In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Daniel Poneman, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Energy, about the role of nuclear energy in meeting increasing demands for electricity. As the use of artificial intelligence grows, so does demand for electricity, raising questions about which energy sources can provide reliable, clean, consistent power. Poneman discusses whether nuclear energy is a viable option, how the safety and performance of nuclear technology have evolved, and why some retired nuclear power plants are being revived—including the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, where a reactor meltdown caused by equipment malfunctions occurred 46 years ago as of last Friday. Poneman also describes what challenges the nuclear energy industry is facing, barriers to wider adoption of nuclear energy, and how public perception of nuclear energy has shifted over time.

References and recommendations:

“Double Jeopardy: Combating Nuclear Terror and Climate Change” by Daniel Poneman; https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262546669/double-jeopardy/

“Washington: A Life” by Ron Chernow; https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/ron-chernow

“Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Team-of-Rivals/Doris-Kearns-Goodwin/9780743270755

“Speed of Heat” album by Jeff “Skunk” Baxter; https://open.spotify.com/album/6t5FAhdwvsYFRejUTRAzVZ

Henry M. Paulson Jr.’s writings about biodiversity; https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/opinion/animal-extinction.html