February 16, 2023

Strong opinions on SMRs

45 minutes

Recent announcements in the world of nuclear power might make you think that new nuclear technologies are close to deployment in North America. But look closely and you’ll find that progress is actually painfully slow, weighed down by regulatory challenges.

Today’s guest argues that all those rules and regulations need to be overhauled.In this episode, Shayle talks to Bret Kugelmass, CEO and founder of nuclear reactor developer Last Energy. He’s also the host of the podcast Titans of Nuclear. They cover topics like:

Small modular vs micro vs traditional reactors

The state of SMR and nuclear development in North America

Why utilities are disincentivized to build nuclear

Places that are currently seeing a lot of construction, like China and Poland

Building with existing components vs developing new designs

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s certification and licensing process

Overhauling the bureaucracy and the institutional design of the Commission itself

Click here for a full transcript.

Recommended Resources:

Catalyst: Will advanced reactors solve nuclear’s problems?

Canary: Small modular nuclear reactors: The race is on to actually build them

Canary: A small modular nuclear reactor just got U.S. approval — a big milestone

Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

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