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All Reactors Large and Small

Atomic Insights Podcast

Atomic Show #289

By Rod Adams

Pro-nuclear advocates generally agree that there is a large and growing need for new nuclear power plants to meet energy demands with less impact on the planet and its atmosphere. There is frequent, sometimes passionate discussion about the most appropriate reactor sizes, technologies and specific uses.

Atomic Show #289 is a lively discussion among some of the world’s most focused experts on the topic of nuclear plant costs and the relationship of costs to sizes and deployment concepts.

Guests include:

  • Kirsty Gogan – co-founder of Energy for Humanity, Managing Director at LucidCatalyst and co-founder of TerraPraxis

  • Eric Ingersoll – co-founder of LucidCatalyst and co-founder of TerraPraxis

  • Nick Touran – creator of WhatisNuclear.com and advanced reactor design engineer

  • Chris Keefer – President of Canadians for Nuclear, founder of Doctors for Nuclear Energy, host of the Decouple podcast and the We CANDU It Podcast

  • Jessica Lovering, co-founder and co-Executive Director of Good Energy Collective

We reached several conclusions.

  • Nuclear can be expensive but it doesn’t have to be expensive

  • Series building programs can successfully reduce construction and manufacturing costs

  • Series building programs that keep crews together on the same site for unit runs of 4, 8 or even more units have an established history of success.

  • Factory manufacturing is an intriguing prospect that might best be applied to nuclear plants by using shipyards for production and delivery.

  • Seismic isolation techniques can enable systems to be more location agnostic and limit the amount of redesign required for new locations.

  • There is room for innovation and new ideas in nuclear.

  • Smaller nuclear systems can make the technology more accessible and more widely acceptable.

  • Long held beliefs about nuclear in terms of risks, public acceptance, and needs for isolation and security deserve to be challenged.

  • Some believe that the more experience you have with nuclear, the better you will appreciate its benefits and capabilities.

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