Long dismissed in the U.S. as uneconomic and proliferation-prone, the recycling of used nuclear fuel is becoming a strategic imperative the country can no longer afford to ignore. The U.S. is sitting on roughly 96,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel, the vast majority of which is reusable material rather than waste, even as global uranium demand surges and China races to build dozens of new reactors. Meanwhile, France and Russia dominate the recycling landscape, with Russia increasingly setting the terms for nuclear partnerships with non-allied countries. What do modern recycling technologies actually do, and how do they differ from the legacy processes that raised proliferation concerns decades ago? Why might commercial recycling finally be viable in the U.S. today, what role should the federal government play in a market-based approach, and can this activity be carried out safely and securely?

In this episode, Paul Saunders speaks with Dr. Christina J. Leggett, Director of Fuel Cycle Technology at Oklo, Inc. Prior to working at Oklo, she was a lead engineer at Booz Allen Hamilton, where she worked as a nuclear technology advisor for the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Dr. Leggett also worked as a federal program manager in the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy and as a nuclear engineer and reactor systems engineer at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. She holds a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of California-Berkeley.

Read the EIRP report: The Case for Commercial Recycling of Used Nuclear Fuel: Assessment and Recommendations

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has abruptly severed a fifth of global oil and LNG supply. Far from simply spiking energy prices, a supply chain shock of this magnitude will have cascading impacts across the entire global economy. The current crisis threatens to halt as much as 30% of global fertilizer production, for example, resulting in major food shortages. How can policymakers promote global energy resilience and mitigate future supply chain disruptions like the one in the Persian Gulf?

In this episode, Paul Saunders speaks with Mel Ydreos, Secretary General of the International Gas Union (IGU), a global trade association representing gas production, transmission, and distribution companies. Ydreos also serves as the Executive Director of Energy Vantage Inc. in Toronto, Canada. He launched Energy Vantage Inc. after a long career at Union Gas Ltd., where he held several executive positions. He served as interim president and CEO of the Ontario Energy Association from 2013 to 2014.

Music by Sonican from Pixabay.

With Israeli and Iranian strikes targeting the critical energy infrastructure of the Persian Gulf, GCC countries have found themselves caught in the crossfire of a war beyond their control. Iran's retaliatory drone and missile strikes threaten to derail global energy markets and the Gulf states' fragile economic recovery from the Covid era. How are the Gulf states reacting to escalating strikes on critical energy infrastructure? Will they retaliate militarily? And might they begin to question their close security and economic ties with the United States after the conflict ends?

In this episode, Paul Saunders speaks with Abdulla Al Junaid, a geopolitical columnist and commentator in Middle Eastern and international media. Al Junaid is the former Department Head for Analysis and Policies at the National Unity Party in Bahrain, the former deputy director of MENA2050, an advisory board member of the German-Arab Friendship Association (DAFG), and a permanent committee member of the Germany-GCC Annual Conference on Security and Cooperation.

Music by Sonican from Pixabay.