergyHub helps unlock the power of flexibility at scale, and deliver more value through cross-DER dispatch with their leading Edge DERMS platform, by visiting energyhub.com.

Why nuclear has never been project financed and how that might finally be about to change.Every nuclear plant ever built has ultimately been backstopped by taxpayers or ratepayers. Not because the technology doesn't work, but because nobody has ever cracked the construction cost and schedule problem well enough to convince a bank to finance it without government support. Bridget van Dorsten is joined by Jake Jurewicz, Co-founder and CEO of Blue Energy, to explore why that has been so hard and what a credible path to fixing it might actually look like.Jake walks through the root cause of nuclear's cost overrun problem and it is not the reactor. The reactor equipment itself represents around 7% of total project costs. The real problem is what Jake calls nuclear construction overhead: the cost of mobilizing, training, and retaining the 10,000 or so skilled workers needed to build these plants in the field, the way we have been building them for 70 years, essentially the same way you would build a castle.The episode then turns to what Blue Energy is doing differently. By intentionally selecting sites accessible by barge and contracting existing oil and gas fabrication yards and shipyards to build large pre-assembled modules offsite, Blue Energy aims to bring fixed-price contracts into nuclear for the first time, the same contracting structure that made offshore wind and LNG bankable. Jake explains why that single shift changes everything for project financing.Bridget and Jake also work through the demand side of the equation: why hyperscalers are becoming the crucial beachhead market for new nuclear, what binding PPAs from investment-grade counterparties actually signal versus announcements, and why the restarts and uprates, while valuable, only go so far.The conversation also covers Blue Energy's first announced project at the Port of Victoria in Texas, a 1.5 gigawatt nuclear-powered AI data centre co-located with a gas-to-nuclear conversion, designed to accelerate commercial operation and reduce cost of capital even without government loan support. Jake explains the mechanics of why firing the balance of plant with gas first before switching to nuclear steam is not a compromise but a genuine financing innovation.Finally, Jake offers a view of what signals actually matter when separating the nuclear renaissance from the noise: binding PPAs, large balance sheets standing behind fixed-price contracts, and projects moving through the Nuclear Regulatory Commission rather than staying at the prototype stage.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Subscribe to the newsletter:New Wave | Hugo Rauch | Substack****

Ashvin Dayal is Senior Vice President for Power and Climate at the Rockefeller Foundation, where he oversees the Global Energy Alliance (GEA), a multi-billion-dollar initiative backed by the Rockefeller Foundation, the IKEA Foundation, and the Bezos Earth Fund to expand access to clean, reliable electricity worldwide. In this episode of Inevitable, Dayal explains why energy access remains one of the defining development challenges of the century, with roughly three billion people still lacking enough electricity to meaningfully power economic activity. The conversation explores how philanthropic capital can unlock private investment in markets that commercial investors often avoid, the rise of distributed solar and mini-grids in places like India and across Africa, and how programs like Mission 300 aim to electrify hundreds of millions of people in the coming decade. Dayal also shares lessons from a decade of deploying distributed energy systems, the growing role of digital tools and AI in managing complex power systems, and why the Rockefeller Foundation is now exploring nuclear and small modular reactors as part of the future global energy mix. Episode recorded on March 4, 2026 (Published on March 17, 2026) In this episode, we cover:  (0:00) An overview of the Rockefeller Foundation (2:31) Ashvin's background in disaster response and climate resilience (8:16) What energy access really means for economic opportunity (10:15) The “modern energy minimum” and the 3 billion people below it (14:11) The Rockefeller Foundation and the creation of GEA (19:06) How philanthropic first-loss capital unlocks clean energy investment (24:19) Why distributed solar and mini-grids work for emerging markets (27:57) Lessons from Smart Power India and scaling rural electrification (36:39) Mission 300 and the effort to electrify Africa (42:05) Why Rockefeller is exploring nuclear and SMRs (47:09) Rockefeller's legacy: from Standard Oil to global clean energy Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Demand for small modular reactors (SMRs) continues to grow as these sources of nuclear energy are increasingly being considered as a means to advance energy security, helping to  meet decarbonization and net-zero goals, and catering to growing power demands from data centers, remote communities, and major industries. In this episode of Risk in Context, Marsh's Amy Barnes, Jim Palaia, Everett Hansen, and Ailish Foster discuss why SMRs matter within the energy ecosystem and the opportunities and risks that risk managers should be aware of in their pursuit of reliability, sustainability, and resilience. You can access a transcript of the episode here. For more insights and insurance and risk management solutions, follow Marsh Risk on LinkedIn and X and visit marsh.com.

This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. 01 Introduction This episode is the eighth and final one in an 8 part series on nuclear reactor technology. In this episode I will talk about future reactor technologies, particularly what are referred to as "Generation IV" reactors. Some of these will be simply additional developments of reactors that have already been discussed in this series, but this will show what technologies are seen as most promising today. 03 What is Generation IV Generation IV International Forum is an international organization whose membership is composed of many of the countries that are researching advanced fission reactors. Their goal is to conduct a number of joint research projects to advance the state of the art. The members agree to participate in and share research on advanced technologies. 04 Research Subjects 05 Lead Fast Reactors (LFR) 08 Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) 10 Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (GFR) 13 Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) 16 Molten Salt Reactors (MSR) 19 Super Critical Water Reactors (SCWR) 27 Episode Conclusion In this episode we looked at the reactor types being studied under an international organization called the "Generation IV International Forum". All of these reactor types except for supercritical water reactors are not new and we have looked at them previously. Supercritical water reactors themselves represent the natural evolution of water cooled reactors. I expect that many of these research projects will not result in commercially successful results. Such is the nature of R&D. The supercritical water reactors would on the surface seem to have the most promise in terms of commercial use, as they focus on bringing two very well established technologies together, water cooled reactors and supercritical water. However, I'm not an expert in this field, so I'm just making an educated guess on that. 30 Series Conclusion This is the end of the series on nuclear reactor technology. Episode 1 covered nuclear basics, including basic terminology and civil versus military nuclear material. Episode 2 covered nuclear fuel, including the different types, recycling of spent fuel, uranium and thorium resources, and medical isotopes. Episode 3 covered reactor basics, including slow versus fast reactors, moderators, coolants, steam generation, refuelling methods, and the three main commercial reactor types. Episode 4 covered the less common reactor types, including types which are no longer used, some historical developmental dead ends, and some types which may possibly be making a come back. Episode 5 covered fast reactors, including the different types, some of their history, why they were developed, and why they have so far only seen limited use. Episode 6 covered thorium reactors, including what is thorium and how it differs from uranium, why there is interest in thorium, what sorts of reactors can use thorium, and why thorium has not yet seen widespread use. Episode 7 covered small modular reactors or SMRs, what the reason is for developing them, what are the different ways they may be used, and where they are currently being built. Episode 8 covered "Generator IV" reactors which is a collection of future technologies. I hope that this series has been useful and informative on how nuclear reactors work and what the different types of reactors and different types of fuel are. I have focused on the past and present without looking very much beyond what is already developed except in this final episode. I have focused on the reactors, fuel, and medical isotopes, without much discussion of mining, refining, converting, enrichment, fuel fabrication, or disposal. I also haven't talked much about the rest of a functioning power plant, which includes cooling, steam turbines, generators, transformers, control systems, refuelling systems, switch gear, transmission grid connections, grid coordination, and many, many other things. And of course there's the entire grid itself, a very complex thing when operated at scale. None the less we count on the lights going on when we turn on the light switch while seldom thinking about all the things that go on behind the scenes to make that happen. As the recent blackout in Spain shows, that is something that we can't take for granted. With plans for "Net Zero" amounting essentially to the further electrification of everything, we need reliable sources of electrical energy to make that happen. Without reliable energy available at the touch of a switch, we don't even have a stone age civilization, let alone a modern one. So think about that the next time you turn on the lights or listen to a podcast or do nearly anything else in your daily life. This concludes the eighth and final episode of an 8 part series on nuclear reactor technology. Provide feedback on this episode.

The nuclear industry is pushing hard to be part of our energy future, but the realities of massive cost, long construction times, and radioactive waste just can't be wished away. This week on Green Street, Patti and Doug talk about the words we use to describe environmental poisons, marketing of junk food to communities of color, and how the oil industry is quietly supporting the push for AI data centers. Then nuclear scientist Dr. Gordon Edwards explains some of the history of the nuclear industry, the basics of nuclear fission, and why small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced nuclear reactors are more hype than fact. 

AI has reawakened interest in nuclear energy, but rebooting America's nuclear age will take time and face challenges. Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, Dr. Hashem Hashemian, President of the American Nuclear Society and CEO of AMS, joins us to talk about the massive resurgence of nuclear energy in the United States. We dive into the shift from decommissioning plants to life-extensions of up to 100 years, the economic impact of AI and data centers on power demand, and the $12 billion investment flowing into Tennessee's nuclear hub. Dr. Hashemian explains why nuclear fell out of favor and the challenges the industry faces as it gets back on its feet. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * 94 nuclear plants produce 20% of US power. * License extensions aim for 100-year lifespans. * $12B committed for nuclear fuel refining in Oak Ridge. * $100M Tennessee state funding for nuclear dev. * Global nuclear must triple for climate goals. * $1.7B Oklo recycling plant coming to Tennessee. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 05:51 Tennessee represent 07:56 State of the nuclear industry 10:42 Nuclear faded in USA 17:19 Barriers to Nuclear development 20:12 Reforming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 27:01 Red tape 29:47 What other policies would be good? 32:41 China copying 34:17 Remaining chokepoints 38:05 States leading the charge 40:46 Are SMRs really a thing? 44:18 Why are SMRs taking so long? 46:21 Fusion? Are we still talking about this? 48:56 Recycling fuel

Un equipo de científicos del Centro de Estudios de la Tierra y los Planetas del prestigioso Instituto Smithsonian ha publicado recientemente un estudio en The Planetary Science Journal en el que han presentado el primer mapa global de unas estructuras geológicas llamadas "pequeñas crestas de los mares" (o SMRs, por sus siglas en inglés). Han descubierto 1.114 nuevas fallas y arrugas esparcidas por las extensas llanuras lunares. Este hallazgo eleva el número total de estas fracturas a más de 2.600. El interior de la Luna, que en su día estuvo fundido y enormemente caliente, lleva miles de millones de años enfriándose gradualmente y, como consecuencia, contrayéndose. A medida que su núcleo y su manto se enfrían y se contraen, la corteza sólida de la superficie se ve sometida a unas presiones de compresión brutales. Como es rígida y no puede simplemente encogerse, termina por romperse. Una parte del terreno es empujada hacia arriba y cabalga sobre el terreno adyacente. Este fenómeno es una "falla de empuje". Ahora, lo que el nuevo estudio ha logrado confirmar, cruzando los datos antiguos del Apolo con este nuevo mapa de fallas jóvenes, es que el origen de los violentos sismos superficiales que se producen en la Luna son precisamente estas fallas de empuje formadas por la contracción lunar. Este descubrimiento tiene su relevancia para la misión Artemis II de la NASA, que se lanzará el próximo 6 de marzo, y para posteriores misiones. La ampliación de la lista de estas zonas de fallas en los mares lunares, eleva el nivel de riesgo para los futuros exploradores humanos. Si se produce un sismo durante una de las misiones, podría provocar el colapso de laderas enteras, deslizamientos de tierras y daños irreparables en los equipos, los paneles solares de las misiones o las propias estructuras donde vivirán los astronautas. Por ello, conocer dónde están estas fallas jóvenes activas y comprender la dinámica termal y sísmica del interior lunar no es solo una curiosidad científica, es una cuestión de supervivencia para garantizar el éxito y la seguridad de las misiones Artemis.

Host Brian Leni interviews Justin Huhn of UraniumInsider.com about uranium market fundamentals and investing. Huhn explains Kazatomprom's India supply deal as a large long-term contract that signals more Kazakh production being committed to eastern sovereign buyers, tightening availability for Western utilities. He discusses opaque contracting terms, utility inventory practices, producer forward sales, and expected production declines at major mines, plus Kazatomprom's sulfuric acid constraints and value-over-volume strategy. Huhn outlines how contract structures have shifted from fixed pricing to market-referenced contracts with floors and high ceilings, supporting upside price exposure. He cites key risks such as a major nuclear accident, while arguing supply deficits persist on a 5–7 year view. They cover “Project Vault” uncertainty, geopolitics, China's role in Namibia, data centers de-risking reactor life extensions, potential tech offtake financing for NexGen's Arrow, SMR progress in the US and Canada, conversion as a bottleneck, and his view that small-cap uranium explorers/developers offer strong equity upside with a $150–$200/lb price target. 00:00 Uranium Bull Case 00:38 Kazatomprom India Deal 03:45 How Much Supply Is Left 08:41 Sulfuric Acid Constraints 14:00 Contract Terms Shift 20:28 Bear Case Scenarios 26:42 Project Vault Impact 28:52 Deglobalization Strategy 31:26 Uranium Trade Diversification 31:59 Geopolitics In Africa 33:58 Namibia And China Control 35:38 Data Centers Demand Debate 36:38 Life Extensions And Upgrades 40:21 Hyperscalers Fund Uranium 44:39 Small Modular Reactors 50:01 Fuel Cycle Bottlenecks 53:32 Equity Upside And Cycles 57:07 Where To Follow Justin 58:26 Supply Fragility Wrap Up https://www.uraniuminsider.com/ Sign up for our free newsletter and receive interview transcripts, stock profiles and investment ideas: http://eepurl.com/cHxJ39 Mining Stock Education (MSE) offers informational content based on available data but it does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice. It may not be appropriate for all situations or objectives. Readers and listeners should seek professional advice, make independent investigations and assessments before investing. MSE does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of its content and should not be solely relied upon for investment decisions. MSE and its owner may hold financial interests in the companies discussed and can trade such securities without notice. MSE is biased towards its advertising sponsors which make this platform possible. MSE is not liable for representations, warranties, or omissions in its content. By accessing MSE content, users agree that MSE and its affiliates bear no liability related to the information provided or the investment decisions you make. Full disclaimer: https://www.miningstockeducation.com/disclaimer/

Industrial Talk is onsite at PowerGen and talking to Joe Patch IV, Founder of Confio Group about "The need for industry to tell their story - human connection". The conversation revolves around the Industrial Talk podcast, hosted by Scott Mackenzie, and the PowerGen conference in San Antonio. Scott celebrates industry professionals and discusses the importance of authenticity in leadership and communication to attract talent. Joe Patch, a guest, highlights the growing interest in nuclear energy, particularly small modular reactors (SMRs), and the challenges of regulatory approval and workforce shortages, particularly the need for 1 million engineers in the next 5 years. They also discuss the role of AI in enhancing efficiency but stress the importance of maintaining authentic human connection in business. Joe's son, interested in engineering, is also mentioned. Outline PowerGen San Antonio and Conference Highlights Scott introduces the podcast, Industrial Talk, and highlights the importance of the propane Education and Research Council in advancing cleaner, safer, and more efficient energy technology.Scott welcomes listeners to the podcast, celebrating industry professionals and encouraging them to attend PowerGen San Antonio.Scott, Joe Patch, expresses his positive experience at the conference, noting the increased floor plan and buzz compared to the previous year. Gas Market and Nuclear Energy Discussions Joe mentions the high demand for gas turbines and transformers, with lead times extending up to three years.Joe discusses the importance of data centers in driving the current market trends and the role of nuclear energy.Scott and Joe talk about the challenges and opportunities in the nuclear energy sector, including small modular reactors (SMRs) and molten salt technologies.Joe highlights the involvement of companies like Meta in supporting nuclear energy projects. Challenges in Nuclear Energy and Regulatory Hurdles Scott and Joe discuss the regulatory challenges and the need for faster licensing processes for new nuclear projects.Joe explains the differences between traditional large-scale nuclear projects and SMRs, suggesting that SMRs may face fewer regulatory hurdles.Scott and Joe discuss the political and interconnection challenges in the energy sector, emphasizing the complexity of the regulatory environment.Scott highlights the need for modernizing the grid and the challenges of gaining public acceptance for new infrastructure projects. Workforce Shortages and the Importance of Authentic Connection Joe discusses the significant workforce shortages in the energy sector, particularly the need for more engineers and electricians.Scott emphasizes the importance of companies telling their story and creating authentic connections to attract young talent.Joe shares his company's approach to capturing CEO visions in video interviews to attract top talent.Scott and Joe agree on the value of authentic leadership and the competitive advantage it provides in attracting talent. The Role of AI in the Energy Sector Speaker 3 discusses the potential benefits of AI in improving efficiencies and scaling operations for smaller companies.Scott and Speaker 3 agree that AI should not replace the authentic voice and human connection in leadership and communication.Scott shares his concerns about the potential atrophy of critical thinking skills if companies rely too heavily on AI for routine tasks.Speaker 3 emphasizes the importance of maintaining human skills and connections to stay competitive in the energy...

TCU's energy internship program is back for round two and the results are kind of wild. What started as a summer experiment with business students who knew zero about oil and gas turned into kids giving no-notes presentations on legacy well economics in just ten weeks. Nikki Morris, Executive Director of TCU's Ralph Lowe Energy Institute, and Ryan Haggerty, Owner at RHR Oil and Gas, break down the field trips from Diamondback frac sites to 70 year old vertical wells, how AI is changing the game for young talent but still can't replace the crusty old timer making the final call, and why the industry's biggest problem with 150,000 orphan wells in Texas might need a proactive solution before Washington forces one.Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.io0:00 Intro and field trip recap from Riot's bitcoin mining site to Corsicana2:45 First impressions of the oilfield and the stiletto boots story5:22 How students connected the dots seeing wells in person8:21 Why basic energy education is missing from schools10:30 Overview of TCU's energy programs and student workers13:00 How Ryan and Nikki connected through the Fort Worth chamber17:32 AI vs tribal knowledge and the great crew change debate19:07 The HEB data scientist story that shocked an operator21:48 Ryan's legacy well project and what the students discovered25:14 The pyramid of problem solving and where AI fits28:40 What's next for the students and the upcoming TCU Energy Symposium30:52 Nuclear energy gaining traction with SMRs and molten salt reactors34:02 The orphan well crisis and incentivizing proactive plugging37:28 Where to find Ryan and Nikkihttps://twitter.com/collide_iohttps://www.tiktok.com/@collide.iohttps://www.facebook.com/collide.iohttps://www.instagram.com/collide.iohttps://www.youtube.com/@collide_iohttps://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters

This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. 01 Introduction This episode is the seventh in an 8 part series on nuclear reactor technology. In this episode we will describe a topic which has been in the news in recent years, which is "small modular reactors", or SMRs for short. 03 What is an SMR? Basic Definition A small modular reactor is a nuclear reactor that is designed to be largely built in a factory and subject to as little on-site assembly as possible. The main goal is to lower costs by reducing construction times and allowing a more rapid start of return on investment. 04 Sized Based Definition Some people put a numerical size limit on SMRs, saying that they must be no larger than 300 MW to qualify as an SMR. However this limit is not universally accepted, and not all SMR designs fall within this arbitrary limit. I will ignore this numerical limit and just consider anything to be an SMR if it meets the criteria of being largely built in a factory with minimal on-site assembly. 05 The Actual Goal of the SMR Idea The actual goal of the SMR idea is to build reactors rapidly and efficiently on more or less an assembly line basis rather than hand crafting each one. One engineer in the nuclear industry has compared building reactors to building ships. Traditional shipbuilding techniques involved assembling each ship from the keel up on the slipways from individual components. 06 Newer shipbuilding techniques assemble ships as separate "blocks" inside factory-like buildings and then join completed blocks together in a final assembly stage. This requires careful planning and tight quality control, but it results in building ships much more rapidly and economically. This engineer said that SMRs are attempting to bring this newer way of doing things to the nuclear reactor industry as well. 07 SMR Categories - Small Versus Micro 08 Small SMRs 09 Small SMRs and Small Grids 10 Micro SMRs for Micro Loads 13 Micro SMRs for Large Industry 14 SMRs to Power Data Centres 15 What's This Nonsense About "Micro Small Modular Reactor" You Ask? 17 Small Reactors and Modular Reactors That Are Not SMRs 20 Standard Versus Proprietary Fuel 23 Where SMRs are Currently Being Built 24 HTR-PM in China 28 Repurposed Ship Reactors in Russia 31 300 MW BWR in Canada 33 470 MW PWR in UK 35 25 MW PWR in Argentina 37 Various Experimental SMRs 38 Modular Large Reactors 40 Conclusion SMRs are a new trend in nuclear reactor design. However, they are really two different things which fill two different needs. One style is intended to adopt designs which allow for more rapid construction with more of the work being done in the factory and less on the construction site, with the overall goal of reducing costs. The other style is to provide very small reactors to power remote communities and mines, or to provide process heat to large industries. The first SMRs are in operation or under construction. The most promising grid scale designs at present are simply scaled down and simplified conventional designs that use standard commercial fuel. Larger reactors will incorporate modular construction techniques, blurring the lines between them and SMRs. In the next episode we will talk about future reactor technologies, particularly what are referred to as "Generation IV" reactors. Provide feedback on this episode.

In the February 2026 edition of the Proximo In-Depth Podcast, Ben Kara spoke with Jake Jurewicz, co-founder and CEO of Blue Energy, about the challenges and opportunities in financing small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).  

In this episode of The Derivative, host Jeff Malec talks with uranium analyst Justin Huhn and mining and commodities commentator Trevor Hall of the Going Nuclear podcast about why uranium and nuclear power may be the most compelling long-term solution for clean baseload energy. They dig into the current uranium bull market, how AI and data centers are driving a step-change in electricity demand, what makes the uranium supply–demand setup unique versus oil and gas, and why life extensions of existing reactors matter so much. The discussion also takes its course exploring the future of SMRs and advanced reactors, the realities of nuclear safety and waste, the role of geopolitics and utilities, and what could propel the next major move in uranium prices. SEND IT!Chapters:00:00-01:06= Intro01:07-09:33= Why Nuclear Now? The Case for Clean Baseload Power, AI Demand, and the Uranium Supply Squeeze09:34-18:37 = Uranium as a Commodity: Mining, Supply Risks, Financial Players, and Long-Cycle Price Dynamics18:38-28:50= Nuclear Safety, Waste Myths, and Why Fossil Fuels Funded Anti-Nuclear Fear28:51-39:59= SMRs, Advanced Reactor Designs, and the Costly Lesson of Vogtle40:00-50:20= SMRs, Military Reactors, and the High Stakes of Building New Nuclear50:21-57:09= Politics, Big Projects, and How Data Centers Are Driving an Energy Crunch57:10-1:03:50= Hyperscalers, Fuel Security, and the Next Uranium ShockFrom the episode:Going Nuclear podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-nuclear-with-justin-huhn-and-trevor-hall/id1660633132Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6QAKNtCsXExOBKV8y6cwCuFollow along with Trevor and Justin on LinkedIn, check them out on Twitter/X: @TrevAHall / @uraniuminsider, and be sure to visit https://clearcommodity.net/ and https://www.uraniuminsider.com/ for more information!Don't forget to subscribe to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Derivative⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, follow us on Twitter at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@rcmAlts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our host Jeff at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AttainCap2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign-up for our blog digest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Disclaimer: This podcast is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal, business, or tax advice. All opinions expressed by podcast participants are solely their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of RCM Alternatives, their affiliates, or companies featured. Due to industry regulations, participants on this podcast are instructed not to make specific trade recommendations, nor reference past or potential profits. And listeners are reminded that managed futures, commodity trading, and other alternative investments are complex and carry a risk of substantial losses. As such, they are not suitable for all investors. For more information, visit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.rcmalternatives.com/disclaimer⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jake Jurewicz, co-founder and CEO of Blue Energy, discusses the innovative approaches his company is taking to address the challenges of nuclear energy development. He emphasizes the importance of financing, prefabrication, and strategic partnerships in making nuclear power more viable and attractive to investors. The discussion also touches on the transition from gas to nuclear, site selection for small modular reactors (SMRs), and the regulatory environment affecting the industry. Jurewicz expresses optimism about the future of nuclear energy and the potential for a renaissance in the sector as demand for clean energy continues to grow.

You will not want to miss this episode of the Energy Impacts Podcast with David Blackmon and his special guest, Tom Holm, Executive Director for the Energy Defense Council. We will be covering significant changes underway in the nuclear industry and how they will be implemented. The main topics discussed in this Podcast are:1. The role and work of the Energy Defense Council (EDC), an organization focused on improving energy resilience and energy dominance for the U.S. military. Tom Holm, the executive director of EDC, explains how the organization was founded and its key objectives.2. The challenges faced by military bases in terms of energy supply and reliability, including issues like rolling blackouts. Holm discusses how EDC is working to address these problems.3. The potential use of micro-nuclear reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs) to provide power for military bases. Holm explains the benefits of this technology and the efforts to accelerate its deployment on military installations.4. The need to rebuild and re-industrialize America's manufacturing capabilities, especially for critical components and materials required for energy technologies and national defense. Holm emphasizes the importance of reducing reliance on foreign suppliers.5. The changes in the current administration's approach, including executive orders and new funding mechanisms, that are enabling faster development and deployment of energy solutions for the military. Holm highlights the increased sense of urgency and willingness to take non-traditional approaches.6. The role of the Tevcon conference, organized by EDC, which brings together military leaders, government officials, and industry innovators to identify challenges and solutions related to energy, vehicles, and other technologies for the military.Connect with Tom on his LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-holm-43a952263/Check out David's Substack here: https://blackmon.substack.com/

Stocks for Beginners and Tykr proudly present "Weekend Watchlist". We dissect a company using Tykr's risk rating and fair value analysis process. Learn how to avoid emotional mistakes, choose investments with a rationale, and build wealth with confidence. Get your free trial and special discount offer. Join Tykr today and take advantage of this special offer of 30% off with coupon code SAVE30. See for yourself why Tykr is the essential tool for every serious DIY share investor. 14-day free trial included, then a no-quibble 30-day money back guarantee: Get your free trial and special discount offer. Is NuScale Power (NYSE:SMR) a smart nuclear stock pick for 2026 or just hype? In this beginner-friendly Weekend Watchlist episode, we dissect SMR – the leader in small modular reactors (SMRs) – its NRC-certified tech, engineering revenue, and why it's burning cash while scaling up. It's a catalyst play but are you ready for the possible downside risk? Disclosure: The links provided are affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use this link to make a purchase. You will receive a discount by using these links/coupon codes. I only recommend products and services that I use and trust myself or where I have interviewed and/or met the founders and have assured myself that they're offering something of value. Stocks for Beginners is a production of Finpods Pty Ltd. The advice shared on Stocks for Beginners is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. Opinions expressed by guests are theirs alone and may not represent the views of Finpods, Money Sherpa, or Phil Muscatello. Stocks for Beginners exists purely for educational and entertainment purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD, and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs. Philip Muscatello and Finpods Pty Ltd are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN - 321649 27708, AFSL - 451289. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Space Show presents Bob Zimmerman, Tuesday, 1-20-26Quick SummaryWe started this Space Show program with Bob Zimmerman with discussions about space exploration policies, private industry involvement, and the current state of various space companies, including ULA and Blue Origin, along with a brief mention of Robert's book “Conscious Choice.”Detailed SummaryBob and David discussed the potential impact of a space program incident with Artemis, comparing it to past accidents and suggesting it could lead to a significant overhaul of NASA's programs. The conversation touched on the Artemis flight and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Bob opened up referring to his Op-Ed in which he criticized the press coverage of NASA's Artemis II mission, accusing journalists of being overly positive without addressing engineering concerns. He expressed concerns about the mission's safety, particularly regarding the untested life support system and the damaged heat shield, which NASA has only partially addressed by adjusting the flight path. Zimmerman compared the situation to SpaceX's more rigorous testing requirements for its Crew Dragon capsule, highlighting NASA's double standard in demanding multiple uncrewed test flights from commercial partners but not from its own SLS rocket.Bob also expressed concerns about NASA's decision to proceed with the Artemis II mission, citing inadequate testing and a culture that prioritizes schedule over engineering safety. He highlighted that the mission lacks critical testing, such as a heat shield test using Falcon Heavy, and criticized NASA's management for not standing up to political pressure to achieve a lunar landing before the current administration's term ends. Marshall suggested using an alternative method to test the heat shield, but Bob explained that NASA had already lost valuable time and was planning to use a different design for the next mission. Several in the group agreed that the Artemis II mission, while potentially successful, could be counterproductive by allowing NASA to continue misleading the public about the program's readiness.Next, Bob went after the Senate launch system as poorly managed and equipment-poor, noting that Congress created the rocket without a clear mission, which NASA is now struggling to define. He expressed more concerns about the Orion heat shield's untested design and emphasized the importance of fixing problems rather than working around them, especially when human lives are at stake. Phil suggested that sophisticated simulations could reduce the number of flights needed, but Robert argued that ultimately, hardware must be tested in real-world conditions. David pointed out that NASA's statements indicate they plan to use a new heat shield design in a future mission, which Phil initially criticized but Bob defended as a necessary step, albeit one that should have been tested beforehand.The Wisdom Team discussed concerns about NASA's approach to the Orion and SLS mission, with Bob being critical of NASA's management and politicians for prioritizing cost savings over safety by reusing shuttle parts. Dallas and Joe expressed skepticism about the mission's cost-effectiveness and engineering decisions, while David emphasized the need for Congress to question NASA's choices. The discussion highlighted the tension between political pressures and engineering realities in space exploration, with no clear solutions proposed by the end of the meeting.Bob went on expressing skepticism about NASA's Artemis program and the Space Launch System (SLS), arguing that the real space program in the United States is currently led by SpaceX. He criticized the Artemis mission as trivial and not historically significant, advocating instead for fostering a robust American private industry in low Earth orbit and beyond. Dr. Kothari questioned Bob's views, particularly regarding his recent op-ed, and discussed the potential dangers of the Artemis II mission. They also touched on alternative testing methods for the Orion spacecraft and the need for infrastructure development on the Moon.The Wisdom Team discussed the role of government and private enterprise in space exploration, with Bob emphasizing the importance of competition and innovation among various American space companies. Phil argued that NASA's leadership is crucial for guiding private industry and managing risks, while Bob suggested that NASA should set goals and provide a framework for private companies to achieve them without micromanaging the process. Joe noted that the Artemis Accords might be the most enduring legacy of the Artemis program.The tem discussed the Artemis Accords, which Bob explained were initially introduced by the Trump administration as a way to encourage private enterprise in space and potentially lead to changes in the Outer Space Treaty that prohibits property rights. Joe noted that Portugal had recently joined the Accords, bringing the total to 60 nations, with many post-Soviet countries participating. Phil suggested that allowing property rights in space could help redirect expansionist leaders' attention from Earth to space exploration, while Bob agreed with this approach and proposed establishing international rules similar to the Homestead Act to allow nations to claim territory under specific conditions.Bob discussed the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's aging issues, noting an increase in anomalies and color dropouts due to the camera's degradation. Alfred McEwen explained that the problem is being managed by adjusting the camera's temperature, but more funding is needed for calibration. Robert highlighted the orbiter's importance in revealing Mars' icy nature and its potential for future human settlement. The group also discussed private and government missions to Venus, including Rocket Lab's delayed mission, NASA's canceled missions, and India's planned Venus orbiter. Phil mentioned China's proposed Venus Volcano Imaging and Climate Explorer mission, though its launch details remain unclear.The group discussed current and future planetary missions, with Bob noting that NASA's Venus missions are on hold and the U.S. has limited active planetary exploration compared to other countries. They explored Blue Origin's potential to increase competition in space travel, with Bob expressing hope that under new CEO David Limp's leadership, the company could become more competitive with SpaceX. The discussion also covered Blue Origin's orbital reef project, which our guest described as currently inactive, and Marshall inquired about cost reduction goals in space travel, to which Bob and Phil noted that while Blue Origin's David Limp has mentioned reducing costs by two orders of magnitude, no company has yet achieved even a one-order reduction.The group discussed the potential for terrestrial nuclear power plants, noting that while there is growing demand due to AI data centers, there remains significant public resistance. Bob expressed concerns about the “delusional” enthusiasm for AI, particularly in journalism where AI-generated articles are often inaccurate and inappropriate. The conversation shifted to space industry developments, with Ajay discussing small modular reactors (SMRs) and Generation 4 reactors that could serve both propulsion and energy needs. The discussion concluded with Bob emphasizing the need for multiple space companies beyond SpaceX, highlighting the importance of competition and redundancy in the industry.As we were nearing the end of the discussion, we focused on the current state and future of ULA, with Bob noting that while ULA has significant contracts with Amazon and Boeing, its Vulcan rocket lacks reusability and may struggle to compete with emerging reusable rockets like Starship and Neutron. The team discussed the leadership changes at ULA, with an interim leader appointed but no permanent replacement named yet. The conversation concluded with a plug for Bob's book “Conscious Choice” which explores the origins of slavery in Virginia and its relevance to space exploration, with David and Phil confirming they had read the book and found it informative.Special thanks to our sponsors:American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Helix Space in Luxembourg, Celestis Memorial Spaceflights, Astrox Corporation, Dr. Haym Benaroya of Rutgers University, The Space Settlement Progress Blog by John Jossy, The Atlantis Project, and Artless EntertainmentOur Toll Free Line for Live Broadcasts: 1-866-687-7223 (Not in service at this time)For real time program participation, email Dr. Space at: drspace@thespaceshow.com for instructions and access.The Space Show is a non-profit 501C3 through its parent, One Giant Leap Foundation, Inc. To donate via Pay Pal, use:To donate with Zelle, use the email address: david@onegiantleapfoundation.org.If you prefer donating with a check, please make the check payable to One Giant Leap Foundation and mail to:One Giant Leap Foundation, 11035 Lavender Hill Drive Ste. 160-306 Las Vegas, NV 89135Upcoming Programs:Broadcast 4491 Zoom Dr. Antonio Del Popolo | Friday 23 Jan 2026 930AM PTGuests: Dr/. Antonio Del PopoloZoom: Dr. Popolo talks about hs new booik, “Extraterrestrial Life: We are not alone.”Broadcast 4492 Zoom Dr. Ajay Kothari | Sunday 25 Jan 2026 1200PM PTGuests: Dr. Ajay KothariZoom Dr. Kothari on “MUCH NEEDED CARGO TO MOON” Get full access to The Space Show-One Giant Leap Foundation at doctorspace.substack.com/subscribe

On today's episode, we discuss Trump's post-Davos push for Greenland, his creation of the elite “Board of Peace” club, and how these moves aim to reshape NATO, the UN, and global power structures. The crew debates whether the Board of Peace is a dangerous billionaire Illuminati-style project or simply a more transparent replacement for today's shadowy “blob” of global elites who already influence policy. They unpack Trump's Greenland negotiations, explaining how tariff threats and security leverage are being used to obtain permanent U.S. “sovereign clumps” of territory on the island, similar to Guantánamo Bay but without paying rent. The conversation revisits Don Lemon and the Minnesota church protest, drawing parallels to FACE Act prosecutions of pro-life activists and raising concerns about unequal enforcement and physical security in houses of worship. In the technology segment, they cover small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) as a safer, “walk-away safe” alternative to large plants, Trump's criticism of Chinese-made wind farms, and the argument that nuclear must anchor any serious energy transition. They also compare EV road-tripping in Teslas versus gas cars, noting route-planning constraints and extra time from detouring to chargers, even as autonomy improves and could make charging stops more tolerable. Finally, they discuss productivity tools like Microsoft Loop and new AI features baked into Windows, weighing collaboration benefits against performance hits and the emerging ability for IT admins to strip unwanted AI components from corporate machines. Don't miss it!

In Episode 121, hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso welcome Craig Singleton, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former US diplomat, to examine Taiwan's critical energy vulnerability and China's gray zone coercion strategies. Singleton, co-author of FDD's recent report “Maritime Protection of Taiwan's Energy Vulnerability,” reveals how Taiwan's mere 10-day supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) creates an Achilles heel Beijing could exploit without firing a shot - and why semiconductor supply chains, global economies, and US deterrence strategy all hang in the balance.Taiwan's Energy Crisis: 10 Days to DisasterTaiwan imports 90% of its energy, with over half arriving by sea as LNG from suppliers who may be susceptible to PRC coercion. Through extensive war gaming featuring participants from Taiwan's National Security Council, Japan, Australia and former Trump administration officials including Matt Pottinger, Singleton's team discovered Taiwan would face “Sophie's Choice” dilemmas within two weeks of a Chinese quarantine. The scenario revealed that energy companies would be pressured to comply with new and onerous requirements, while diplomatic pressure to reduce just one LNG shipment per week could trigger cascading blackouts and force Taiwan to choose between powering hospitals or semiconductor fabrication plants.​Quarantine vs. Blockade: The Gray Zone AdvantageSingleton explains the critical distinction between blockades - which carry international legal consequences and can activate UN responses - and quarantines, which exist in “squishy” legal territory that China deliberately exploits. During war gaming, Singleton playing Xi Jinping accomplished every objective without triggering US red lines by characterizing aggressive actions as “safety inspections” and “counter-piracy operations,” language already familiar from South China Sea operations. This asymmetric approach keeps American responses in “off” mode while systematically degrading Taiwan's resilience through political warfare and disinformation campaigns.​Semiconductor Leverage and Allied ResponseWhen Taiwan's war game participants announced they would cut power to TSMC to force international intervention, it represented a mic-drop moment - Taiwan exercising agency by threatening global semiconductor supply chains. The scenario exposed uncomfortable truths about allied commitment, with Japan able to weather the crisis due to substantial LNG reserves, while Australia's involvement remained uncertain despite AUKUS commitments. Singleton argues classic deterrence models map poorly onto gray zone operations, and reestablishing deterrence after allowing coercion to proceed requires “outsized” responses that current political will may not support.​Solutions: From LNG Diversification to Nuclear ReactorsSingleton advocates for increased US LNG exports to Taiwan, enhanced energy storage through hardened mountain facilities and floating terminals, and reconsideration of small modular reactors (SMRs) at key government and military sites - potentially creating a deterrent effect against Chinese targeting due to nuclear fallout risks. The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act's increase from $300 million to $1 billion in foreign military financing for Taiwan represents progress, but energy resilience remains the critical vulnerability China will exploit.

In this episode of American Potential, host David From sits down with Montana State Representative Gary Perry, Chair of the House Energy & Technology Committee, to discuss how Montana can remain a leader in energy production while preparing for the future. Perry outlines his vision for expanding coal and small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), strengthening transmission infrastructure, and ensuring Montana stays a net energy exporter in the West. He also shares how reliable, affordable energy supports local jobs and keeps Montana's rural communities strong, while explaining the importance of regional cooperation with neighboring states and Canada to stabilize the grid. From Colstrip's legacy to next-generation nuclear, Perry lays out a clear, common-sense path to energy abundance and economic growth for Big Sky Country.

SHOW 11-7-25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT THE MUCH DEBATED AI VALUATIONS. FIRST HOUR 9-915 California Politics and West Coast Issues. Jeff Bliss reports on California Governor Gavin Newsom's successful Proposition 50 to reshape congressional districts, a move linked to increasing Newsom's presidential visibility. Newsom's public persona is increasingly marked by anger and profanity aimed at political opponents. Other issues include Las Vegas resorts reconsidering "nickel-and-diming" practices, ongoing regulatory hurdles delaying rebuilding in Maui, and routine fires in LA's growing homeless encampments. 915-930 Canadian Politics, US Trade Relations, and Energy Pipeline Development. Conrad Black discusses a domestic Canadian political misunderstanding involving Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Doug Ford over an anti-tariff ad that annoyed President Trump. The focus shifts to Canadian energy policy, noting the need for new pipelines to move oil from Alberta east, west, and south. Carney's government has tentatively agreed to approve a second pipeline to northern British Columbia, which would more than double the daily oil shipment capacity to the west. 930-945 Supreme Court Arguments on Presidential Tariff Authority and NYC Mayor-Elect. Professor Richard Epstein analyzes Supreme Court arguments regarding the President's expansive use of a 1977 law to impose tariffs, predicting a likely 7-2 ruling against the administration. Epstein argues that viewing successful worldwide trade as an "emergency" is intellectually flawed and an abuse of executive discretion. Separately, he expresses concern that New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist lacking administrative experience, risks impoverishing the city by ignoring competitive federalism. 945-1000 Supreme Court Arguments on Presidential Tariff Authority and NYC Mayor-Elect. Professor Richard Epstein analyzes Supreme Court arguments regarding the President's expansive use of a 1977 law to impose tariffs, predicting a likely 7-2 ruling against the administration. Epstein argues that viewing successful worldwide trade as an "emergency" is intellectually flawed and an abuse of executive discretion. Separately, he expresses concern that New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist lacking administrative experience, risks impoverishing the city by ignoring competitive federalism. SECOND HOUR 10-1015 Economic Slowdown and Election Observations in Indiana and Pennsylvania. Jim McTague identifies signs of an economic slowdown affecting people beyond the lowest economic rung. Restaurant business in Indiana is down 3 to 5%, and expensive home renovations have "dried up." Costco shoppers are exhibiting extreme caution, buying essentials with little impulse spending. In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a large turnout resulted in Democratic victories, suggesting voter reaction against local Republicans perceived as "Trumpists." Anticipated layoffs at Amazon and Walmart are expected to impact local employment. 1015-1030 Italian Defense Strategy and the Geopolitical Situation. Lorenzo Fiori discusses Italy's defense buildup using EU loan deals to acquire new armored vehicles from Germany's Rheinmetall through a joint venture with Leonardo. This modernization is crucial as Italy is strategically situated near the Ukrainian conflict and faces risks from troubled North African countries, particularly potential Russian influence in Libya. Although the military is needed for disaster relief, public opinion often remains against increasing defense expenditures. 1030-1045 Spacefaring News: NASA, SpaceX Records, and Global Space Issues. Bob Zimmerman reports on the renomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator following a previous withdrawal. SpaceX is setting new launch records, aiming for close to 180 launches this year, though an FAA launch curfew might jeopardize this prediction. Other topics include Boeing avoiding criminal charges regarding the 737 Max crashes, opposition to the EU Space Act, Starlab's commercial space station development, and China's stranded crew due to space debris damage to their Shenzhou capsule. 1045-1100 Spacefaring News: NASA, SpaceX Records, and Global Space Issues. Bob Zimmerman reports on the renomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator following a previous withdrawal. SpaceX is setting new launch records, aiming for close to 180 launches this year, though an FAA launch curfew might jeopardize this prediction. Other topics include Boeing avoiding criminal charges regarding the 737 Max crashes, opposition to the EU Space Act, Starlab's commercial space station development, and China's stranded crew due to space debris damage to their Shenzhou capsule. THIRD HOUR 1100-1115 Augustine's Response to the Sack of Rome and Theological Battles. Professor Katherine Conybeare discusses Augustine, the African, and his response to the 410 AD sacking of Rome, which motivated him to write The City of God. The work defends Christianity by arguing Rome was always vulnerable. The source also covers the "rigged" Council of Carthage against the Donatists, Augustine's role in developing the just war theory, and his debate against Pelagianism, which led to the formulation of original sin, transmitted through sexual intercourse. 1115-1130 1130-1145 1145-1200 FOURTH HOUR 12-1215 Nuclear Proliferation Concerns Regarding Small Modular Reactors and Weapons Testing. Henry Sokolski raises proliferation concerns about Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) using High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel (20% enriched). Declassified cables from 1954 and 1977 suggested that uranium above 10% requires special concern, demanding a review before SMRs are exported. Sokolski also clarifies that US maintenance of its nuclear arsenal relies on non-critical tests and simulations, not full-yield explosions, though adversaries may be conducting critical tests. 1215-1230 Nuclear Proliferation Concerns Regarding Small Modular Reactors and Weapons Testing. Henry Sokolski raises proliferation concerns about Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) using High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel (20% enriched). Declassified cables from 1954 and 1977 suggested that uranium above 10% requires special concern, demanding a review before SMRs are exported. Sokolski also clarifies that US maintenance of its nuclear arsenal relies on non-critical tests and simulations, not full-yield explosions, though adversaries may be conducting critical tests. 1230-1245 The Trillion-Dollar Space Race: Musk (Hare) vs. Bezos (Tortoise). Richard Smith compares the space race between Elon Musk's SpaceX ("the hare") and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin ("the tortoise"). Blue Origin operates under the cautious motto Gradatim Ferociter, funded by Bezos's personal wealth, aiming to move heavy industry off Earth. SpaceX is driven by Musk's "existential" goal to make humanity interplanetary, operating with urgency. SpaceX ensures independence by funding its ambitious projects, including Starship, through the revenue generated by Starlink. 1245-100 AM The Trillion-Dollar Space Race: Musk (Hare) vs. Bezos (Tortoise). Richard Smith compares the space race between Elon Musk's SpaceX ("the hare") and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin ("the tortoise"). Blue Origin operates under the cautious motto Gradatim Ferociter, funded by Bezos's personal wealth, aiming to move heavy industry off Earth. SpaceX is driven by Musk's "existential" goal to make humanity interplanetary, operating with urgency. SpaceX ensures independence by funding its ambitious projects, including Starship, through the revenue generated by Starlink.

Nuclear Proliferation Concerns Regarding Small Modular Reactors and Weapons Testing. Henry Sokolski raises proliferation concerns about Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) using High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel (20% enriched). Declassified cables from 1954 and 1977 suggested that uranium above 10% requires special concern, demanding a review before SMRs are exported. Sokolski also clarifies that US maintenance of its nuclear arsenal relies on non-critical tests and simulations, not full-yield explosions, though adversaries may be conducting critical tests.

Nuclear Proliferation Concerns Regarding Small Modular Reactors and Weapons Testing. Henry Sokolski raises proliferation concerns about Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) using High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel (20% enriched). Declassified cables from 1954 and 1977 suggested that uranium above 10% requires special concern, demanding a review before SMRs are exported. Sokolski also clarifies that US maintenance of its nuclear arsenal relies on non-critical tests and simulations, not full-yield explosions, though adversaries may be conducting critical tests.

PREVIEW. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Nuclear Proliferation Risk. Henry Sokolski discusses declassified communications indicating that 20% enriched uranium is sufficient to build a bomb, which is the enrichment level proposed for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). SMRs are embraced by the political class because they provide the massive electricity required by AI and tech centers. Both political parties are criticized for indiscriminately supporting nuclear generation.

Nuclear power is back at the centre of the global energy conversation again. Is a real renaissance in the industry under way? Or are we just in another moment of excitement before familiar challenges emerge and the hype cycle turns down again?In the second of three special episodes ahead of ADIPEC 2025, host Ed Crooks speaks with Dr Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of the World Nuclear Association, about how the role of nuclear power in a world of turbocharged electricity demand growth and continuing pressure to cut greenhouse gas emissions.Sama explains how nuclear power has shifted from an afterthought at climate summits to a cornerstone of countries' decarbonisation strategies. COP28 in Dubai in 2023 marked a turning point, she says. 199 countries formally recognised nuclear power as essential to meeting their climate goals, and 31 of them committed to triple nuclear generation capacity by 2050. Investment is accelerating, with new projects breaking ground across Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. And where new developments are slow, countries are embracing lower-cost options, including extending plant lifetimes and restarting previously retired reactors.The discussion explores the growing influence of AI and data centres, which give new relevance to nuclear because of their round-the-clock need for electricity. AI is part of a new alignment of conditions that mean that this time the momentum behind nuclear power is real, Sama argues. Financing is available, governments are pragmatic, and the tech giants are now among the most vocal advocates for 24/7 clean baseload power.Sama and Ed also unpack the rise of small modular reactors (SMRs). Factory-built to a larger degree, repeatable, and scalable, SMRs could open new opportunities for industrial clusters, remote regions, and energy-hungry digital infrastructure. They may not be the answer to all the challenges the nuclear industry faces, but they should definitely have a role to play. However, Sama warns that probably only a handful of designs will survive the early shake-out that will be needed to streamline the SMR industry. Finally, the conversation turns to policy and politics. In a more polarised world, nuclear is emerging as rare common ground, backed by governments seeking climate progress, energy security, and economic competitiveness. Sama calls for a balanced system that values integration over ideology: renewables, nuclear, and smarter grids working in tandem.This is the second of three special episodes sponsored by ADIPEC 2025, where the theme is Energy Intelligence Impact. The event brings together 205,000+ attendees and 1,800+ speakers in Abu Dhabi from 3–6 November 2025. The Energy Gang will be recording live at the event. Join us there to be part of the conversation. Learn more and register at adipec.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.