Nuclear Barbarians

Waste Not, Want Not ft. Carl Perez (Exodys)

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s episode, I got to talk about something near and dear to my heart (nuclear waste reprocessing) with Carl Perez of Exodys Energy, a nuclear...

Energy Dominance Financing ft. Julie Kozeracki (EDF)

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today I’m joined by Julie Kozeracki, the Chief Investment Officer of the Energy Dominance Financing Office, which serves as the Department of Energy...

Forward Operating Microreactors ft. Jeff Waksman (US Army)

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For this episode, my guest is Jeff Waksman, whose official title is Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Env...

Perpetuating the Nuclear Lifecycle Ft. Ken Rueter (UCOR)

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One of the best parts of running this podcast is the chance to learn about aspects of the nuclear industry I know little about. Today’s guest, the P...

Texatomica ft. Reed Clay (Texas Nuclear Alliance)

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Reed Clay, President of the Texas Nuclear Alliance, joined me today to talk about how Texas is gearing up for the nuclear renaissance. We discussed ho...

Reactors by the Bargeful by Jake Jurewicz (Blue Energy)

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is dedicated to all of the light water reactor fans out there. Especially if you like your LWRs in water. Listen to this conversation wit...

Moving the World ft. Craig Fuller (Freightwaves)

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Craig Fuller comes from a legacy trucking family. He’s also the CEO and founder of Freightwaves, the Bloomberg of logistics. So, Craig’s the perfe...

Seafloor, Icecap, Moon ft. Tyler Bernstein of Zeno Power

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Zeno Power, a cutting edge nuclear company, is making batteries powered with Strontium 90 for niche deployment cases: the moon, the arctic, and the se...

Tickling the Dragon ft. Matt Loszak of Aalo Atomics

30 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Loszak, the cofounder and CEO of Aalo Atomics, joined me to talk about Aalo’s progress rolling SMRs off the factory line. We get into Aalo’s ...

TRISO Serious ft. Kurt Terrani of Standard Nuclear

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There are so many exciting developments in the nuclear space, I can hardly keep up. And not just in the realm of reactors. Kurt Terrani, the CEO of St...

Nuclear for Seven Generations ft. Scott Lathrop of Native Nuclear

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode, I spoke with Scott Lathrop, the Founder and Chief Executive Director of Native Nuclear. Like me, Scott sees nuclear power as a m...

Sounding the Depths ft. Ari Brown of Bellwether LLC

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Former navy nuke Ari Brown joined me to talk about his experience in the service. For me, his story offers profound insight into what it takes to inst...

No Sleep Til Fleetscale ft. Joe Klecha of The Nuclear Company

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For this episode, Joe Klecha, the Chief Nuclear Officer at The Nuclear Company, joined me to talk about his background as a navy nuke, his time workin...

Lone Star Nuclear ft. Andrew Kirima

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode, Andrew Kirima of the Texas Nuclear Alliance stops by to talk about his origins as a nuclear advocate, what’s been going on with nuc...

(bonus episode) FREE PLANET ft. Aubrey Sitterson

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a special bonus episode, I speak with comic book writer Aubrey Sitterson about his new hard scifi geopolitical space opera, Free Planet. This comic...

Nuclear = Energy Security ft. Benton Arnett of NEI

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Benton Arnett, Director of Markets and Policy at the Nuclear Energy Institute, joined me to talk about nuclear’s prospects today and what makes it s...

Galileo's Dialogue Concerning Two Chief World Systems Pt. I

15 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

John and I are back with the first installment of our series on one of Galileo’s masterworks in the history of philosophy and science: Dialogue Conc...

Energy Cinema: Chinatown ft. Andrew Plimpton

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Film critic and writer Andrew Plimpton returns to the pod to talk about one of the greatest American films of all time—Chinatown—which also happen...

Light of the Mind, Light of the World Ft. Spencer Klavan

08 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Spencer Klavan joined me to talk about his new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: Illuminating Science Through Faith. We talk about "Newtoni...

An Education in Energy Realism ft. Dr. Scott Tinker

23 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of my favorite things about running this podcast is getting to talk to people with way more experience than me. Dr. Scott Tinker, a geologist and ...

Esoteric Origins of the Enlightenment Pt. IV

09 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John and I finish up our series on the esoteric origins of the Enlightenment by diving into romanticism, mesmerism, the forgotten aspects of Jung, Ame...

Esoteric Origins of the Enlightenment Pt. III

26 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our penultimate Hanegraaff episode, John and I take a look at how “magic,” “superstition,” and the “occult” became epithets divorced f...

Esoteric Origins of the Enlightenment Pt. II

12 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our second episode on Hanegraff’s Esotericism and the Academy, John and I dive into the “history of error,” and how Protestantism and refinem...

The Esoteric Origins of the Enlightenment

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John and I are back with our new series. This time we’re working through Wouter Hanegraaff’s Esotericism and the Academy: Rejected Knowledge in We...

Theological Origins of Modernity Pt. V

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John and I finish up our series on Michael Gillespie’s Theological Origins of Modernity—offering a break down of his final chapter and our closing...

The Theological Origins of Modernity Pt. IV

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John and I spend this, our penultimate episode in the series, discussing Hobbes—his anthropology, his physics, his politics—and the nature of mode...

The Theological Origins of Modernity Pt. III

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John and I return to Gillespie’s book to talk about Luther, Erasmus, and Descartes and to dig into the motivations behind the ideas that inspired th...

Unburdening Energy Prosperity ft. Grant Dever

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Grant Dever joined me to talk about his recent work on the loss of Indian Point, lowering energy costs in America, the vitality of energy prosperity f...

Theological Origins of Modernity Pt. II

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John and I continue our journey through Gillespie’s Theological Origins of Modernity, this time we dig into Petrarch, Martin Luther, the underpinnin...

The Theological Origins of Modernity Pt. I

31 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John returns for the first installment of another reading series. This time we’re tackling Michael Gillespie’s The Theological Origins of Modernit...

Remix to Ignition ft. Rachael Zisk

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachael Zisk just launched a nuclear energy newsletter — Ignition — which is great. I brought her on to talk about her new venture, the challenges...

The Machine in the Garden Pt. V ft. John Goodson

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John and I finish up our discussion of the Machine in the Garden. We reflect on Leo Marx’s contribution—both its successes and failures. And we co...

Juice: Power, Politics, and the Grid ft. Tyson Culver

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Director Tyson Culver joined me to talk about his new docu-series with Robert Bryce —Juice: Power, Politics, and the Grid. We talk about what Tyson ...

The Machine in the Garden Pt. IV ft. John Goodson

26 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John and I continue our series on Leo Marx’s The Machine in the Garden. In this episode, we talk about Emerson, Thoreau, Melville, and Hawthorne. We...

Bonus Episode: How Nature Became the Environment

19 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A reading of a piece I wrote for the American Mind.You can read the text here. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at www.nuclearbarbarians.com/sub...

Progress Toward What and For Whom? ft. Matthew B. Crawford

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Author and mechanic Matthew B. Crawford of Archedelia joined me to talk about the nature of progress, our over designed world, the limits of laissez f...

Oil & Gas Execs for Nuclear ft. Doug Sandridge

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I got to sit down with Doug Sandridge, an oil and gas guy with decades of experience, to talk about his shocking new project: OIL AND GAS EXECS FOR NU...

The Valor of Valar Atomics

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Isaiah Taylor, the founder of Valar Atomics, joined me to talk about his new venture, how he wants to turn the nuclear energy over on its head, how hi...

The Machine in the Garden Pt. III

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John and I are back with our third installment of our reading series on The Machine in the Garden by Leo Marx.This chapter is all about “the machine...

Energy Cinema: Killers of the Flower Moon ft. Andrew Plimpton

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Writer and film critic Andrew Plimpton returns to the pod to speak with me about Scorsese’s latest film, which centers around oil rights and a cover...

The Machine in the Garden Pt. II ft. John Goodson

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John and I continue our series on Leo Marx’s The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America. This chapter delves deep into ...

What's Up With South Africa's Grid? ft. Hugo Kruger

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hugo Kruger is a razor sharp engineer with a deep knowledge of energy systems. He came onto the show to talk to me about what’s going on with South ...

The Machine in the Garden Pt. I ft. John Goodson

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Goodson, my old co-host from the ex.haust podcast, joined me in the first of our series on Leo Marx’s The Machine in the Garden: Technology and...

Our Neo-Pagan Moment Ft. Spencer Klavan

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Spencer Klavan (author, podcaster, and editor) joined me to talk about that horrible Apple clean energy/Mother Nature video, neo-paganism as social an...

Gridlocked ft. Nick O'Hara

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nick O’Hara—writer, host of the Gridlocked podcast, and owner of an enviable speaking voice—joined me to talk about climate, energy, how to have...

Much Love From the Permian ft. Andrew De La Rosa

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Wireline worker Andrew De La Rosa came on to talk to me about the fracking process and how wireline works. I learned a ton from this conversation and ...

Energy Cinema: Oppenheimer ft. Andrew Plimpton

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Writer and film critic Andrew Plimpton joined me for a new running series we’re doing: Energy Cinema. For our inaugural episode, we decided to talk ...

What's Up at Entergy? ft. Kimberly Cook-Nelson

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Entergy’s Chief Nuclear Officer Kimberly Cook-Nelson stopped by the pod to talk to me about Entergy’s nuclear fleet, her experience working in the...

Brazil: Energy, Industry, and Politics ft. Juan David Rojas

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Juan David Rojas returns to Nuclear Barbarians to talk to me about Brazilian industrial history. We touch on Eletrobas, Petrobras, Brazil’s nuclear ...

What's Up With Holtec? Ft. Pat O'Brien

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pat O’Brien, Holtec’s Director of Government Affairs and Communications, sat down with me to talk about his background in nuclear energy, Holtec’...

Hot Takes on Cold Fusion ft. Jonah Messinger

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jonah Messinger wrote a thoughtful piece on cold fusion for the Breakthrough Institute. I brought him on to talk about cold fusion, science as a proce...

CANDU Supremacy ft. Dr. Chris Keefer

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Chris Keefer of Decouple came on the pod to talk about Canadians for Nuclear Energy’s new report, The Case for CANDU: Why Ontario's Homegrown Nu...

Telling Better Energy Stories ft. Collin McLelland

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Collin McClelland of Digital Wildcatters joined me to talk about oil and gas, telling better energy stories, and tons more. This is some of the most f...

Nukes in the Rat Park ft. Jesse Freeston

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cinematographer and documentarian Jesse Freeston joined me to talk about how he got nukepilled, his wonderful videos for Decouple Studios, the rat par...

The Breakthruvian Turn ft. Alex Trembath

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alex Trembath, the Deputy Director of the Breakthrough Institute, joined me to talk about the deep contradictions in environmentalism, climate anxiety...

Bonus Episode: Industrial Conservation and the Energy Transition

29 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this year (February), Paul Diduch invited me to speak at the Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization at CU Boulder. It was my firs...

Synthfuels Pt. III Ft. Noah Rettberg

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Noah Rettberg returns to the pod to talk to me about synthfuels derived from carbon. We also want Monster Energy to sponsor us. CALL ME MONSTER.Anyone...

AMLO and Pemex ft. Juan David Rojas

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Juan David Rojas joined me to talk about AMLO, Pemex, and Mexican energy. AMLO and Mexico’s Fourth Transformation by Juan David Rojas Follow Juan.Su...

Texas Nuclear and Hopeful Vibes ft. Grant Dever

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Grant Dever, one of the brightest whippersnappers in the whole Lone Star state, joined me to talk about nuclear in Texas, but then the conversation ra...

What Now? ft. Paris Ortiz-Wines

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

My good friend and all around nuclear energy badass Paris Ortiz-Wines of Stand Up for Nuclear swung by to talk about what’s changed in the nuclear n...

Come On! Feel the Illinoise! ft. Alan Medsker

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Medsker, the one man nuclear revolution in Illinois, joined me to talk about convincing politicians in the Prairie state to protects its nuclear ...

Feedstockland ft. Darius Mortazavi

12 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Darius Mortazavi of the new chemical engineering Substack, Feedstockland, joined me to talk about the industrial chemical processes, the newsletter ga...

Wind and Other Woes ft. Doomberg

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Doomberg, one of the best and most popular Substackers in the world, joined me to talk about the problems besetting the so-called energy transition, p...

Who Lost GE? ft. William Cohan

21 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Author and journalist William D. Cohan joined me to talk about his new book on the rise and fall of General Electric—Power Failure: The Rise and Fal...

There's Climate Science and Then There's "Climate Science" ft Roger Pielke Jr.

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The climate scientist Roger Pielke Jr. joined me to talk about the origins of the 1.5c warming goals, its strange origins, and the troubled relationsh...

ESG and How to Fight It ft. Julius Krein

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Julius Krein, the editor of American Affairs, sat down to talk with me about the origins of ESG and how to fight it. Here's Julius's piece in Compact:...

Why Save Pickering Is Popping Off ft. Dr. Chris Keefer

05 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Chris Keefer swung by to talk about all his big moves in Canada and why the Save Pickering campaign is popping off. Check out the Save Pickering c...

Nuclear Austria ft. Dominic Wipplinger

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Austrian nuclear advocate Dominic Wipplinger joined me to talk about how nuclear support has changed, and what got him interested in nuclear. And he g...

Synthetic Fuels Rundown Pt. II ft. Noah Rettberg

25 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Noah Rettberg joins me again to talk about synth fuels. This time we go into hydrogen production and a whole bunch more. I love having Noah on as I al...

Fishin' for Nukes ft. Fission Phil

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Phil Ord, who's been advocating for nuclear for way longer than I have, joined me to talk about how he became a "nukebro." We also talk about climate ...

Synthetic Fuels Rundown Pt. I ft. Noah Rettberg

04 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Noah Rettberg joined me to talk about synthetic fuels. I learned a ton--and there's so much more to learn we're going to do a follow-up!Follow him on ...

Door-to-Door Nukepilling ft. Amelia Tiemann

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nuclear advocate, UC Davis grad student, environmentalist, and barbell squatter Amelia Tiemann joined me to talk about convincing people of nuclear, t...

Why *Won't* Australia Build Nuclear? ft. James Fleay

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

My friend James Fleay, founder of Down Under Nuclear Energy (DUNE), joined me to talk about what's stopping Australia from building nuclear. We talk a...

Fire2Fission pt. II ft. Mark Hinaman

13 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Hinaman joined me again to talk about his vision for the Fire2Fission fund, nuclear regulation, the value of human capital, what the fossil fuel ...

A CANDU Attitude ft. Chris Keefer

29 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Chris Keefer, the host of the Decouple podcast, stopped by to update me on the incredible progress being made in Canada for nuclear energy. https...

From Solar King to Nuclear Barbarian ft. Brian Gitt

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Gitt was once a true Amory Lovins all-renewables believer. But then, as he spent time in the industry, things stopped adding up. We talk about h...

Fire2Fission ft. Mark Hinaman

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Hinaman, who grew up in an oil and gas family and found great success in fracking, is now turning towards nuclear for a vision of the future. In ...

Hanging with @NuclearHazelnut ft. Jenifer Avellaneda

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jenifer Avellaneda is one of my favorite new Twitter follows. She's a young Nuclear Risk Analyst for Westinghouse whose been passionate about nuclear ...

The Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam ft. Wiliam Davison

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Wiliam Davison of Crisis Group joined me to talk about GERD. It's a hugely informative episode about the hurdles developing countries face in scaling ...

Fossil to Fission ft. Madi Hilly

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Madi Hilly of the Campaign for a Green Nuclear Deal joined me to talk about her organization's latest report on repowering retiring coal plants with n...

Who's at the Wheel? ft. Robert Bryce

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Return guest Robert Bryce joined me to talk about the NRC’s decision to rescind its license extension to Turkey Point in Florida. The conversation t...

Africa4Nuclear ft. Princy Mthombeni

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Princy Mthombeni from Africa4Nuclear sat down with me to talk about how she ended up becoming such an amazing advocate for nuclear, the obstacles to b...

Nuclear Radvocacy ft. DJ LeClear aka The Rad Guy

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

DJ LeClear, The Rad Guy, sits down to talk to me about working in radiation safety, how he became a nuclear advocate, how he changed his mind on clima...

Nuclear's New Italian Attorney ft. Luca Romano

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Italian nuclear advocate Luca Romano joins me to talk about the history of Italian nuclear, how he's amassed such an impressive pro-nuclear following,...

Below Zero Blackouts?

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isaac Orr of the Center of the American Experiment returns to talk about his latest article on MISO's potential for cold weather blackouts this winte...

Save Pickering ft. Edgardo Sepulveda

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Emmet chats with Edgardo Sepulveda to discuss some of the history of public power in Canada and the US in the context of trying to save the publicly-o...

Advancing Nuclear ft. Rod Adams

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The legendary Rod Adams (@atomicrod) of Atomic Insights and Nucleation Capital joined me to talk about his time as a Navy nuke, changes in nuclear, wh...

Preserving Nuclear History ft. Nick Touran

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Touran, creator of whatisnuclear.com, joins me to talk about stewarding our nuclear past and learning from our engineering forefathers. Nick’s ...

The Nuclear Titan Himself ft. Bret Kugelmass

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Host of the famous Titans of Nuclear podcast and Managing Director of the Energy Impact Center, Bret Kugelmass joined me to talk about his background,...

Yung Nuclear ft. Aidan Swanson

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Pronuclear zoomer Aidan Swanson came on the pod to talk to me about how he got into nuclear, his research on RTOs and natural gas, the posi/doomer div...

Energy Crisis Update ft. Mark Nelson

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

King of the energy analysts Mark Nelson swings by to talk about COP 26, his visit to Ghana, the energy crisis and how it's changing minds about nuclea...

Defending Diablo Canyon ft. Heather Hoff

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I got to speak with Heather Hoff, an employee at Diablo Canyon and founder of Mothers for Nuclear. This one was a big deal for me—I really admire He...

RTO No! ft. Meredith Angwin

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author of Shorting the Grid and Campaigning for Clean Air, Meredith Angwin joins me to talk about electricity wholesale markets, grid resiliency, the ...

Ireland Energy Report ft. Gavin Mendel-Gleason

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Gavin Mendel-Gleason of the Workers’ Party of Ireland joined me to talk about the absolute state of the Irish grid, how they’re facing the energy ...

Dr. Decouple ft. Chris Keefer

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Chris Keefer, host of the Decouple podcast, joined me to talk about how he went from being a neo-Luddite to a full-blown nukepilled doctor of medi...

China's Cruel and Dirty Winter ft. Angelica Oung

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Energy reporter Angelica Oung joins me to discuss China's energy crunch and Taiwan's energy future. I learned so much and had a great time! We discuss...

The Hunger for Power ft. Robert Bryce

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I’m really excited to bring you guys this episode with my friend Robert Bryce, author, podcaster, husband, dad, and an all-around great guy.Robert a...

CEPPtic Shock in Arizona ft. Isaac Orr

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Isaac Orr, a policy analyst at the Center of the American Experiment, joined me to talk about the recent report he co-authored on what the Clean Energ...

Episode 1: Stand Up For Nuclear ft. Paris Ortiz-Wines

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Emmet introduces himself and then sits down with Paris Ortiz-Wines (https://twitter.com/ParisOrtizWines), the global organizer of Stand Up for Nuclear...