Atomic Show #324 – Jay Hakes, Author of Presidents and the Planet

Atomic Show #324 – Jay Hakes, Author of Presidents and the Planet

Jay Hakes, an accomplished author and historian, visited the Atomic Show to talk about his recently published book, Presidents and the Planet: Climate Change Science and Politics from Eisenhower to Bush. Sometimes referred to as “the untold story of climate change,” Hake’s book is an enlightening jaunt through a history discovered during long days in…

Atomic Show #323 – Julie Kozeracki, Director of Strategy, DOE Loan Programs Office

Atomic Show #323 – Julie Kozeracki, Director of Strategy, DOE Loan Programs Office

Julie Kozeracki was the lead author for a U.S. Department of Energy strategy document titled Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Advanced Nuclear published in September 2024. The document was the result of a multi-agency, multi-lab effort to update a previously issued report. During our conversation, Kozeracki described how the report was informed by changes in the…

Atomic Show #322 – Westinghouse’s eVinci micro reactor

Atomic Show #322 – Westinghouse’s eVinci micro reactor

Westinghouse’s eVinci is a 15 MWth, 5 MWe micro reactor. Westinghouse often refers to it as a nuclear battery. Unlike conventional nuclear power plants, eVinci uses no water and doesn’t produce steam. The eVinci is not “just another way to boil water.” There are no pumps in the system that moves heat out of the…

Atomic Show #321 – Andrew Harmon, VP Natura Resources

Atomic Show #321 – Andrew Harmon, VP Natura Resources

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a construction permit on September 16, 2024 to Abilene Christian University (ACU) to build a molten salt research reactor. This marked the first university research reactor approval in 30 years. It is the first liquid fuel reactor ever approved for construction by the NRC and only the second advanced…

Atomic Show #320 – Magnus Mori, Urenco

Atomic Show #320 – Magnus Mori, Urenco

Urenco is one of the few companies in the world that enriches uranium. It’s one of an even smaller group of enrichers that aren’t owned by the Russian, Chinese or Iranian governments. It plays a key role in the western world’s nuclear fuel cycle. That role became even more important after February, 2022. With the…

Atomic Show #319 – Juliann Edwards, The Nuclear Company

Atomic Show #319 – Juliann Edwards, The Nuclear Company

The Nuclear Company exited a period of operating in “stealth mode” about a month ago. That exit was sufficiently well planned and executed that it is likely that Atomic Insights readers have already heard of the company. The Nuclear Company was incorporated a year ago. Its founding team has been working diligently to build the…

Atomic Show #318 – Brian Gitt, Business Development, Oklo

Atomic Show #318 – Brian Gitt, Business Development, Oklo

Brian Gitt, the Business Development lead at Oklo, visited the Atomic Show to describe his employer’s business model and current prospects. Oklo is an advanced fission and fuel recycling company with an expansive vision for becoming a competitive clean energy supplier. It plans to provide heat and/or electricity as a service from a fleet of…

Atomic Show #317 – Trey Lauderdale – Founder, Atomic Canyon

Atomic Show #317 – Trey Lauderdale – Founder, Atomic Canyon

Atomic Canyon is a six month old company that is developing AI tools to improve the efficiency of routine tasks associated with developing, licensing, building, owning and operating nuclear plants. Their first product, called Neutron, uses AI to modernize searching the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s 52 million page collection of publicly available documents that are currently…

Atomic Show #316 – Emmet Penney, Pronuclear Poet

Atomic Show #316 – Emmet Penney, Pronuclear Poet

Emmet Penney is an unlikely, but effective pronuclear advocate. He earned his degrees in fine arts and great books and worked for several years as a professional poet – along with working in a bookstore as a way to keep paying the bills. He gradually transitioned from poetry into writing thoughtful essays on a variety…

Atomic Show #314 – Economies of scale for micro, small, medium, large reactors – with James Krellenstein

Atomic Show #314 – Economies of scale for micro, small, medium, large reactors – with James Krellenstein

James Krellenstein is a physicist, consultant and nuclear energy historian. He is currently employed as a senior advisor to Global Health Strategies. He started up their decarbonization practice with an emphasis on nuclear energy along with renewables. He was the lead author on GEH’s report on ways to reduce global dependence on Russia for necessary…

Atomic Show #313 – Stefano Buono, Founder and CEO of Newcleo

Atomic Show #313 – Stefano Buono, Founder and CEO of Newcleo

Stefano Buono is a physicist and the successful founder of Advanced Accelerator Applications, a multibillion dollar company that pioneered the use of several therapeutic medical isotopes. After making several people very rich, including himself, he sold the medical isotope business and returned to his early 1990s field of study – nuclear fission reactors using molten…