Explore every episode of the podcast World Nuclear News
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
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| The challenge of getting uranium from seawater | 22 oct. 2026 | 00:31:05 | |
There's enough uranium in the world's oceans to power our current energy needs for hundreds of thousands of years. The challenge is finding a way to extract it at a cost that makes it a viable option. There have been various studies and trials carried out over the years - including in China and Japan - and in this episode we hear from Canon Bryan, founder and CEO of Supercritical Materials, about his US-based plan to secure uranium at scale, and at an economically viable cost, from the sea. Bryan, who was a co-founder of Uranium Energy Corp and spent more than a decade as Terrestrial Energy's chief commercial officer, says that the idea of sourcing uranium from seawater had been seen as a "mythical technology", one that, like fusion, was being worked on "but always a few years away". "In fact we've learned that's not true - with the serious engineering work we've been doing we've been able to dispel a lot of those myths," he says. If successful, it would solve supply issues - such as geopolitical ones - in the existing nuclear fuel supply chain, he says. Behind the initiative is Supercritical having exclusive rights to a licence from the US Department of Energy for a patented technological system to extract uranium from seawater. Their challenge is an engineering one: to scale-up the process to an industrial scale. They are currently in the preliminary economic assessment phase, with a target timeline, if all goes well, of 2033 for an industrial-scale facility, which, Bryan believes, could be producing uranium at the same, or lower, prices than found in today's market. Key links to find out more: Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| Highlights from the 2026 World Nuclear Symposium | 09 oct. 2026 | 00:38:45 | |
More than 1,300 people from 65 countries gathered in London for the 2026 World Nuclear Symposium. There was a packed programme of discussions, panels and networking, as well as a one-day summit focused on financing nuclear. The World Nuclear News team were there and have put together a report on the symposium's proceedings. People featured, in order of appearance:
Key links to find out more: Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| Norman Foster's symposium speech putting case for nuclear | 18 sept. 2026 | 00:15:26 | |
In this bonus episode, hear the full speech at World Nuclear Symposium in London from internationally renowned architect Lord Norman Foster. In it he says that nuclear's ability to provide a "vast amount of power" with "a tiny imprint" means that micro-modular power units should be being produced at "industrial-scale, like jet engines" with the potential to autonomously power new developments and move beyond the "obsolete idea of a grid". Speaking without notes, the 91-year-old multi-award-winner behind numerous iconic projects, including the HSBC building in Hong Kong, the Gherkin building in London and Apple's Californian campus, said that the 19th Century was the age of the Industrial Revolution, but the world was now moving into a new age, of "electrical revolution". He warned that, over decades, targets set to address climate change had not been met, and fossil fuels still dominated. Referring to wind and solar power, he said: "As a civilisation we hinge on the balance between the built-world and nature, so there is an imperative to get that balance right and not to threaten the very ecosystems that we survive on." He described himself as a fairly recent convert to nuclear energy - "my entry point was the nuclear battery, the micro-modular reactor - I was amazed to discover that something container-sized, with a co-generator, another similar-sized container of six metres/20 feet, could power 25 East Side blocks, a small town or community". World Nuclear Symposium, organised by World Nuclear Association, was held in London in the second week of September. There will be full reports and highlights of the event in the next edition of the World Nuclear News podcast. Key links to find out more: Email newsletter:
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| A new record year for nuclear energy, are tripling capacity plans on track? | 07 sept. 2026 | 00:27:01 | |
Nuclear reactors worldwide generated 2702 TWh of electricity in 2025, beating the previous year's record of 2667 TWh, according to the newly published World Nuclear Outlook Report. The report also calculates that if all national targets for new nuclear capacity were achieved, total nuclear energy capacity would more than meet the widely-shared goal to at least triple nuclear capacity by 2050. Looking ahead at the prospects for new nuclear capacity, he outlines how projects under construction, planned and pledged could see the current 423 GWe capacity increase to 1457 GWe by 2050 (GWe is gigawatts of electrical capacity). New capacity under construction increased to 82 GWe, with eleven reactors starting construction in 2025. The combined total of planned, proposed and potential capacity increased to 416 GWe, reducing the gap between actual projects and government targets, although around 550 GWe of currently envisaged capacity by 2050 under national targets has yet to be translated into specific project plans. As well as reviewing the progress towards individual countries' targets, the report includes a series of policy recommendations for governments, industry, financiers and regulators. These range from "establishing durable policy and investment frameworks, streamlining regulation and strengthening supply chains, to building the workforce, supporting proven reactor deployment and creating the programme-based delivery models needed". It also highlights that maintaining and extending the existing fleet is the fastest and most cost-effective way to secure low-carbon electricity.
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| UxC's Anna Bryndza on uranium price reporting | 12 août 2026 | 00:28:41 | |
Anna Bryndza is Executive Vice President for International at nuclear industry market research and analysis company UxC, which plays a key role in the nuclear fuel cycle via its publications such as Ux Weekly. It also publishes the industry standard uranium spot prices. In this episode, she talks with Claire Maden about the current uranium market and the outlook for demand - and how past experience can help inform an element of caution in terms of some of the more ebullient suggestions of how much uranium will be needed in a decade or two's time. UxC's work reporting prices for uranium has a key role in the world nuclear fuel cycle and Bryndza outlines the history of the price reporting and outlines how the process works. And we also hear about the Atomic Runners group, and the growth of the social/fitness initiative. Key links to find out more: UxC Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| The first World Nuclear Investment Guide unveiled | 29 juil. 2026 | 00:27:25 | |
The inaugural World Nuclear Investment Guide aims to set out how governments, industry and financial institutions can create the conditions for the huge scale of investment required if the goal of at least tripling nuclear energy capacity by 2050 is to be achieved. In this episode, host Alex Hunt is joined by the lead author of the guide, World Nuclear Association's Lola Infante, and Ananya Modi, co-head of the Energy and Power Financing team at Rothschild & Co, one of the experts on the advisory board overseeing the publication. They outline the thinking behind the creation of the guide, how it brought together finance and nuclear experts, and, of course its key findings - such as a cumulative investment opportunity of $6 trillion by 2050. Lola Infante says, of the guide, "we try to set out the journey to move from today's situation, which is mostly driven by government, to a situation where nuclear is just like any other asset class, where risks are known, they're understood, they're priced and priceable, where we have large pools of private capital participating in the market, where there is liquidity in the market, where nuclear financing is not only, or predominantly, a government thing. We need early engagement from investors and lenders so they can build deals that create benchmarks and frameworks and then can be replicated”. Ananya Modi calls the guide "a real turning point", and outlines the various factors which have come together to make financial investors so focused on nuclear power. He also says that financing is a core part of the need for nuclear power to become more standardised, and discusses the next steps. They say the aim is not to provide frameworks, but to provide tools and information and case studies and best practices to "help others create standardised templates … to facilitate their decision-making processes". The first module of the guide - Roadmap to Mainstream Finance: The Path to Scale Nuclear Energy - has just been published, with the rest of the guide set to be published in September.
The World Nuclear Investment Guide Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| The US's historic Hanford site, and accelerated decommissioning | 16 juil. 2026 | 00:37:48 | |
The Hanford site in the US has a history dating back to the 1940s when it was established as part of the Manhattan Project. Plutonium was produced at the site, with the last reactor shut down in 1971. The legacy is the Hanford Tank Farms, which is a collection of 177 underground waste storage tanks. In this episode we hear from Karthik Subramanian, Chief Engineer and Innovation Director for Hanford Tank Waste Operations Closure, about the history of the site and the clean-up work taking place. Also taking part is his Amentum colleague Mike Houghton, Vice President of the Environment Division within Energy and Environment International, with the discussion covering the need to rethink the view that sites which need decommissioning are liabilities, and instead focus on the opportunities for future uses for the sites. Linked to this is the idea of accelerated decommissioning, where these potentially valuable sites (often perfect, for instance, for new nuclear) can have their value unlocked sooner. One result of this change of outlook for sites, would be to attract likely new opportunities for private finance in the decommissioning process. Key links to find out more: The Hanford Site Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| Urenco scaling up capacity to meet rising nuclear fuel demand | 17 juin 2026 | 00:29:30 | |
Urenco's chief commercial officer Laurent Odeh joins us and outlines how the leading uranium enrichment company is expanding its operations in the US, the Netherlands and Germany to meet the growing demand for nuclear fuel. Demand which is coming from both existing units and also some of the growing numbers of advanced reactors in development. He talks about the company's history and the experience it has gained, including the decisions it had to take during the 2010s and how they fit in with what is now a record order book for Urenco's services. Odeh says that it is quicker to expand enrichment capacity than it is to build a new nuclear power plant, so is confident that enrichment services will be able to keep track with any rapid future nuclear energy capacity growth. He also gives an update on Urenco's development of LEU+ and HALEU fuel capabilities, as well as talking about the medical isotopes business that Urenco is growing, plus the decommissioning side of its work. And, in a wide-ranging discussion, Odeh says what he wants to see governments doing to help support the nuclear fuel cycle and wider nuclear energy growth in the years ahead. Key links to find out more: Urenco Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| Sustainability and the UK's low level waste repository | 22 mai 2026 | 00:37:56 | |
The UK’s Low Level Waste Repository in Cumbria in the North West of England has been operating for nearly seven decades, so probably for longer than any other such facility anywhere. During that time things have changed from a "tip and tumble" typical landfill disposal system, to today's approach with containerised waste and engineered vaults. Nuclear Waste Services' Director of Sites and Operations, Mike Pigott, and Head of Waste Services Howard Falconer, explain the history of the site, how its operations have changed and its plans for the future - including an update on the prospects for a deep geological disposal facility. The Low Level Waste Repository's role is to ensure that low-level waste generated in the UK is disposed of in a way that protects people and the environment. The repository site receives low-level solid waste from a range of customers, such as the nuclear industry, the Ministry of Defence, non-nuclear industries, educational, medical and research establishments. Legacy disposal trenches and vaults are now full and ready for permanent closure. Pigott outlines progress on the capping of the original parts of the giant site, which aims to make what began as initially a temporary disposal facility, a permanent - and environmentally safe - place for the low level waste. Falconer outlines the sustainability steps taken to reduce the amount of low level radioactive waste. For instance, reusing material from decommissioning projects in new-build constructions. The result is that there are still many decades-worth of capacity at the site. Key links to find out more: World Nuclear News Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| Will Spain rethink nuclear energy phase-out plan? | 06 mai 2026 | 00:22:14 | |
A decision is expected later this year by the Spanish government on whether to award a three-year reprieve to Almaraz nuclear power plant's units 1 and 2. They are currently scheduled to be shut down in 2027 as part of the country's 2019 nuclear phase-out policy. In this episode we hear from Marta Ugalde, President of Spanish Nuclear Industry Forum, Foro Nuclear, about the current situation with nuclear energy in Spain, and what the future might hold for an industry which has a rich history stretching back more than 60 years in the country. Ugalde says that the three-year operating extension would allow time for consideration of whether there should be a more fundamental change to the phase-out plan, noting that similar reactors in the US are now licensed to operate for 80 years. She also talks about what impact last year's blackout has had on the case for nuclear energy. Spain's seven operating nuclear power reactors - Almaraz I and II, Ascó I and II, Cofrentes, Trillo and Vandellós II - generate about 20% of its electricity. Under the country's nuclear phase-out plans, agreed in 2019, four reactors are scheduled to close by the end of 2030 - including the two Almaraz ones - while the remaining three reactors will shut by 2035. The Almaraz plant currently supplies more than 7% of the electricity consumed in Spain, equivalent to 4 million homes, and employs about 4,000 people. Almaraz units I and II are pressurised water reactors with a net capacity of 1011 MWe and 1006 MWe, respectively. Unit I entered commercial operation in 1983 with unit II following the next year. The plant is owned by Iberdrola (53%), Endesa (36%), and Naturgy (11%). Key links to find out more: World Nuclear News Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| China's nuclear energy ambitions | 13 avr. 2026 | 00:48:54 | |
China has been racing ahead in terms of new nuclear capacity and new nuclear developments in recent years, and there are big plans ahead, most recently set out in the country's latest five-year plan. In this episode we take an extended look at the nuclear energy sector in China, with François Morin, Country Director for World Nuclear Association. China currently has 62 GW of generating capacity plus 38 new units under construction which will add 44 GW. There are another 17 units approved with 20 GW capacity. This means that by 2033 China will likely have 120 GW of capacity. That number looks set to continue increasing at a similar - or faster - rate over the next two decades if the aim is to be achieved of a 15% share for nuclear in the future energy mix. Morin discusses the different reactor technologies being used, as well as innovative developments in district heating, and industrial heating with reactor combinations at power plants including high temperature gas-cooled reactors. There is also the latest news about China's landmark small modular reactor, its molten salt reactor developments, nuclear fusion plans, and much more. Key links to find out more: World Nuclear News Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| What should be the target time to build a new nuclear plant? | 10 févr. 2026 | 00:36:26 | |
How long should it take from signing a contract to first concrete, to completion, for a new nuclear power plant? And what needs to be done to ensure the funding can be unlocked for new units? Those are just two of the topics covered by Assystem's Stéphane Aubarbier. In addition to discussing progress on France's EPR2 new nuclear programme - and the lessons from EPR projects - the deputy CEO talks about Assystem's work in a variety of different countries, including the UK and Kazakhstan. He sees a positive trend towards regulatory similarities across borders, especially with newcomer countries - who he also notes can benefit from devising efficient licensing and permitting systems. Aubarbier also covers the company's involvement with the ITER multinational fusion project and other fusion projects. His advice to young people considering their future career options is to find a subject and work that they find fun, adding: "If you have studied physics, are an engineer or a scientist, nuclear is a dream world." Key links to find out more: WNE panel discusses adding value to the supply chain Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| What were the big nuclear energy stories of 2025? What to watch out for in 2026... | 23 déc. 2025 | 00:47:28 | |
The World Nuclear News team looks back over the most read articles in 2025 - with topics including Canada's ground-breaking SMR project, the 50th World Nuclear Symposium, the eventual signing of a contract for the Czech new nuclear project, China's SMR completing cold testing, and the drone damage to Chernobyl's New Safe Confinement. Then World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León picks out the key themes of the year, noting the fast-growing interest from the financial sector in investment opportunities in nuclear, plus the declaration from energy users such as Google, Meta and Dow Chemicals to support the goal of at least tripling nuclear energy capacity by 2050. With a number of projects making progress in countries without recent experience of nuclear construction there has also been a lot of focus on developing supply chains, reflected in the success of the World Nuclear Supply Chain conference held in Poland. Looking ahead to 2026 there are big set-piece events to look forward to - such as World Nuclear Symposium in London, World Nuclear Supply Chain conference in the Philippines and World Nuclear Fuel Cycle conference in Monaco - with big moments also expected for the first units in Bangladesh and Turkey, a restart for Palisades as well as first concrete due to be poured for Hungary's Paks II project. Bilbao y León says the "stars are definitely aligned" for nuclear and the coming year "is the moment where the global nuclear industry really needs to be proactive and active and make the most of this opportunity". She says: "We really need to work together with our governments. We need to work together with the nuclear regulators, with the finance community, with large energy users. And we cannot leave behind civil society. We have seen major improvements in acceptance and interest in nuclear, but we need to continue to be very proactive to engage with civil society, to make sure that no question is left unanswered." Key links to find out more: Email newsletter: Contact info:
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| What happened with nuclear energy at COP30? Plus Myriad Uranium's Thomas Lamb | 12 déc. 2025 | 00:30:01 | |
Nuclear energy is now widely seen as one part of the solution to reducing carbon emissions. But how much of a profile did it get at COP30 - the 30th UN Climate Change Conference, held in Belém, Brazil? Jonathan Cobb, Senior Programme Lead, Climate, for World Nuclear Association, was in Brazil for the event and in this edition he outlines what was achieved, and not achieved, at COP30 and what the significant moments were for nuclear energy. He looks ahead to the next editions of COP - in Turkey and Ethiopia - before COP33, which will be held somewhere in Southeast Asia in 2028, and which is due to be when all the National Determined Constributions will have to have been submitted, with a new global stocktake document to be agreed. Also in this edition we hear from Thomas Lamb, CEO of Myriad Uranium, who talks about the history of, and his hopes for, their Copper Mountain project in Wyoming in the USA. He also considers the impact of AI on uranium exploration. Key links to find out more: Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| Johan Svenningsson on Sweden's ‘Nuclear 2.0’, and his World Nuclear Association role | 01 déc. 2025 | 00:24:18 | |
Johan Svenningsson is Country Chairman and CEO of Uniper Sweden as well as being vice chairman and chairman-elect of World Nuclear Association. In this edition, Svenningsson talks about what has been an eventful few years for the nuclear energy sector in Sweden, and the current positive mood towards nuclear and plans for new nuclear - "it's fantastic, we're basically talking about nuclear 2.0 in Sweden", is how he puts it. We also hear about: lessons on modular construction from his previous roles in the oil and gas and the pharmaceuticals industry; life-extension work; decommissioning programmes; and how the construction of a deep geological repository is progressing. Regarding his role with World Nuclear Association, Svenningsson says nuclear is a unique global industry where people learn from each other and share knowledge: "I don't see any other industry which is that global and which is that integrated - we're all competitors, suppliers, customers but we really focus on, and want, nuclear to be a strong part of the future, greener society." His priorities for the association are the industry's need to deliver, now that the political and financial conditions are increasingly in place. He says that on the political and regulatory front "we've come a long way. I think nuclear is starting to be more on par with other technologies, but there is still a way to go. People are still talking about renewables or nuclear ... we should look at all these technologies to be fossil free". Other priorities include the need to attract and train a diverse selection of young talented people to the nuclear industry, and also to develop the supply chain as new nuclear projects begin in emerging nuclear countries, or in established countries restarting their nuclear construction programmes after decades. Key links to find out more: Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| Financing new nuclear energy projects | 12 nov. 2025 | 00:43:59 | |
If global nuclear energy capacity is to at least triple by 2050 it is going to need huge, huge investment - estimates suggest $250billion a year for 25 years. So how will it be financed and what are the opportunities and challenges for financiers wanting to get involved? To find out more, host Alex Hunt is joined by World Nuclear Association's Lola Infante, Senior Programme Lead Economics and Finance, and David Stearns, nuclear finance advisor and consultant. They consider why nuclear projects have generally been state-financed in the past, and what the industry needs to do to ensure that it attracts private finance for future schemes, including "financing by design" where, as David puts it, "you embed and you write the financial coding at the same time that you're doing your site assessment, at the same time that you're checking your early stage regulatory approvals". There is discussion of the growing appetite by global investment banks and multilateral banks to invest in new nuclear and the challenges of structuring financing to ensure it is attractive despite the long timescales involved in planning, building and then operating a new nuclear power plant. They also provide insights into what has been learned so far from the Financing Nuclear Briefing series, which brings the nuclear industry and financiers together to discuss financing issues under Chatham House rules. Key links to find out more: Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| World Nuclear Fuel Report and World Nuclear Symposium | 23 sept. 2025 | 00:42:15 | |
More than 1,100 people gathered in London for the 50th World Nuclear Symposium, taking part in a packed programme of discussions, panels and networking. In addition to the usual broad range of topics there were also two special full day programmes - one focused on end energy users and one on finance. The event also saw the publication of 2025's World Nuclear Fuel Report, which warned that gaps could be opening up in the supply-demand picture over the coming years and investment decisions need to be taken now to fuel the forecast increase in nuclear power capacity. The World Nuclear News team were there and have put together a series of reports on the symposium's proceedings, and the fuel report's findings. People featured, in order of appearance:
Key links to find out more: Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| Nuclear energy sets new record for electricity generation | 01 sept. 2025 | 00:24:34 | |
Nuclear reactors worldwide generated 2667 TWh of electricity in 2024, beating the previous record high of 2660 TWh which was set back in 2006, according to World Nuclear Performance Report 2025. In this edition Jonathan Cobb, author of the report, outlines the key findings of the latest edition of the annual World Nuclear Association publication, which include the dominance of Asia in terms of new reactor capacity over the past decade. There is also clear evidence that reactor performance does not decline with age - the reverse can be true with modernisation, uprates and long-term operation programmes helping capacity factors reach an average of 83% across the global fleet (the capacity factor is a percentage of what the output would have been if a reactor had operated at full capacity for every moment of a year). Jonathan, who is senior programme lead, climate, at World Nuclear Association, also considers how likely it is that the record is going to be broken again in the next few years. Key links to find out more: World Nuclear News Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| Interviews: Amentum's Andy White plus GLE's Nima Ashkeboussi | 21 août 2025 | 00:32:30 | |
Andy White, senior vice president of Energy and Environment International for Amentum, talks about his background and the work Amentum is doing in the UK and across Europe in the nuclear sector. Among the topics covered: * The change of attitudes which means that the future decommissioning process is included in the planning stages for new nuclear (and how that should reduce the number of 'surprises' when decommissioning plants) * The company's work on new nuclear in the UK at Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C and SMRs and operations in Poland, France, the Czech Republic as well as Norway and the Netherlands * The benefits of bringing in technology, skills and people from other sectors (and countries) to help with what looks like being a forthcoming rapid expansion of new nuclear. * Plus Amentum's nuclear fusion work, including at ITER, and the general outlook for nuclear, and how financing and regulation can help industry meet the demand for new capacity We also bring you Claire Maden's conversation with Nima Ashkeboussi, vice president government relations and communications at Global Laser Enrichment, earlier this year at the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle conference in Canada. In it he talks about the company's laser enrichment technology, explaining how it works and the big plans the company has - including 30-years' worth of work relating to the US Department of Energy's 200,000+ tonnes of depleted uranium. GLE's plan is to re-enrich this, so cleaning up a stranded asset and in the process providing a new source of fresh fuel. GLE began a large-scale enrichment demonstration programme in May, and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepted for review the company's licensing application for a new facility to be built at Paducah, Kentucky earlier this month. Key links to find out more: World Nuclear News Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| Energy lawyer Vince Zabielski + Sizewell C gets go-ahead | 31 juil. 2025 | 00:30:26 | |
Nuclear energy lawyer Vince Zabielski, partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, has advised on numerous nuclear energy projects across the world, including the UAE nuclear new-build programme as well as those in Turkey, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom. A mechanical engineer before moving into law, he tells host Alex Hunt about the haircut that launched his career in nuclear, his switch to the law, and explains the important role played by nuclear energy lawyers which is, he says, essentially "problem solving", for example finding a path forward on risk allocation to allow what are giant projects to go ahead. Based in Pillsbury's London office, Zabielski talks about the recent announcements from the UK about Sizewell C funding and explains the benefits of the Regulated Asset Base financing system which is being used there, rather than the Contracts for Difference system used at the Hinkley Point C project and explains why he hopes the RAB system will be adopted elsewhere in Europe. He also talks about the challenge ahead to meet the ambitious goals for future nuclear energy capacity, including how regulators can help. And he explains why he'd encourage young people to consider a career in nuclear power. Also in this episode, in the news round-up, Claire Maden reports on the UK Government taking the Final Investment Decision on Sizewell C - which will feature two EDF EPRs with a capacity of 3.2GW - and the finalising of the project shareholdings. She also outlines the key findings of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency's Small Modular Reactor Dashboard, which has identified 127 different SMR designs around the world. Key links to find out more: Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| The World Bank can now support nuclear energy | 28 juin 2025 | 00:24:11 | |
The World Bank has announced that it is no longer going to be excluding nuclear energy-related projects from its lending criteria. In this episode you can hear how World Bank Group President Ajay Banga and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi outlined the logic behind the policy switch. It came as they announced their two organisations’ agreement to work together to support countries which choose new nuclear as part of their development strategies. Both are clear this was an important moment, and World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León, joins us to explain the significance of the change from the global industry’s standpoint. Key links to find out more: World Bank and IAEA backing new nuclear for development Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| The inaugural World Nuclear Supply Chain conference | 18 juin 2025 | 00:40:05 | |
There are big expectations for large-scale growth in nuclear energy capacity over the coming years. That's good news for established technology providers and their partners. But new capacity in new locations means that there are going to be big opportunities (and challenges) emerging. This was the focus for World Nuclear Association’s first World Nuclear Supply Chain event, held in Poland. There were more than 300 attendees from 27 countries, including government and industry delegations from Canada, China, Japan, Poland, South Korea and Sweden. As well as extensive networking opportunities there was a succession of high profile speakers taking part in panel sessions. World Nuclear News's Warwick Pipe was there and reports on the event. This episode features, in order of appearance,
Key links to find out more: World Nuclear Supply Chain conference Polish supply chain gears up for country's first nuclear project Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| Trump executive orders aim to quadruple US nuclear energy capacity | 29 mai 2025 | 00:22:44 | |
US President Donald Trump has signed a series of executive orders titled Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base, Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy and Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with the goal of "re-establishing the United States as the global leader in nuclear energy". The aim is to increase US nuclear energy capacity from 100GW to 400GW by 2050, including the Department of Energy (DOE) prioritising work "with the nuclear energy industry to facilitate 5 gigawatt of power uprates to existing nuclear reactors and have 10 new large reactors with complete designs under construction by 2030". Explanations of each of the executive orders was given as they were presented to the president to add his signature in the Oval Office. In this episode we play pretty much the whole of that event. As well as the US President, you’ll hear from Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, who is also Chairman of the National Energy Dominance Council, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Joe Dominguez, CEO of Constellation Energy, Maria Korsnick, CEO of the Nuclear energy Institute, Jacob DeWitte, founder and CEO of Oklo and Scott Nolan of uranium enrichment company General Matter. World Nuclear News’s Claire Maden drills into more of the detail of the announcements, and Jonathan Cobb, senior programme lead, climate, at World Nuclear Association then assesses the broader implications of the US adopting the goal of quadrupling its nuclear energy capacity. Key links to find out more: Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| What is needed for nuclear fuel cycle to meet future rising demand? | 06 mai 2025 | 00:22:44 | |
In the second of a two-part special report from the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle 2025 conference held 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 covered in this episode are developments in the uranium enrichment sector and the challenges faced by transporters of nuclear materials. It also includes discussion of innovative technologies, and the outlook for nuclear fuel markets. This episode features: Christo Liebenberg, LIS Technologies CEO and COO Key links to find out more: Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| Can nuclear fuel cycle meet future rising demand? | 23 avr. 2025 | 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 Key links to find out more: Email newsletter: Contact info: Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production | |||
| Bruce Power's James Scongack on nuclear's life-saving medical isotopes | 25 mars 2025 | 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". Key links to find out more: Email newsletter: Contact info:
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| India's plans for rapid nuclear energy expansion | 27 févr. 2025 | 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. Key links to find out more: Email newsletter: Contact info:
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| The international forum helping make advanced reactors a reality | 29 janv. 2025 | 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. Email newsletter: Contact info:
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| What were the big nuclear energy stories of 2024? What to watch out for in 2025... | 23 déc. 2024 | 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.
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| What happened with nuclear energy at COP29? | 29 nov. 2024 | 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.
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| What next for the UK's record-breaking Heysham 2 nuclear power plant? | 11 nov. 2024 | 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.
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| Why are Microsoft, Google and Amazon choosing nuclear energy? | 23 oct. 2024 | 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.
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| Financiers back idea of nuclear expansion, but what are the challenges? | 24 sept. 2024 | 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. Key links to find out more: Email newsletter: Contact info: | |||
| World Nuclear Performance Report, plus The Nuclear Company | 05 sept. 2024 | 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.
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| The Finnish SMR designed to produce heat, not electricity | 23 août 2024 | 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. Email newsletter: Contact info: | |||
| How are the USA's historic new Vogtle 3 and 4 units doing? | 03 juil. 2024 | 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. Email newsletter: Contact info: | |||
| Lessons from history about energy transitions | 01 juin 2024 | 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.
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| World Nuclear Fuel Cycle in Kazakhstan - a special report | 01 mai 2024 | 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. WNN Email newsletter: Contact info:
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| How nuclear 'waste' could save your life, plus Nuclear Energy Summit 2024 | 01 avr. 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. WNN Email newsletter: Contact info: | |||
| NexGen Energy's Leigh Curyer on uranium mine's huge potential | 01 mars 2024 | 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. mail newsletter: Contact info: | |||
| Newcleo's Andrew Murdoch, plus uranium market and Hinkley C's new schedule | 01 févr. 2024 | 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. Email newsletter: Contact info: | |||
| Great British Nuclear's Simon Bowen on SMR contest, and UK's 24GW plans | 15 janv. 2024 | 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. Email newsletter: Contact info: | |||
| Nuclear's landmark moments at COP28 - and Sama Bilbao y León's hopes for 2024 | 01 janv. 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.
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| Making nuclear plants look great, plus Sweden and NuScale | 01 déc. 2023 | 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. Key links to find out more:
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| Can world's nuclear supply chain meet scale of new-build plans? | 01 nov. 2023 | 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.
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| Nuclear fuel, financing, recruitment, net zero - World Nuclear Symposium 2023 special report | 01 oct. 2023 | 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:
We hear from, in order of appearance:
Key links to find out more: Contact info: | |||
| World Nuclear University turns 20, plus Niger and Vogtle | 01 sept. 2023 | 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. Email newsletter: Contact info: | |||
| World Nuclear Performance Report, plus Great British Nuclear launches | 01 août 2023 | 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. Email newsletter: Contact info: | |||
| Nuclear energy in Africa - with Lassina Zerbo | 01 juil. 2023 | 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. Email newsletter: Contact info: | |||
| World Nuclear Fuel Cycle - a special report. Plus Finland's plunging electricity price | 01 juin 2023 | 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. Email newsletter: Contact info: | |||