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:
World Nuclear News

Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base

Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy 

Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

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Episode credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

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
John Donelson, Centrus Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
John-Paul Jones, Urenco Head of Commercial and Market Intelligence
Jean-Luc Palayer, Orano USA President and CEO
Eileen Supko, Energy Resources International President and World Nuclear Transport Institute North American Representative
Kurtis Hinz, TAM International President and CEO
Paul Chan, Clean Core Thorium Energy Chief Technology Officer
Iftikhar Haque, Terrestrial Energy Vice President, Nuclear Supply Chain
Micah Hackett, Kairos Power Vice President Fuels and Materials
Tom Brookmire, Dominion Energy Manager, Nuclear Fuel Procurement
Lourdes Guzmán, ENUSA Industrias Avanzadas Uranium Supply Manager
Chris Opperman, C5 Capital Operating Partner
Jonathan Hinze, UxC, LLC President
Sama Bilbao y León, World Nuclear Association Director General

Key links to find out more:
World Nuclear News
World Nuclear Fuel Cycle 2025
'Great opportunities ahead' for fuel cycle

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Episode credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

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
Nicolle Butcher, Ontario Power Generation President and CEO
Tim Gitzel, Cameco President and CEO
Sashi Davies, Boss Energy Ltd Strategic Advisor
Tammy Van Lambalgen, Orano Canada Inc Vice President, Chief Corporate Officer 
Seitzhan Zhanybekov, Kazatomprom Managing Director, Sales
Lisa Aitken, Cameco Vice President, Marketing
Andrew Wong, RBC Capital Markets Equity Research Analyst
Anna Bryndza, UxC LLC Executive Vice President
Nikko Collida, WMC Energy Deputy Head of Nuclear Fuel
Brad Beatty, ConverDyn Commercial Manager
Steffen Asser, Axpo Power AG Senior Supply Chain Manager

Key links to find out more:
World Nuclear News
World Nuclear Fuel Cycle 2025
'Great opportunities ahead' for fuel cycle

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Episode credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

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:
World Nuclear News
Canadian Nuclear Isotopes Council
Isotopes for Hope
Bruce Power
Milestones for Canada's Bruce Power units

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[email protected]

Episode credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

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:
World Nuclear News
Vivekananda International Foundation
Modi, Trump commit to US-India partnership
Collaboration key to clean energy dream, India Energy Week hears
India and France sign SMR and AMR partnership letter of intent
Indian budget launches Nuclear Energy Mission
USA to end restrictions on India's nuclear entities

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Episode credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

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.

He says that originally it was expected to be governments and government laboratories taking the lead, but now the private sector is doing it "which is very energising and very exciting". He says a key priority is to facilitate private sector success in the deployment of these technologies, albeit with challenges from working with IP issues across the private and public sector, and looks ahead to some lead countries demonstrating how these technologies can be regulated effectively.

All in all, he believes that the future for nuclear energy "is brighter than it's probably been in history".

In the World Nuclear News round-up Claire Maden reports on what we know so far about the impact on the nuclear sector from the return to the White House of US President Donald Trump, while Warwick Pipe has an update on the French nuclear power programme, following the Flamanville EPR's long-awaited connection to the grid.

Key links to find out more:
World Nuclear News
Gen IV International Forum
Climate and energy in Trump's Day One executive orders
French auditor warns of challenges for EPR2 programme
France's Flamanville EPR starts supplying power

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Episode credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

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.

Then World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León sits down with host Alex Hunt to pick out key developments of the year - such as the public backing for nuclear from large financial institutions at New York Climate Week and political leaders declaring their commitment at the IAEA's Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels.

She also highlights the importance of discussions at COP29 about carbon markets, and reflects on the similarities and differences in the case put for nuclear energy at conferences held in different parts of the world.

Looking ahead to 2025 there are big set-piece events to look forward to - such as World Nuclear Association's 50th Symposium, COP30 and the first World Nuclear Supply Chain conference - as well as likely big moments for Turkey and Bangladesh's first units - and continued work on financing and achieving a change in multilateral bank lending policies towards nuclear.

Key links to find out more:
World Nuclear News
COP29
World Nuclear Association
Net Zero Nuclear

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Episode credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Reporters Claire Maden and Warwick Pipe. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production 

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.

He also explains why many people's focus was already looking towards COP30 in Brazil - and outlines the nuclear energy-related events held, and agreements signed, at Baku. Notable among these announcements was six more signatories - El Salvador, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Nigeria and Turkey - to the Net Zero Nuclear goal of tripling nuclear energy capacity by 2050.

Also in this edition, Claire Maden rounds up some of the big nuclear energy stories in November, including Russia's decision to restrict uranium exports to the USA, the go-ahead being given for the Hermes 2 molten salt-cooled reactor and China's latest nuclear-powered district heating achievement.


Key links to find out more:
World Nuclear News
COP29
Net Zero Nuclear
Russia places 'tit-for-tat' ban on US uranium exports
China's first commercial nuclear district heating scheme expands
Hermes 2 construction permits approved by NRC
UK SMR negotiations begin with bidders

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[email protected]

Episode credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production 

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.
 
In this episode Cheetham talks about the similarities and differences between nuclear and his earlier work at thermal energy plants, he explains what decisions on Heysham's lifetime extension rest on, and why such decisions are different for the UK's fleet of AGRs compared with pressurised water reactors.
 
He also highlights the potential for the Heysham site to become home to a new generation of nuclear power, in the form of small modular reactors.

Key links to find out more:
See pictures from inside Heysham 2
World Nuclear News
Kazatomprom, MonAtom join forces in strategic partnership
Preliminary Czech ruling rejects Westinghouse and EDF appeals
Engineering contract for Bulgarian units signed with Hyundai E&C and Westinghouse
Slovenia's referendum on new nuclear cancelled

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Contact info:
[email protected]

Episode credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production 

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.

There is also a report from Claire Maden on what was a very timely session at last month's World Nuclear Symposium focusing on connecting end users with 24/7 energy. Those who featured on the panel include Todd Noe, Director of Nuclear & Energy Innovation at Microsoft, Claude Lorea, Cement, Innovation and ESG Director for the Global Concrete and Cement Association, Lou Martinez Sancho, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, R&D and Innovation, for Westinghouse and The Nuclear Company's Juliann Edwards.

Key links to find out more:
World Nuclear News
Amazon invests in X-energy, unveils SMR project plans
Google and Kairos Power team up for SMR deployments
Constellation to restart Three Mile Island unit, powering Microsoft
How end-users can help drive nuclear new-build

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Contact info:
[email protected]

Episode credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production