Decouple
A Case Study of Excellence From Canada’s Nuclear Golden Age
Decouple
•January 29, 2026•1h 3m
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Decouple•Jan 29, 2026
Why It Matters
Understanding the operational and managerial lessons from Canada’s nuclear heyday is crucial for today’s efforts to revive large‑scale reactor builds in the West, where cost overruns and delays have stalled progress. By highlighting proven project‑delivery methods and the consequences of eroded expertise, the episode offers actionable insights for policymakers, developers, and engineers seeking to overcome modern nuclear construction challenges.
Key Takeaways
- •Canada’s CANDU success stemmed from federal‑provincial partnership.
- •Ken Patrunik delivered two CANDU‑6 projects ahead of schedule.
- •International CANDU builds thrived despite political and cultural challenges.
- •Lack of cohesive national nuclear policy hinders Canada’s SMR progress.
- •UK’s Rolls‑Royce SMR model offers a template for Canadian revival.
Pulse Analysis
The Decouple podcast episode spotlights Canada’s nuclear golden age through the lens of veteran project manager Ken Patrunik. He recounts how a tightly‑woven federal‑provincial alliance—AECL, Ontario Hydro, and industry partners—produced a world‑leading CANDU fleet in the 1980s. Patrunik’s hands‑on leadership on the two CANDU‑6 units in Xinjiang demonstrated that Canadian heavy‑water technology could be delivered ahead of schedule and under budget, reinforcing the strategic advantage of domestic design, natural‑uranium fuel, and integrated supply chains.
Patrunik’s global portfolio—from Romania and Argentina to China, the UAE, and Malaysia—illustrates how CANDU’s modular, adaptable architecture succeeded across divergent political systems. He credits seamless owner‑vendor collaboration, clear contractual milestones, and culturally aware communication for overcoming funding shortfalls, regime changes, and logistical hurdles. The conversation also draws a parallel to the United Kingdom’s recent revival of its Rolls‑Royce SMR program, suggesting that a unified national entity can re‑energize domestic nuclear manufacturing, protect jobs, and capture export markets.
Despite past triumphs, the episode warns that Canada now lacks a coherent nuclear industrial policy. The current SMR action plan resembles a fragmented focus group rather than a strategic, standards‑driven roadmap. Patrunik argues that re‑establishing a “Team Canada” approach—mirroring the historic partnership model and the UK’s centralized strategy—could restore confidence, attract investment, and position CANDU technology as the premier solution for emerging markets seeking reliable, low‑enrichment reactors. The discussion underscores the urgency for policymakers to align federal, provincial, and private stakeholders around a clear, long‑term vision for Canada’s nuclear future.
Episode Description
In this special episode of Decouple, Chris Keefer speaks with Ken Petrunik, one of the few leaders in the Western nuclear industry who has taken large reactors from first concrete to operation under budget and ahead of schedule. Petrunik’s career spans Canada’s nuclear golden age and its export era, with senior roles in Romania, Argentina, and China, including leading the Qinshan Phase III CANDU reactors, delivered ahead of schedule and under budget under a fixed price engineering, procurement, and construction contract. The conversation traces how Canada once built nuclear plants at scale and how that environment shaped project managers capable of carrying real responsibility.
We deep dive how nuclear projects are actually delivered, including construction sequencing, labor productivity, schedule control, and on site authority. Petrunik recounts moments when projects nearly failed and explains how early decisions and transparent coordination allowed recovery before delays became irreversible. The episode also examines what was lost as Canada’s build capability faded and what today’s nuclear programs can still learn from the people who led projects when reactors were routinely built.
Listen to Decouple on:
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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4
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• Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44
• RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss
Website: https://www.decouple.media
Show Notes
A Case Study of Excellence from Canada’…
Decouple – Jan 29 2026
A Case Study of Excellence from Canada’s Nuclear Golden Age
Jan 29 2026 – 01:03:06
Chris Keefer speaks with Ken Petrunik, one of the few leaders in the Western nuclear industry who has taken large reactors from first concrete to operation under budget and ahead of schedule. Petrunik’s career spans Canada’s nuclear golden age and its export era, with senior roles in Romania, Argentina, and China, including leading the Qinshan Phase III CANDU reactors, delivered ahead of schedule and under budget under a fixed‑price engineering, procurement, and construction contract. The conversation traces how Canada once built nuclear plants at scale and how that environment shaped project managers capable of carrying real responsibility.
We deep‑dive how nuclear projects are actually delivered, including construction sequencing, labor productivity, schedule control, and on‑site authority. Petrunik recounts moments when projects nearly failed and explains how early decisions and transparent coordination allowed recovery before delays became irreversible. The episode also examines what was lost as Canada’s build capability faded and what today’s nuclear programs can still learn from the people who led projects when reactors were routinely built.
EPR: The Reactor That Tried to Please Everyone and Satisfied No One
Jan 15 2026 – 01:17:24
In this episode of Decouple we deep‑dive the European Pressurised Reactor and what its troubled construction history reveals about the real constraints on nuclear build‑out in the modern West. The conversation traces how a design intended to satisfy every regulator through a philosophy of extreme redundancy and conservative safety margins instead exposed the limits of Western construction capacity, supply‑chain readiness, and project‑management culture.
The episode also places the EPR in context alongside other large reactor designs, including AP1000 and APR 1400, highlighting how different philosophies around active redundancy, passive safety, modularity, and operational flexibility shape construction risk and cost. We explore why Germany and Korea were able to execute reactors with highly redundant active safety systems successfully when industrial capacity was warm, and why the EPR pushed that same philosophy beyond the point of diminishing returns.
Why Nuclear Shipping Is Inherently Niche
Jan 8 2026 – 01:26:58
Why have we built nuclear ships before, proven they can operate, and still not made them commonplace? Nick Touran breaks down the history of maritime nuclear power, from the Nuclear Ship Savannah and Otto Hahn to Japan’s Mutsu and Russia’s Sevmorput, then pivots to floating nuclear power concepts such as the MH‑1A Sturgis and the Offshore Power Systems program.
We explore what worked, what failed, and what keeps blocking adoption, including port‑access rules, indemnity and international agreements, staffing costs, containerisation economics, shielding and public reaction, and the unique operational demands of running reactors at sea.
Janus: The Army’s Second Attempt at Fielding Microreactors
Dec 18 2025 – 01:12:44
Dr. Jeff Waksman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, explains how the U.S. Army is making a second attempt at making microreactors great again. The discussion situates the Janus microreactor program in the long history of the Army Nuclear Power Program and Project Pele, highlighting why earlier small‑reactor deployments failed to compete with diesel and grid power even in extreme environments, and why Janus represents a fundamentally different approach.
Janus is best understood as an attempt to apply the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services model to nuclear energy, using milestone‑based funding, hard down‑selects, and vendor replaceability to subsidise learning rather than electricity sales. The conversation explores the severe economic constraints facing one‑to‑ten MW reactors, the limits of the SpaceX analogy, and the unglamorous but decisive challenges of fuel logistics, waste removal, and slow nuclear learning cycles that will ultimately determine whether microreactors can ever move beyond demonstration and into durable military – let alone commercial – service.
Why the First Nuclear Renaissance Failed: Can America Build Eight AP1000s Now?
Dec 11 2025 – 01:33:59
The first U.S. nuclear renaissance collapsed under the weight of cheap shale gas, lost institutional expertise, and disastrous projects like Vogtle and Summer. Today, America is planning a fleet of eight AP1000 reactors, backed by unprecedented federal incentives. But can the country actually build large nuclear again?
In this video we break down what really killed the 2000s revival, why Fukushima wasn’t the turning point, and how AP1000 and ESBWR passive safety performed in station‑blackout analyses. Most importantly, we explore why nuclear success depends not on reactor design, but on rebuilding the developer organisations needed to execute these megaprojects. If the United States can rebuild those institutions, a real nuclear comeback is possible; if not, history risks repeating itself.
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Dec 2 2025 – 01:03:40
Saudi Arabia burns nearly one million barrels of oil per day to keep its lights on, yet it has cheaper and faster ways to replace this than by building large nuclear reactors. So why is the Kingdom pushing so hard for a civil nuclear deal?
The episode walks through the strategic logic that has animated Riyadh’s nuclear ambitions for more than a decade. The answer lies in prestige, industrial capacity, and the latent fuel‑cycle capabilities that come with a power‑reactor programme, all set against the backdrop of regional tension with Iran.
We look closely at the recent Washington announcement that U.S.–Saudi 123 talks have been “concluded,” the unresolved fight over enrichment rights, and the geopolitical pressure being applied to South Korea to align its nuclear exports with American interests. From the legacy of the Quincy pact to the rivalry between Westinghouse and KEPCO, this conversation unpacks how a simple reactor tender has become one of the most consequential energy and security decisions in the Gulf.
Microreactors: A Mirage of American Nuclear Innovation?
Nov 25 2025 – 50:16
Chris Keefer speaks with Samuel Gibson, founder of Hadron Energy, about the pursuit of a ten‑megawatt integral pressurised‑water microreactor through a $1.2 billion business combination with GigCapital 7. Gibson outlines why he believes light water is the fastest licensing path, how he assembled a veteran nuclear team, and why Hadron shifted from a one‑megawatt concept to a ten‑megawatt design built around LEU‑plus fuel, modular plant layouts, and air‑cooled decay‑heat removal.
Keefer presses on the harder questions: whether factory fabrication can overcome the fixed civil‑works and regulatory burdens that have crippled previous SMR efforts like NuScale and mPower, what “off‑the‑shelf” really means in a hollowed‑out U.S. supply chain, and how long refuelling cycles, fuel qualification, and decommissioning challenges scale at microreactor size. The conversation becomes a broader test case for whether startup optimism can meaningfully confront the industrial, economic, and physics‑grounded constraints that define real‑world nuclear deployment.
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Nov 18 2025 – 01:08:58
James Krellenstein returns for a deep dive into the AP1000. We walk through how its conservative nuclear steam‑supply system is built from proven Westinghouse and Combustion Engineering lineage, and where its true innovation lies, in a radically passive‑safety architecture that removes the traditional race against diesel generators during LOCAs and station blackouts.
From core‑makeup tanks and automatic depressurisation to canned pumps, the in‑containment refuelling‑water storage tank, the passive residual‑heat‑removal system and a containment that behaves like a heat exchanger, James explains how the AP1000 achieves passive safety and demonstrates the dynamism of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This is an unvarnished look at a remarkable nuclear‑engineering achievement.
The Great Nuclear Reshoring
Nov 11 2025 – 01:26:43
In late October, amid President Trump’s visit to Tokyo, two vast and intertwined announcements were made: an $80 billion strategic partnership between the U.S. government and Westinghouse Electric Company, and a $550 billion investment framework between the United States and Japan.
Host AJ Camacho (Politico and E&E News) brings together Michael Seely, Yuri Humber and Chris Keefer to discuss the implications of this deal for the United States, Japan and Canada.
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Nov 4 2025 – 01:05:32
Aleksey Rezvoi, a veteran maritime nuclear engineer who began his career in the Soviet Union designing third‑ and fourth‑generation submarine and ice‑breaker reactors, shares the hidden history and living reality of Russia’s civilian nuclear fleet—a line that began with the ice‑breaker Lenin in 1959 and continues today with the RITM‑200, the world’s only serially produced small modular reactor.
From Arctic logistics and reactor design philosophy to advanced fuels and industrial ecosystems, Rezvoi offers a rare insider’s view of what the West misses when it talks about “maritime nuclear.”
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Oct 28 2025 – 01:13:37
François Morin (World Nuclear Association) discusses how quickly China is really building nuclear power compared to the heyday of the French Mesmer plan, how that compares to Chinese coal and gas deployment, why Chinese nuclear is still mostly coastal, and the use case, build times and performance of the so‑called “advanced reactors” that China is operating while Western startups are still in the PowerPoint phase pitching to investors.
Engineering State v. Lawyerly Society
Oct 21 2025 – 53:12
Dan Wang, research fellow at Stanford’s Hoover History Lab and author of Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future, traces how China became an “engineering state” while America turned into a “lawyerly society,” and what that means for infrastructure, energy, industry, birthrates, social security, and human lives. From Guizhou’s skyways to Jane Jacobs’ shadow over North‑American cities, Wang shows the upside of abundant state capacity and the dark side of excessive control.
Buy Breakneck: https://danwang.co/breakneck/
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Oct 14 2025 – 54:59
Jesse Ausubel (Rockefeller University) discusses the intellectual themes that shaped Decouple’s origins. He reviews his work on decarbonisation, dematerialisation, and biodiversity, and explains how logistic S‑curves can illuminate fundamental trends across complex systems, including energy. The conversation covers land‑sparing, decarbonisation, dematerialisation, and the “environmental trifecta,” while stressing the importance of long‑term, objective thinking.
Handling the Heat
Oct 6 2025 – 01:10:08
Jesse Huebsch, a process engineer specialising in chemical plants, explains why process heat accounts for two‑thirds of industrial emissions and which technologies can realistically decarbonise it. The discussion spans steel, cement, plastics and ammonia, examining electrification potential, steam dominance, and why the most advanced high‑temperature reactor designs may not be the answer.
Nuclear Meme Stocks
Sep 30 2025 – 01:06:43
Michael Seely (AtomicBlender) examines the bubble around nuclear‑related “meme stocks,” focusing on Oklo’s $20.7 billion market cap despite zero revenue, no NRC design certification, and a rejected licence application. The episode questions whether a Silicon‑Valley startup can achieve in two years what Rosatom has struggled with for decades.
Carbon Dioxide: Earth’s Thermostat
Sep 22 2025 – 01:21:32
Peter Brannen (author of The Story of CO₂ Is The Story of Everything) traces the 4.5 billion‑year story of carbon dioxide, from the Hadean eon to humanity’s unprecedented ability to burn fossil fuels. Topics include the origin of life, the Great Unconformity, Snowball Earth, the Carboniferous, the Permian mass extinction, the PETM, ice‑age evolution, and megafauna extinctions.
To Bomb or Not to Bomb
Sep 15 2025 – 01:17:51
Alex Wellerstein (WIRED) explores the origins of Middle‑Eastern nuclear programs, from France’s covert assistance to Israel’s bomb programme in the 1960s to the mysterious Vela incident. The episode examines Iran’s strategic nuclear hedging, Israel’s policy of deliberate ambiguity, and the possibility that recent attacks on Iran’s enrichment facilities may force a weapons decision.
Rare Earth Emergency
Sep 8 2025 – 01:06:30
David Abraham (natural‑resource strategist) explains why rare‑earth metals—critical to everything from steel to smartphone magnets—are a geopolitical lever far more powerful than oil. He discusses China’s 90 % share of refining capacity, the 2010 warning in his book The Elements of Power, and the strategic implications of a world increasingly dependent on these elements.
Battery Power
Sep 1 2025 – 01:07:15
Henry Sanderson (author of Volt Rush) chronicles the global battery industry’s history, key players, raw‑material struggles, and China’s dominance. The conversation covers the evolution from Volta’s experiments to today’s supply‑chain realities, mining of cobalt, nickel and lithium, and the environmental trade‑offs of clean‑energy storage.
The Export Expert
Aug 18 2025 – 01:21:58
Michael Seely (AtomicBlender) discusses Rosatom’s rise as a nuclear‑energy behemoth that now builds nearly half of the world’s new reactors. The episode traces Rosatom’s formation after the Soviet collapse, its grip on the nuclear‑fuel market, and its “turnkey” model for newcomer nations, highlighting how nuclear exports can reshape global influence.
#289 – Breaking the Ice
Aug 12 2025 – 53:38
Aleksandr Surtcev, an engineer who has crewed Russian nuclear icebreakers along the Northern Sea Route, describes how Russia’s Arctic fleet keeps this strategic corridor open, why floating nuclear plants power remote communities and mines, and what life is like where polar bears trail ships for fish and resupply markets pop up on the ice.
The State of the Atom (2025)
Jul 28 2025 – 01:16:30
Mark Nelson delivers his second annual “State of the Atom” address, noting how AI’s appetite for baseload power is reviving Western nuclear interest. He maps the new nuclear battlefield: Chinese reactors scaling to 1,700 MW, European phase‑outs, and Western teams scrambling to assemble talent and capital.
Sun, Silicon, and Xinjiang
Jul 8 2025 – 01:11:42
Seaver Wang (The Breakthrough Institute) discusses solar power’s history, dramatic cost reductions, and the controversy over Uyghur forced labour in Xinjiang. Topics include the German Energiewende, China’s manufacturing dominance, polysilicon production, lifecycle emissions, and the future of distributed solar with battery storage.
Small Reactor, Big Price
Jul 2 2025 – 01:40:15
Chris Keefer (guest) and Aidan Morrison dissect the Darlington SMR project in Ontario, Canada. Keefer critiques the SMR’s $4.5 billion price tag, learning curves, excavation challenges, and the strategic mistake of abandoning proven CANDU technology for American designs.
Is Wright’s Law Wrong?
Jun 25 2025 – 01:04:24
Robbie Stewart (CTO, Alva Energy) examines why learning curves have been absent from Western nuclear construction. He discusses France’s standardized fleet, China’s AP1000 acceleration, and the prerequisites for nuclear learning: standardised design, sequential builds, and institutional commitment.
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Jun 17 2025 – 01:06:39
Kyle Chan (author) argues that China’s “involution capitalism” and America’s focus on shareholder returns are eroding U.S. relevance in global technology and manufacturing.
Tim Cook, Nation‑Builder
Jun 3 2025 – 01:01:02
Patrick McGee (author) explains how Apple’s partnership with China created a symbiosis that propelled China to lead in 57 of 64 critical technologies, making the U.S. increasingly irrelevant in high‑tech manufacturing.
Trump’s Nuclear Executive Orders
May 28 2025 – 57:12
Thomas Hochman (Foundation for American Innovation) analyses four Trump executive orders aimed at accelerating nuclear deployment and the policy shifts needed to bridge political divides.
No Risk, All Reward
May 20 2025 – 01:09:39
Brett Christophers (Uppsala University) explores how asset‑management firms are reshaping infrastructure ownership, extracting wealth while taking minimal risk, and the impact on energy transition.
Hellbrise
May 13 2025 – 01:05:37
Alexander Stahel (commodities investor) introduces the “hellbrise” phenomenon—excessive renewable generation—and its impact on grid inertia, using Spain’s blackout as a case study.
The Iberian Blackout
May 6 2025 – 51:28
Guillem Sanchis Ramirez (Spanish nuclear engineer) walks through the Iberian peninsula blackout, Spain’s renewable‑energy challenges, and possible paths forward.
Cycles of Life
Apr 29 2025 – 56:54
Andy Knoll (Harvard geologist) discusses how life has shaped Earth’s chemistry, climate and geology, from oxygenation to potential colonisation of Mars.
Hard Lessons with Hot Helium
Apr 22 2025 – 01:16:10
Nick Touran (reactor designer) examines High‑Temperature Gas Reactors (HTGRs), their engineering promise, helium cooling, TRISO fuel, and the challenges that have long haunted their success.
The Machines Behind The Machines
Apr 8 2025 – 01:15:07
Noah Rettberg (precision machinist) explores the evolution of machine tools from Roman metallurgy to modern metalworking, highlighting their role in powering technology.
Respect the Rads
Apr 1 2025 – 01:21:24
Nick Touran discusses why maintaining a healthy respect for radiation remains crucial even as nuclear power expands.
Pass the Salt
Mar 25 2025 – 01:08:50
Nick Touran delves into molten‑salt reactors, their Cold‑War origins, and the realities of managing radioactive liquid fuels.
“Better Water Reactors”
Mar 18 2025 – 01:14:58
James Krellenstein (CEO, Alva Energy) explains boiling‑water reactors (BWRs), their engineering, history, and why the U.S. may have erred in not choosing the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) for Vogtle.
The Industrialization Playbook
Mar 11 2025 – 01:04:50
Steve Keen (economist) argues that successful industrial powers have always begun with protectionist policies, questioning whether tariffs alone can revive American industry.
Fuel for Thought
Mar 4 2025 – 01:06:07
Koroush Shirvan (MIT) explores the complexities of nuclear fuel, from early experiments to modern TRISO and accident‑tolerant innovations.
China, the Electrostate
Feb 20 2025 – 54:12
David Fishman (The Lantau Group) analyses China’s unprecedented electrification, driven by state planning, market competition, and strategic energy security.
Mission: Recommission
Feb 11 2025 – 01:14:23
Noah Rettberg (Decouple Germany correspondent) discusses the potential to restart German nuclear reactors, estimating up to 13 GW could be restored within eight years.
Carbon Capture for Dummies
Feb 4 2025 – 54:32
Ian MacGregor (engineer) explains the thermodynamic and economic realities of carbon capture, drawing on his experience with the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line.
Electric Dreams
Jan 28 2025 – 01:11:29
David Fishman discusses China’s electrification strategy, its pragmatic response to pollution and energy‑security concerns, and the role of state capitalism in scaling nuclear and renewable power.
Oil: A Masterclass
Jan 14 2025 – 01:35:09
Mark Nelson (Radiant Energy Group) traces oil’s geological origins, chemistry, and history, showing how this black liquid powers modern civilization.
A Civil Nuclear Debate
Dec 24 2024 – 01:19:36
James Krellenstein and Ted Nordhaus debate reactor size—small advanced reactors versus conventional large reactors—and discuss industry challenges and solutions.
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Dec 17 2024 – 01:11:15
Jeff Waksman (Project Pele) discusses the military microreactor project, logistics, energy challenges, and technical considerations of tiny nuclear reactors.
A Heterodox Economics Lesson
Dec 10 2024 – 01:43:46
Steve Keen critiques modern economics for misunderstanding energy’s role and underestimating climate‑change risks, exploring the evolution of economic thought and state capitalism.
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Dec 3 2024 – 50:31
Phil Chaffee (Nuclear Intelligence Weekly) examines how a second Trump administration could affect U.S. nuclear energy, nuclear power‑purchase agreements, and carbon‑pricing policies.
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Nov 26 2024 – 01:25:15
Jean‑Baptiste Fressoz (historian) reveals how European societies grappled with climate change centuries before modern science, linking colonial ambitions and volcanic winters to early climate understanding.
Defense in Depths
Nov 19 2024 – 01:27:20
Aidan Morrison (Centre for Independent Studies) discusses Australia’s security predicament, the role of nuclear and diesel‑electric submarines, and dependence on maritime trade and alliances.
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