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01 May 2022
World Nuclear News: Sama Bilbao y León, April news round-up, a guide to radiation
00:42:29
Director General of World Nuclear Association, Sama Bilbao y León, joins us for the first World Nuclear News monthly podcast. She sets out the opportunities and challenges facing the nuclear sector. John Lindberg separates fact and fiction when it comes to radiation, and Warwick Pipe and Claire Maden join host Alex Hunt to discuss what has been making the nuclear news during April.
Episode credit: Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Jun 2022
Canadian Nuclear Association's John Gorman, May news round-up, focus on China
00:45:05
The President of the Canadian Nuclear Association, John Gorman, joins us to talk about the prospects for nuclear energy in Canada, SMRs, green bonds, his experience switching from renewables to the nuclear sector, and how both can work together to tackle climate change.
Our In Focus is on China, with World Nuclear Association's Francois Morin talking through the country's seven decades of nuclear history, the rapid expansion currently taking place and the plans for even more to come.
Reviewing the past month's nuclear news, Warwick Pipe and Claire Maden join host Alex Hunt to consider how the various recent elections might impact the nuclear industry, as well as the key takeaways from the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle conference.
Episode credit: Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Jul 2022
Urenco CEO Boris Schucht, June nuclear news round-up, focus on Sweden
00:42:46
We are joined by Urenco CEO Boris Schucht, a lifelong supporter and advocate for the energy transition who describes how he went back to his roots at the globally active uranium enrichment company. He talks about the role nuclear can play in hitting climate targets, how players in the fuel cycle can respond to current world events as well as meeting the needs of advanced and small modular reactors.
In focus is Sweden, with World Nuclear Association's John Lindberg outlining the history and state of the country's nuclear sector as well as considering what impact there might be from the upcoming elections.
In the News BriefingWarwick Pipe and Claire Maden join host Alex Hunt to review the past month's nuclear developments,including the progress at Barakah 3, industry developments in Poland, NEI's Maria Korsnick's optimism for future demand and a new report on nuclear power's green credentials.
Episode credit: Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Aug 2022
Nuclear in EU taxonomy, IAEA's Lande on leadership, focus on industry stats
00:51:48
The European Parliament vote favouring nuclear being included as a sustainable investment in the EU taxonomy was bigger than expected - Nucleareurope’s Jessica Johnson explains why. Jonathan Cobb crunches the numbers on the nuclear industry and the IAEA’s Lisa Lande discusses leadership and why it is so important in the nuclear sector.
Jessica Johnson is communications and advocacy director for Nucleareurope, the Brussels-based trade organisation for the nuclear industry in Europe and was a key figure in putting the case. She explains what the EU taxonomy is, and the steps that led up to the vote in early July. She also explains what the practical result of nuclear being included in the EU taxonomy is likely to be, including the impact on other countries as they develop their own sustainable funding rules.
Lisa Lande is a leadership expert and senior nuclear human resources development specialist with the International Atomic Energy Agency. She says leadership abilities are needed at every level of an organisation, and explains why there is such an important role for them in the nuclear industry. Good management skills are also important and Lande, fresh from the World Nuclear University's Summer Institute, explains what the difference is between leadership and management and says that both are needed in the nuclear sector, where robust managerial activity is required to ensure safety and security. In a bonus addition at the end of this edition Lande also shares her five leadership tips.
In Focus is the World Nuclear Performance Report 2022. Its author Jonathan Cobb, senior communications manager at World Nuclear Association, has been crunching the numbers for the annual state of the industry assessment and joins us to share key headlines, such as a bounce back in nuclear output and also how performance stats back extensions of the operating life of nuclear plants.
Episode credit: Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Sep 2022
Gustavo Zlauvinen on the NPT review conference and peaceful uses of nuclear technology, Deep Isolation's Elizabeth Muller on nuclear waste disposal
00:43:01
The Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons took place at the United Nations in New York during August. Ambassador Gustavo Zlauvinen took time out during the talks to explain the issues with a special focus on how a key part of the NPT is the sharing of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. We also hear from Elizabeth Muller, CEO and co-founder of Deep Isolation, who explains how it is hoping to solve the nuclear waste disposal issue.
Ambassador Gustavo Zlauvinen is President of the Tenth Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In an interview conducted while the conference was taking place, he talks about his background, explains what the NPT is, the big issues for the review conference, including the importance of encouraging the sharing of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. He gives his thoughts on what role the nuclear industry can have in helping to drive this aspect forward. There is also an update to include his reaction after the event closed without a consensus document. Although disappointed, Zlauvinen highlights the progress made despite the challenging geopolitical backdrop.
Elizabeth Muller is CEO and co-founder of Deep Isolation, who talks about her background as an environmentalist and explains why she wanted to "solve" the issue of nuclear waste disposal so that the future growth of nuclear is not held back by negative public perception of the issue. She explains the company's deep borehole repository system and sets out likely timescales, which means there could be a disposal site up and running within the next five to ten years.
Episode credit: Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Oct 2022
What nuclear industry says is needed to meet surging energy demand - World Nuclear Symposium special
00:32:31
The global nuclear sector gathered in London in September for World Nuclear Symposium. Key figures from the industry took part in discussions on the challenges and opportunities for future growth. In this episode we bring you a selection of their views, as they outline the huge demand for small modular reactors, but also the regulatory harmonisation and financing changes needed if they are to meet this potential growth. During this episode we hear from, in order of appearance:
Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general International Atomic Energy Agency
Sama Bilbao y Leon, director general of World Nuclear Association
Vakisasai Ramany, senior vice president development, EDF
Nawal Prinja, technology dirctor, Jacobs Engineering Group
Ana Gomez Cobo, safety assessment section head, IAEA
Marilyn Kray, vice president nuclear development, Constellation
Tom Samson, chief executive offices, Rolls-Royce SMR
Simon Irish, chief executive, Terrestrial Energy
Alexander Superfin, nuclear power president, Worley
Isidro Baschar, director, Nucleoelectrica Argentina
George Borovas, partner and head of nuclear, Hunton Andrews Kurth
Mark Muldowney, managing director energy resource and infrastructure, BNP Paribas
Darryl Murphy, managing director, Aviva Investors
Daniel Dean, implementation organisation strategic advisory group chair, International Bank for Nuclear Infrastructure
Jon Ball, executive vice president market development, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy
Rick Springman, senior vice president international projects, Holtec International
In the news round-up for the month Claire Maden focuses on the latest landmark at the Barakah project in the UAE, while Warwick Pipe looks at the report from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe which says that carbon neutrality is still achievable despite the energy crisis if all low carbon options, including nuclear, are deployed. There is also an update of the IAEA efforts to establish a safety zone at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Nov 2022
Cameco CEO Tim Gitzel on Westinghouse deal - and nuclear's crucial climate role
00:33:09
October saw the big news that astrategic partnership of Cameco Corporation and Brookfield Renewable Partners is to acquire Westinghouse Electric Company for a total enterprise value of approximately USD8 billion. Brookfield Renewable, together with its institutional partners, will own a 51% interest in Westinghouse and Cameco will own 49%. Closing of the transaction is expected in the second half of 2023, subject to certain conditions, including approval from Brookfield Business Partners unit holders and regulatory approvals. So who better to explain the thinking behind the deal than Cameco President and CEO Tim Gitzel, who says why he thinks the timing is right for the deal and how it fits into what he sees as the future growth of the global nuclear energy sector.
He also outlines the current state and outlook for the uranium/fuel business, reflects on the impact of the Russian war with Ukraine on the global nuclear industry and says that with new technological developments nuclear has an increasingly crucial role to play in efforts to combat climate change.
In the news round-up for the month Claire Maden covers the start of fuel loading at Vogtle 3, the USA's first completely new nuclear unit for more than three decades, while Warwick Pipe outlines the latest state of play in Germany and the decision to rethink the end of year shutdown plans for its final nuclear power plants. We also hear what Greta Thunberg and Bill Gates have been saying about nuclear energy.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Dec 2022
Ingemar Engkvist on WANO's key nuclear industry role, plus Nuclear at COP27
00:50:49
The World Association of Nuclear Operators generally keeps a low public profile, but its CEO Ingemar Engkvist joins us to explain why that low public profile is deliberate, and outlines how the organisation works and how its members support each other. He also discusses the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Watch out for Engkvist's very unusual story about how he first became involved in the nuclear field, and as he comes to the end of his three-year term he talks about the exciting prospects for nuclear energy in the decades ahead.
In the news round-up for November, the focus is on the role nuclear played at COP27. World Nuclear Association's Jonathan Cobb and Henry Preston report on the event and from some of the expert sessions staged at the #Atoms4Climate pavilion at the event in Egypt - the first time there has been such a platform at a COP. Speakers featured included:
Pat Dalzell from Bruce Power
Ontario's environment minister David Pacinni
Elina Teplinsky from Pillsbury Law
Kirsty Gogan from TerraPraxis
Edward Stones from Dow
Alice Cunha da Silva, nuclear engineer
Daniel Liu from Japan Atomic Industrial Forum
Tyson Culver, director of Juice:How Electricity Explains the World
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Jan 2023
Focus on uranium, plus India's nuclear sector - and Sama Bilbao y León's hopes for 2023
00:50:48
Uranium is a key part of the nuclear energy sector and there has been a growing focus on it, and the entire nuclear fuel cycle, following Russia's military action in Ukraine. Claire Maden sets out the fascinating history of uranium and John Ciampaglia, CEO of Sprott Asset Management, joins us to discuss the uranium market in 2022 and how that is linked to wider nuclear sector developments.
As a new year begins, World Nuclear Association's director general Sama Bilbao y León reviews the main achievements and challenges of 2022 and sets out her hopes for the sector in 2023. There is also a special focus on India, with an overview of its nuclear energy history from Shah Nawaz Ahmad, the WNA's India expert, as well as an overview of current and future developments.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Feb 2023
GE Hitachi Nuclear's Jay Wileman and the hopes for greater regulatory harmonisation
00:44:29
What can be done to improve the process of getting approval for new nuclear in different countries? If a reactor, for example a small modular reactor, is approved in one country, can that help to speed up the process in a different country? Jay Wileman is president and CEO of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy so is well placed to outline what the issues are for companies such as his, which is currently in the process of getting approvals from multiple countries for the BWRX-300 SMR.
Wileman is a key figure in World Nuclear Association's Cooperation in Reactor Design Evaluation and Licencing Group, better known as the CORDEL working group, which focuses on the benefits and means of achieving a worldwide convergence of reactor safety standards and approaches to licensing reactor designs. Doing so would have big cost savings and allow much faster adoption of nuclear energy in different countries. Joint CORDEL programme leader, Ronan Tanguy, joins us to explain how the group works, and sets out some specific goals.
It has been a busy start to the year and World Nuclear News'sWarwick Pipe and Claire Maden join host Alex Hunt to discuss the positive nuclear policy changes in countries stretching from Sweden to South Korea, and also outline expectations of as many as 10 reactor start-ups scheduled for 2023. There is also an update on the US strategic reserve of domestically produced uranium.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Mar 2023
Bannerman Energy's Brandon Munro on uranium sector, nuclear's prospects and impact of war
00:43:58
Brandon Munro, CEO of Bannerman Energy, joins us to consider the impact on the uranium and wider nuclear sector of the Russia-Ukraine war as it continues into a second year.
Munro sees a bright future for the uranium sector and also talks about the prospects for an expansion of nuclear in Africa and why he sees the Cameco-Westinghouse deal as a good thing, and one which gives more backing for the idea of nuclear energy being part of green taxonomies.
And what about those people who are opposed to nuclear energy? Is it possible to change minds? Munro, who has around 20,000 followers on Twitter (@brandon_munro) says that conversations are key - in his experience once people know the facts they tend to be in favour.
Never before has one country's military occupied another country's nuclear power plants. World Nuclear News'sClaire Maden joins host Alex Hunt to recap a timeline of some of the key events.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Apr 2023
Gender balance in nuclear, and the EU's Net Zero Industry Act
00:42:01
The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency released a report in March which it described as the first publicly available international data on gender balance in the nuclear sector. Claire Maden reports on the report's key findings (that there's still a long way to go to boost female representation in the sector) and also on what NEA Director General William D Magwood IV and Fiona Rayment, chair of the NEA's Gender Balance Task Group had to say about the situation.
The need to encourage more women into the nuclear sector is an issue returned to in an interview with Corhyn Parr, CEO of Nuclear Waste Services, who says her own experience has shown it is a great career choice. She also tells host Alex Hunt that with the expansion of nuclear in the coming years and the need to hit net zero targets, the sector needs to be able to attract and welcome the most talented people from across society.
Parr also discusses progress made on the UK's plans for a Geological Disposal Facility. The aim is to narrow the current shortlisted areas down to two options by 2026, with the longer-term timescale looking at an operating start in 2050.
The European Union's member states have been split over the position of nuclear energy within its sustainability framework and green taxonomy. Those differences are continuing with the EU's Net Zero Industry Act - Andrei Goicea, policy director for Nucleareurope, explains what the act is, what place nuclear has in it at the moment, and what happens next.
In the news round-up World Nuclear News'sWarwick Pipe reports on the contrasting nuclear energy developments taking place in Taiwan and South Korea.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 May 2023
Nuward SMR's Renaud Crassous ... plus farewell Germany, hello Turkey
00:27:40
The French nuclear giant EDF and its partners have been working on their Nuward small nuclear reactor and have now spun the operation into a subsidiary company. Renaud Crassous, president of Nuward joins us to discuss its plans and timelines, and explains why the decision to set up a subsidiary company was taken.
During a wide-ranging interview Crassous talks about the pioneering early design regulatory review being jointly carried out by regulators in three countries, and explains why the aim is for Nuward to be 'Europe's SMR' rather than just a French one.
April has been a busy month for World Nuclear News'sWarwick Pipe and Claire Maden who join host Alex Hunt to report on Germany exiting the nuclear energy scene as its last three nuclear reactors were shut down in the middle of the month. Plus, on a brighter note, they also explain the significance just a few days later of a ceremony held to inaugurate the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, as Turkey officially joined the league of nations with nuclear energy capacity. And there's time too for some positive news from Finland and its Olkiluoto 3 EPR.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Jun 2023
World Nuclear Fuel Cycle - a special report. Plus Finland's plunging electricity price
00:34:18
The World Nuclear Fuel Cycle international forum is co-organised by the Nuclear Energy Institute and World Nuclear Association. As the name suggests, this conference is very much focused on the commercial nuclear fuel cycle and the economic competitiveness of nuclear energy, so as you'd expect, the programme is firmly based around the issues that are of significance in the fuel marketplace - and that's certainly a complex and challenging place right now.
Claire Maden has put together a special report on this year's gathering, which took place in April in the Netherlands.
There has been a dramatic fall in the price of electricity in Finland over the past six months. Can that be linked to Olkiluoto 3's recent move into commercial operation? World Nuclear Association's Alec Mitchell crunches the numbers and explains the price fluctuation.
The past month has also seen the unveiling of Westinghouse's proposed AP300 small modular reactor. Warwick Pipe reports on the launch and the back-story to the latest SMR contender.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Jul 2023
Nuclear energy in Africa - with Lassina Zerbo
00:36:50
What is the current position with nuclear energy in the continent of Africa and what are the prospects for the future? Lassina Zerbo is the former head of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization and current chairman of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board - he joins us to discuss the situation at the moment and look ahead to the future.
He talks about the history and considers why there is only one country in the continent with an operating nuclear power plant, and how changes in public opinion and nuclear technology are helping to drive a wide range of planned developments. Director of World Nuclear Association's Harmony programme, King Lee, also outlines some of the many initiatives taking place which could transform the nuclear energy picture in Africa in the years to come.
June has been another busy month for World Nuclear News and Warwick Pipe reports on developments with China's molten salt reactor, while Claire Maden sets out the USA's efforts to tackle the issue of HALEU fuel supplies for the next generation of nuclear reactors.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Aug 2023
World Nuclear Performance Report, plus Great British Nuclear launches
00:35:01
The annual World Nuclear Performance Report has all the statistics and numbers anyone interested in the nuclear energy sector could possibly want. It breaks down the performance of reactors across the world by type, by age and by country. The author behind it is World Nuclear Association's Jonathan Cobb, who joins us to discuss this year's findings.
As well as explaining the reason why some parts of the world saw a small decline in nuclear energy output in 2022, he has a bundle of fascinating stats - including those which suggest the oldest reactors, ie over 50 years old, are more than matching the performance of the newer and younger ones.
In the July World Nuclear News round-up Claire Maden covers a bundle of good news stories from Canada, Warwick Pipe reports on developments in France and Poland, while host Alex Hunt hears from UK Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Grant Shapps as he launched Great British Nuclear, the arms-length organisation intended to help the country hit its target of 24 GW of nuclear by 2050.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Sep 2023
World Nuclear University turns 20, plus Niger and Vogtle
00:32:48
It was in 2003 that World Nuclear University was founded by World Nuclear Association, the International Atomic Energy Agency, World Association of Nuclear Operators and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, with a mission to provide comprehensive leadership, communications and technical training to support the next generation of nuclear leaders.
As it marks its 20th birthday, host Alex Hunt is joined by World Nuclear University (WNU) director Isis Leslie to learn more about its work and also its exciting plans for the future. We also hear first-hand what the WNU experience is like from Estiner Katengeza, one of the fellows at this year's Summer Institute, which was held in Japan.
In the World Nuclear News round-up Claire Maden reports on developments in Niger and considers the impact on the uranium sector, Warwick Pipe reports on the start of the discharge of treated water from Fukushima and there is also a report on the good news out of the USA from Vogtle.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Oct 2023
Nuclear fuel, financing, recruitment, net zero - World Nuclear Symposium 2023 special report
00:42:49
World Nuclear Symposium, held in London, brought together key figures from across the global industry, who took part in a variety of panel discussions on many of the current big issues in the sector. In this special edition of the podcast, World Nuclear News reports on those sessions:
The topics covered, in order:
The launch of the Net Zero Nuclear campaign
Publication of World Nuclear Association's Nuclear Fuel Report
Recruitment and expanding the nuclear workforce
How nuclear can decarbonise different industries
Optimising plant life performance
Investing in and financing of nuclear
We hear from, in order of appearance:
Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of World Nuclear Association
Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency
Mohamed Al Hammadi, CEO, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation
Kaajal Desai, Senior Programme Lead for Fuel Cycle, World Nuclear Association
Malcolm Critchley, President and CEO ConverDyn
Chris Frankland, Director of Sales and Marketing, Nuclear Fuels Corporation
Jeanne Tortorelli, Director of Nuclear Fuel Supply at Constellation Energy Generation
Tamer Albishawi, Chief Nuclear Officer at Hinkley Point C
Callum Thomas, Chairman of Thomas Thor
Grace Stanke, Nuclear Engineering Student, Nuclear Advocate and Miss America
Charlotte Griffiths, Sustainable Energy Division of the UN Economic Commission for Europe
Todd Noe, Director of Nuclear Technologies Strategy at Microsoft
Mikal Bøe, Chairman and CEO Core Power
Naoki Chigusa, CEO of World Association of Nuclear Operators
Vinod Kumar, Station Director of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited's Kaiga 3 and 4
Catherine Cornand, Senior Executive Vice President Framatome
Chris Cunningham, Vice President Nuclear Projects at Ontario Power Generation
Wolfgang Denk, Managing Director, Swissnuclear
Keisuke Sadamori, Director Energy Markets and Security, International Energy Agency
Iain Smedley, Global Chairman of Banking, Barclays
Kevin Kelly, CFO Bruce Power
Julien Bocobza, Partner, White & Case LLC
Sophie Macfarlane-Smith, Head of Customer Engagement Rolls-Royce SMR
Thomas Branche, Senior Vice President for Engineering, Assystem
Rumina Velshi, President and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Reports from Claire Maden and Warwick Pipe. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production.
01 Nov 2023
Can world's nuclear supply chain meet scale of new-build plans?
00:46:53
With the projected growth of nuclear projects over the coming decades, how will the supply chain in different parts of the world cope? EDF's Laurent-Olivier Coudeyre is chairman of World Nuclear Association's Supply Chain and Long-Term Operation Working Group, he joins us to outline how the supply chain works, the focus on quality, localisation and how it can develop in the future. We also hear from Nathan Paterson, the staff director of the association's working group, about some of the key themes from the recently published World Nuclear Supply Chain Report.
Also in this edition, Claire Maden joins host Alex Hunt to report on developments in Canada where Bruce Power is getting the ball rolling for a potential Bruce C plant and Alberta is looking into the possible use of small modular reactors in its oil sands industry.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Dec 2023
Making nuclear plants look great, plus Sweden and NuScale
00:34:37
Technology and function, ensuring their reliable and safe operation have long been the priorities when designing nuclear power plants. But why can't they look beautiful too? Dutch architect and designer Erick van Egeraat says that part of the way to continue to build public support for nuclear energy is to make nuclear power plants look good, "to make people feel good" when they see them.
The award-winning professor and director of Design Erick van Egeraat outlined his thinking at World Nuclear Symposium, explaining the background to the work he is doing at Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which is being built in Turkey.
In the World Nuclear News monthly round-up Warwick Pipe reports on Sweden's plans for a "massive" expansion of nuclear energy and Claire Maden covers the end of NuScale and Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems' Carbon Free Power Project.
And David Hess looks at how the conversation about nuclear has evolved and changed during his 14 years at World Nuclear Association, most recently as ESG programme lead.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Jan 2024
Nuclear's landmark moments at COP28 - and Sama Bilbao y León's hopes for 2024
00:43:29
A special report on nuclear's role at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, better known as COP28, in Dubai. It was the first time nuclear energy has been formally specified as one of the solutions to climate change in a COP agreement.
Jonathan Cobb, senior communication manager at World Nuclear Association, was in the UAE for the event and he reports on declarations by governments, and by industry, backing a tripling of nuclear capacity by 2050 as part of the Net Zero Nuclear intiative, as well as the inclusion of nuclear in the final text of the Global Stocktake. Henry Preston, external communication manager for the association, reports on the many side events featuring nuclear, including a focus on potential newcomer countries such as the Philippines and Australia.
As the new year gets under way Sama Bilbao y León, director general of World Nuclear Association, considers the significance of COP28 for nuclear and looks back at the sector's main achievements of 2023 as well as looking ahead to the coming year's main goals and key moments to watch out for.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
15 Jan 2024
Great British Nuclear's Simon Bowen on SMR contest, and UK's 24GW plans
00:26:39
The UK has plans to quadruple its nuclear energy capacity to 24GW by 2050. The government released its plan to get to that figure with its Civil Nuclear: Roadmap to 2050. The arms-length delivery body established for new nuclear is Great British Nuclear, and in this episode, its Chairman Simon Bowen discusses the plans, and the changes proposed in how sites are chosen and in establishing other routes to market for new nuclear.
Bowen also sets out the latest on the UK's on-going small modular reactor competition. At the moment there are six shortlisted - EDF, GE Hitachi, Holtec, NuScale, Rolls-Royce SMR and Westinghouse. The aim is to get the invitation to tender documents out very soon, he said, with contracts agreed later this year with up to four of them, which would take them through to a financial investment decision by 2029.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Feb 2024
Newcleo's Andrew Murdoch, plus uranium market and Hinkley C's new schedule
00:31:10
The UK operations managing director of Newcleo, Andrew Murdoch, joins host Alex Hunt to discuss the prospects for the company's lead-cooled fast reactor. It has Italian roots and expanding operations in France, but he says the company has the ambitious target of having 20 reactors in the UK by 2050.
January saw EDF revise the schedule and projected budget for the Hinkley Point C project in the UK. Hear how Hinkley Point C managing director Stuart Crooks explained the revision in a message to staff, and also stressed the benefits likely to flow at the replica project at Sizewell C.
There is also a round-up from World Nuclear News'sClaire Maden of the raft of encouraging news from the uranium sector, fuelled by soaring spot prices and a generally positive outlook for nuclear power.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Mar 2024
NexGen Energy's Leigh Curyer on uranium mine's huge potential
00:37:18
The ambitious aim for NexGen Energy, is to be supplying 25% of the world's mined supply of uranium - and about 50% of the western world's mined supply - when its Rook 1 project in Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada starts production, says its CEO, President and founder, Leigh Curyer.
He joins host Alex Hunt and Claire Maden to outline how he got into the industry and the decision to set up NexGen - and the good news that interrupted a Valentine's Day meal in 2014.
As well as outlining the plans and likely timeline for the Rook 1 project - and further exploration in the area - Leigh also gives his thoughts on the global uranium market, and prospects more broadly for the nuclear energy sector in the coming years, including signs of a change of mood in his native Australia.
The World Nuclear News reports this month are from Claire Maden, on India's growing nuclear energy plans, and Warwick Pipe, who covers the recent International Energy Agency's ministerial meeting communique recognising nuclear as one technology for achieving nergy security and decarbonisation.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Apr 2024
How nuclear 'waste' could save your life, plus Nuclear Energy Summit 2024
00:37:21
Professor Tim Tinsley prefers not to use the label of nuclear waste, instead referring to "legacy material". And it's not hard to see why, given the projects currently taking place to extract radionuclides from the material for use in pioneering treatments for cancer. It is also providing a new source of power and heat for spacecraft.
Tinsley, Professor of Space Nuclear Power at the University of Leicester and Account Director for Space and Radioisotopes at the National Nuclear Laboratory in the UK, joins host Alex Hunt to give details on the life-saving and space-exploring projects and explains what value there is hidden within what has long just been seen as a problem.
With the promising early stage clinical trials, and the plans to provide power for a mission to Mars in 2028, the newly discovered value in the legacy material is one of the factors which may be taken into account in plans for the safe longterm disposal of the material. There could yet be future discoveries that more of the material could become valuable in the years ahead, so, suggests Tinsley, being able to dispose of the material in a form that it is retrievable at minimal cost might be a good idea.
Also this month, there is a report on the gathering of leaders and senior government representatives at the first-of-its-kind Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels, including snippets of what the IAEA's Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and co-host Belgian PM Alexander de Croo had to say. Plus Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, French President Emmanuel Macron and COP29 host Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 May 2024
World Nuclear Fuel Cycle in Kazakhstan - a special report
00:31:36
A special report on the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle 2024 international forum, co-organised by the Nuclear Energy Institute and World Nuclear Association. The two day event included discussions from leading industry figures on all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, conversion, and enrichment companies, utilities, fuel suppliers and waste management specialists. One key question was the challenge of being able to supply the fuel which would be required for the tripling of nuclear energy capacity which many countries have pledged to aim for as part of their climate change goals. Also in Claire Maden's special report, hear about the use of innovative technologies in the nuclear fuel sector - including machine learning and neural network techniques and laser enrichment.
The fuel cycle event was held alongside the World Nuclear Spotlight event, focused on Kazakhstan and its plans for a nuclear power programme.
The news round-up includes BWXT announcing expansion plans, and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi outlining why the agency is not pointing the finger of blame over the drone attacks on or near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
01 Jun 2024
Lessons from history about energy transitions
00:50:14
The historian, author and academic Jean-Baptiste Fressoz explains why he thinks that the idea of energy transition is a simplistic and flawed one, noting that what has actually happened throughout history has been different energy sources piling up on top of each other - such as more wood being used after the "switch" to coal, and more coal being used after the emergence of oil.
Even if nuclear and renewables manage to decarbonise the electricity sector, he says, the big issue will be what is done to cut carbon emissions from other sources, such as the cement industry, unless wider choices are made. Fressoz is the author of Une nouvelle histoire de l'énergie - which in English will be More and More and More, An All-Consuming History of Energy.
Also in this episode we hear from Ian Chapman, CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, about the achievements of JET (the Joint European Torus) which has ended its 40-year life full of breakthroughs on the fusion front. He explains that there is still much to learn from its decommissioning, with more lessons for future fusion projects as well as for the fission industry.
In the news round-up Claire Maden reports on the US law prohibiting the importation into the USA of unirradiated, low-enriched uranium that is produced in the RussianFederation or by a Russian entity, and Warwick Pipe brings us up-to-date with progress on China's first small modular reactor.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
03 Jul 2024
How are the USA's historic new Vogtle 3 and 4 units doing?
00:23:07
Southern Nuclear's Senior Vice President for Vogtle 3 and 4, John Williams, discusses the achievement and "tremendous pride" from everyone involved in completing the first new nuclear units built in the USA for more than 30 years.
He says that both AP1000s have been performing well, with Vogtle 3 operating at 98% capacity since being put into service a year ago. And, as well as the direct jobs - 9000 workers were on site at peak construction - he says that people can see the benefits of carbon-free energy being produced and understand how important it is for the future of energy in the US and further afield.
The project had many well-documented challenges to overcome - the impact of Fukushima, Westinghouse's Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017 and the global pandemic - and Williams says there have been many lessons learned which Southern Company is committed to sharing with utilities in the US and other countries as they embark on their own projects. The first lesson, he says, is the need for resilience, which has been demonstrated by the project partners Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities.
In the World Nuclear News round-up Claire Maden reports on the passing of the ADVANCE Act in the US, Kazakhstan's plans for a referendum later this year on new nuclear, and the latest uranium-mining developments in Niger.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
23 Aug 2024
The Finnish SMR designed to produce heat, not electricity
00:29:22
Steady Energy is developing the LDR-50 small modular reactor with the initial goal of decarbonising district heating systems. The CEO of the Finnish company, Tommi Nyman, explains why the decision to focus on heat rather than electricity was taken.
The company was spun out of VTT, Finland's national research lab, and was prompted by its researchers noting that 10% of CO2 emissions come from heating water or steam to 150C and thinking "why not build something simple that would only cover low temperature heat markets". "In the context of the climate crisis, nuclear is a very good option, but the problem has been getting projects economically sound so that nuclear can be utilised without large subsidies. We know that the most economical way to use nuclear is just to generate thermal energy without using the heat to create electricity," he tells host Alex Hunt.
Nyman added that simplicity has been key to their design, "by only producing heat you can reduce the amount of equipment in a nuclear power plant by 50%". The cost of energy they are aiming at is below EUR40 per MWh, depending on how the utility wants to operate it and the aim is to have a first plant delivered in 2030.
Also in this episode World Nuclear News'sClaire Maden reports on events in India, South Africa and uranium developments in the USA and Australia.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
05 Sep 2024
World Nuclear Performance Report, plus The Nuclear Company
00:38:48
Total nuclear electricity generation rose in 2023 despite a small drop in overall capacity, according to World Nuclear Performance Report 2024. In this episode, lead author Jonathan Cobb, senior programme lead, climate, at World Nuclear Association, joins us to pick out the key stats and trends from the annual collection of operating facts and figures.
He explains how the average operating capacity of nuclear power plants has been increasing - with trends showing that older nuclear plants operating better than they ever have. That, and a better year for output in France, helps to explain how output was able to rise, despite overall capacity not following suit.
Also in the episode, Juliann Edwards, chief development officer at start-up The Nuclear Company, explains the company's goals of getting fleet-scale nuclear energy projects up and running in the USA.
Edwards, who is also chair of US Women in Nuclear, talks as well about the initiatives and progress made in improving the gender balance and wider diversity within the nuclear workforce.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
24 Sep 2024
Financiers back idea of nuclear expansion, but what are the challenges?
00:33:33
A group of 14 global financial institutions have expressed their support for the call to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050. Their message, during New York Climate Week, stated their recognition that global civil nuclear energy projects have an important role to play in the transition to a low-carbon economy and means they join 25 countries and more than 120 companies already signed up to that tripling goal.
Jonathan Cobb, senior programme lead, climate, at World Nuclear Association, explains the significance of the pledge from the 14 institutions - Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Ares Management, Bank of America, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Brookfield, Citi, Credit Agricole CIB, Goldman Sachs, Guggenheim Securities LLC, Morgan Stanley, Rothschild & Co, Segra Capital Management, and Societe Generale.
But how can that support be translated into firm investments? Well, in this finance-focused episode, we also hear what some of the senior decision-makers said at World Nuclear Symposium earlier in September, about the challenges for private finance in new nuclear, and their ideas for smoothing that path.
Among those featuring are: Vicki Kalb, Global Head of ESG and Sustainability Research at UBS Seb Henbest, Group Head of Climate Transition at HSBC Bill Lacivita, Partner at McKinsey & Company Ed Cook, Global Head of Capital Markets at BlackRock Cosmin Ghita, Chief Executive Officer at Nuclearelectrica Kim Lauritsen, Senior VP, Enterprise Strategy & Energy Markets at Ontario Power Generation László Varró, VP, Strategy Insights & Scenarios at Shell International
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
23 Oct 2024
Why are Microsoft, Google and Amazon choosing nuclear energy?
00:22:43
Global tech giants Microsoft, Google and Amazon have all announced deals which will see them using nuclear energy in the coming years. In this edition we outline what has been announced, why, and also consider the significance for new nuclear energy in the future.
There is also a report from Claire Maden on what was a very timely session at last month's World Nuclear Symposium focusing on connecting end users with 24/7 energy. Those who featured on the panel include Todd Noe, Director of Nuclear & Energy Innovation at Microsoft, Claude Lorea, Cement, Innovation and ESG Director for the Global Concrete and Cement Association, Lou Martinez Sancho, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, R&D and Innovation, for Westinghouse and The Nuclear Company's Juliann Edwards.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
11 Nov 2024
What next for the UK's record-breaking Heysham 2 nuclear power plant?
00:22:23
Martin Cheetham is the station director of the EDF-run Heysham 2 nuclear power plant on the Lancashire coast in northwest England. It has two advanced gas-cooled reactors which were first connected to the grid in 1988. They have a combined power of 1.24 GW and had an initial design life to 2023 before being extended to 2028.
The second unit at Heysham 2 power plant set a record with 940 days of continuous operation from 2014 to 2016 and the plant is now closing in on setting a new record for electricity generated by a nuclear power plant in the UK. As it does so, there are currently checks going on which could see a further extension to its life.
In this episode Cheetham talks about the similarities and differences between nuclear and his earlier work at thermal energy plants, he explains what decisions on Heysham's lifetime extension rest on, and why such decisions are different for the UK's fleet of AGRs compared with pressurised water reactors.
He also highlights the potential for the Heysham site to become home to a new generation of nuclear power, in the form of small modular reactors.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
29 Nov 2024
What happened with nuclear energy at COP29?
00:34:36
The COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, was the latest global gathering aiming to agree measures to tackle climate change. Jonathan Cobb, senior programme lead, climate, at World Nuclear Association, was there. In this episode he explains what COP is, what the aims of COP29 were, what was achieved, and what role nuclear energy played.
He also explains why many people's focus was already looking towards COP30 in Brazil - and outlines the nuclear energy-related events held, and agreements signed, at Baku. Notable among these announcements was six more signatories - El Salvador, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Nigeria and Turkey - to the Net Zero Nuclear goal of tripling nuclear energy capacity by 2050.
Also in this edition, Claire Maden rounds up some of the big nuclear energy stories in November, including Russia's decision to restrict uranium exports to the USA, the go-ahead being given for the Hermes 2 molten salt-cooled reactor and China's latest nuclear-powered district heating achievement.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
23 Dec 2024
What were the big nuclear energy stories of 2024? What to watch out for in 2025...
00:38:50
The World Nuclear News team looks back over the most read articles in 2024 - with topics including tech giants turning to nuclear energy for data centres, nuclear battery innovations, the uranium market and progress on current and proposed nuclear power capacity projects.
Then World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León sits down with host Alex Hunt to pick out key developments of the year - such as the public backing for nuclear from large financial institutions at New York Climate Week and political leaders declaring their commitment at the IAEA's Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels.
She also highlights the importance of discussions at COP29 about carbon markets, and reflects on the similarities and differences in the case put for nuclear energy at conferences held in different parts of the world.
Looking ahead to 2025 there are big set-piece events to look forward to - such as World Nuclear Association's 50th Symposium, COP30 and the first World Nuclear Supply Chain conference - as well as likely big moments for Turkey and Bangladesh's first units - and continued work on financing and achieving a change in multilateral bank lending policies towards nuclear.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Reporters Claire Maden and Warwick Pipe. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
29 Jan 2025
The international forum helping make advanced reactors a reality
00:29:36
An agreement has been concluded to renew the Generation IV International Forum, which aims to build on its first 25 years of sharing research and development on innovative nuclear reactor designs. In this episode, William D Magwood IV, Director-General of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, which supports GIF as its Technical Secretariat, explains how the forum came about, how it works, what the key achievements have been so far and what the hopes for the future are.
He says that originally it was expected to be governments and government laboratories taking the lead, but now the private sector is doing it "which is very energising and very exciting". He says a key priority is to facilitate private sector success in the deployment of these technologies, albeit with challenges from working with IP issues across the private and public sector, and looks ahead to some lead countries demonstrating how these technologies can be regulated effectively.
All in all, he believes that the future for nuclear energy "is brighter than it's probably been in history".
In the World Nuclear News round-up Claire Maden reports on what we know so far about the impact on the nuclear sector from the return to the White House of US President Donald Trump, while Warwick Pipe has an update on the French nuclear power programme, following the Flamanville EPR's long-awaited connection to the grid.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
27 Feb 2025
India's plans for rapid nuclear energy expansion
00:32:46
There have been a raft of announcements from India in February relating to new nuclear energy capacity. Retired diplomat, author and distinguished fellow of the Vivekananda International Foundation, Ambassador D. P. Srivastava, is the coordinator of a foundation task force report on the energy transition in the country and he joins us to discuss the future for nuclear energy in India.
The budget goal is to increase capacity from 7 GW to 100 GW by 2047, and as he explains, there will be a need for both indigenous and international technology involved in meeting that target. To help that process, India is now in the process of allowing private sector involvement in new nuclear and proposing changes to the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act of 2010, which has been seen as a stumbling block for overseas nuclear power plant vendors. In addition, Prime Minister Modi has recently agreed new cooperation deals with French President Macron and US President Trump.
Fuel has also been loaded into the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam, technology, which he explains, is set to play a key role in India's nuclear future. Srivastava also talks about the task force report's suggestion that India would need a huge amount more than 100 GW nuclear capacity if it is to achieve net zero by 2070.
All these announcements set the mood at India Energy Week, a huge event where nuclear took a prominent role. World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León was there and she joins us to give her impression of the event, which included Prime Minister Modi talking about new nuclear.
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
25 Mar 2025
Bruce Power's James Scongack on nuclear's life-saving medical isotopes
00:34:04
Bruce Power's Chief Operating Officer James Scongack is Chairman of the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council and, as he explains, the country aims to play a leadership role in nuclear medicine, not just for Canada's benefit, but also to provide health benefits for the rest of the world.
He outlines the life-saving diagnostics and treatments that now exist thanks to isotopes produced in Canada's Candu reactors, research reactors and cyclotrons, and talks about the new trials and treatments which are emerging.
The Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council has recently signed an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency's Rays for Hope campaign and aims to help provide access to nuclear medicine's diagnostics and treatments to those parts of the world where people do not currently have access. This is part of what he sees as driving hugely growing demand in the years ahead.
For those who may say that producing isotopes is the equivalent of a 'side hustle' for a nuclear power plant, Scongack says it might be "1% of the cashflow, but it's 50% of our contribution" in terms of tackling some of the greatest challenges that communities and society are facing.
Scongack also talks about progress at Bruce Power, where the modernisation programme is adding extra capacity equivalent to that which would be provided by building three small modular reactors. There's also an update on Bruce C.
Scongack, who sees a bright future for nuclear energy in general, says that communicating positive stories is key. He presents the Canadian Nuclear Isotopes Council's own podcast - called Isotopes for Hope- helping to spread the news about what he calls a "real hidden gem of what our industry around the world does".
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
23 Apr 2025
Can nuclear fuel cycle meet future rising demand?
00:17:46
In the first of a two-part special report from the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle 2025 conference held this month in Canada, Claire Maden reports on the opportunities and challenges facing players across the entire fuel sector.
There is the aim to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050, shared by many governments, businesses and financial institutions. But will there be the necessary fuel available if that goal is to be reached?
Among the issues raised were the impact of trade tariffs, transport issues and wider geopolitics. They will all have an impact on an industry which spans the globe.
This episode features contributions from:
Sama Bilbao y León, World Nuclear Association Director General Nicolle Butcher, Ontario Power Generation President and CEO Tim Gitzel, Cameco President and CEO Sashi Davies, Boss Energy Ltd Strategic Advisor Tammy Van Lambalgen, Orano Canada Inc Vice President, Chief Corporate Officer Seitzhan Zhanybekov, Kazatomprom Managing Director, Sales Lisa Aitken, Cameco Vice President, Marketing Andrew Wong, RBC Capital Markets Equity Research Analyst Anna Bryndza, UxC LLC Executive Vice President Nikko Collida, WMC Energy Deputy Head of Nuclear Fuel Brad Beatty, ConverDyn Commercial Manager Steffen Asser, Axpo Power AG Senior Supply Chain Manager
Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production
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