The Atomic Exchange Podcast

• Self-Driving Road Trips, European Travel Tangents, and a “Bad Science” Takedown

  In the 24th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast, co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous open with a summer catch-up: Goran’s solo Tesla trek from Dundas to Ottawa, complete with full-self-driving lane changes and meditative highway moments, and Michael’s impending family hop to Cancún. A light detour into European favourites follows, where Vienna’s café culture, London’s imperial streetscapes, and France’s sun-drenched south square off against under-whelming Greek ruins and the question of whether ancient monuments should be fully rebuilt or left as evocative rubble. The episode then pivots to another segment of Good Science vs. Bad Science target, a Frontiers in Environmental Economics paper that labels nuclear “an impediment to climate mitigation.” Point by point, the hosts dismantle claims that reactors are uninsurable, uneconomic and fundamentally incompatible with renewables, citing real-world capacity factors, lifetime-extension data and grid-price comparisons between France and Germany. Along the way they spotlight how cherry-picked construction timelines, hand-waved system-costs and “so-called” digs at small modular reactors slip past peer review, and why bad scholarship can still sway policymakers and AI training data alike. A brisk reminder that evidence, not ideology, should guide the energy transition and that sometimes the worst papers make the best teaching moments.

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• Comment Backlash, Ontario’s Heat-Wave Strain, and the AI Gigawatt Challenge

  In the 23rd installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast, co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous begin by wading into the unexpected torrent of criticism on their recent Conversation article, examining everything from disclosure-doubts to misread safety statistics, and reflecting on when and how to engage with online pushback. They then turn to Ontario’s summer heat wave, where demand has surged to within two gigawatts of the province’s all-time peak, wind is running below 20 percent of capacity and solar covers barely one percent, forcing gas plants into four-times-their-forecast output. What would it really take to replace those peakers with storage or faster nuclear builds? Finally, they probe a SemiAnalysis warning that AI training data centres are drawing full-reactor-scale power and flipping from full load to near zero in milliseconds, threatening grid synchronization unless hardware and software fixes arrive. Tune in for a candid conversation on criticism, capacity and the next frontier of power-grid risk.

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• Radon Reality Checks, Deep-Geological Doubts, and the Case for Keeping Waste On-Site

  In the 22nd installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast, co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous open with a surprising PSA: radon gas is the deadliest radiation risk most people face, linked to roughly 21 000 lung-cancer deaths a year in North America, yet few homeowners even test for it. From cheap basement monitors to Canada’s uranium-rich soils, they lay out what listeners can do today. The conversation then shifts underground (literally) to deep-geological repositories. Finland’s Onkalo vault may soon become the world’s first “forever” dump, but Goran argues its tidy economics hinge on having just two nearby plants, nothing like the sprawl of ninety U.S. reactors. Michael counters that America’s stalled Yucca Mountain project shows one national site is politically impossible, while hauling fuel across state lines or Indigenous lands would likely push costs from today’s US $0.1–2 per MWh (on-site dry casks) to four-plus cents. Together they ask: if decades of safe, cheap on-site storage already exist, are DGRs solving a real safety gap or simply buying expensive peace of mind? Tune in for a brisk, number-driven debate that challenges nuclear orthodoxy and reminds us sometimes the safest place for waste is right where it sits.

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• System Costs, SMR Showdowns, and a Dispatch from D.C.

  In the 21st installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast, co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous debrief day one of MIT & CATF’s “Nuclear Energy: Key Facts & Figures” summit. They break down why levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) misses the true system price tag, compare the wildly different financing models behind Olkiluoto-3, Hinkley Point C, Barakah, and Turkey’s Akkuyu plant, and marvel at uranium’s 50-million-to-1 energy-density edge over coal. The conversation then turns to small-modular reactors: how venture capital might finally enter the game, whether water-cooled LEU designs will crowd out exotic sodium- or lead-cooled concepts, and why a handful of winners could dominate an “SMR buffet” of 900 possible variants. Along the way they swap first impressions of D.C. and wrestle with industry pessimism on whether this moment really is the last nuclear renaissance. Tune in for a conference-floor download packed with numbers, nuance, and a dash of travelogue.

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• Europe’s Nuclear Pivot, Free‑Market Frictions, and the SMR Supply‑Chain Puzzle

  In the 20th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast, co‑hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous mark their double‑digit milestone by tackling Europe’s sudden rethink on atomic energy. From Italy’s plan to end its 40‑year ban, to Germany’s flirtation with SMRs after a decade of phase‑outs, to Spain’s soul‑searching after the Iberian blackout, they ask what’s really driving the policy U‑turn: AI‑supercharged demand, the shock of Russian gas, or a belated recognition of grid physics? Along the way they spar over free‑market theory versus regulatory reality, debate whether large PWRs or factory‑built 300‑MW modules make more sense for Europe’s patchwork grids, and game‑out the labour, fuel‑cycle and supply‑chain bottlenecks that could stall a renaissance. There’s even room for golf handicaps, sleep‑apnea LSAT prep, and a lively dog‑versus‑cat detour. Tune in for a wide‑ranging, policy‑packed conversation on how (and whether) nuclear can truly anchor Europe’s next‑generation power mix—and why the clock is already ticking.

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