Rephonic
Artwork for Decouple
Nuclear Energy
China
Nuclear Power
Climate Change
Electric Vehicles
Renewable Energy
Decarbonization
Vogtle
Energy Transition
AP1000
Three Mile Island
Artificial Intelligence
Natural Gas
Small Modular Reactors
United States
EPR
Canada
Data Centers
Energy Policy
Solar Energy

There are technologies that decouple human well-being from its ecological impacts. There are politics that enable these technologies. Join me as I interview world experts to uncover hope in this time of planetary crisis.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes327Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Science

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Artwork for Decouple

Latest Episodes

For almost the whole of human history, wood was the main act. It was the fuel that cooked food and smelted iron, the material that framed every house and hull, and the first bulk commodity ever moved at scale over long distances. In this episode Chri... more

Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz joins Decouple to examine the history of Iran’s nuclear program and the negotiations that produced the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. As the agreement’s lead American technical negotiator, Moniz ... more

YouTube

Why are nuclear power plants so difficult to finance, and who ultimately pays when megaprojects run late or over budget? Chris Keefer is joined by returning guest Michael Seely, The Atomic Blender, for a deep dive into the capital costs, construction... more

YouTube

In this reactor deep dive, Chris Keefer is joined by Navid Badie, Chief Nuclear Engineer at Candu Energy Inc, to explain the inner workings of the distinctive CANDU reactor. They trace how Canada’s decision to use natural uranium led to heavy-water m... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Navid Badie
Chief Nuclear Engineer
Candu Energy Inc (Atkins Realis)
Episode: CANDU: The Truly Modular Reactor w/ Navid Badie
David Helmer
PhD mechanical engineer, Stanford-trained specialist in fluid mechanics and gas turbine heat transfer
Navigating the Tech Wilderness (independent consulting firm)
Episode: The Gas Turbine: The Final Revelation in Humanity’s Pantheon of Prime Movers (w/ David Helmer)
Grant Isaac
President and Chief Operating Officer
Cameco Corp.
Episode: Understanding the World's Most Unusual Commodity Cycle
James Kralstein
Nuclear industry expert featured as guest, provides historical and technical insights into ABWR
Independent researcher / industry expert
Episode: The Absolute Best Water Reactor: What Happened to the World’s Fastest Constructed Reactor?
Seaver Wang
Climate and energy director at the Breakthrough Institute
Breakthrough Institute
Episode: Greenwashing with Chinese Characteristics
Joe St. Julian
President of Nuclear at AtkinsRéalis
AtkinsRéalis
Episode: What's happening with CANDU?
Stephen Stapczynski
Journalist focused on LNG, former guest on the show
Bloomberg
Episode: The Week LNG Became a Target
Ken Petrunik
Former project manager for the last two CANDU units ever constructed, with extensive experience in international nuclear projects.
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL)
Episode: A Case Study of Excellence from Canada’s Nuclear Golden Age
Michael Seeley
Returning guest, also known as the Atomic Blender
Episode: EPR: The Reactor That Tried to Please Everyone and Satisfied No One

Host

Chris
Host of Decouple (multiple instances across episodes) with affiliations including Breakthrough Institute and Decouple.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 617 ratings
  • Love the history lesson, but quit saying "right" in every other sentence.

    Podcast Addict
    2
    markyparky
    a month ago
  • Extra positive

    You should learn about the genetic bottleneck phenomenon, quite easy to drive extinct. We are deliver actual WWE backbreakers to life everyday. Cheetah’s would be done in short order if they dropped to 0.3%. The Cheetah’s niche may get refilled over time.

    Great positivity for nature’s resilience, but animals and plants are actually quite fragile. We’ve destroyed most of it in not very long compared to the scales you like consider.

    Stay positive, but try to empathize or walk-a-mile in the shoes ... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    WilderLead
    United States10 months ago
  • Very Guest Dependent

    So while I’m giving it three stars, it’s more like a middle point between 5 and 2. James Krellenstein’s episodes are amazing, for example, but many episodes can fall into nuclear advocacy traps, such as excessive hippie punching. Hence, this is a series which can be great, but is very uneven.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Factor96
    United Statesa year ago
  • Brilliant episode.thanks for your ongoing excellent podcasts🙏

    Podcast Addict
    5
    billodea
    a year ago
  • Well worth the time if you like digging deeply.

    Great guests going into great details of the fascinating topic of (not only) nuclear energy. An absolute must if you are tired of black and white oversimplifications from mainstream content. You learn how old the molten salt idea actually is; under what circumstances EVs help fighting global warming; how to build reactors in time and budget (and how not). Sehr empfehlenswert. Дякую за Вашу працю.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    listeningNerd
    Germany2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Audience appreciates rigorous, data-driven analysis and deep dives into energy technologies.
Listeners enjoy the breadth of guest expertise and practical implications for policy and industry.
Some critiques note occasional ideological biases or a strong pro-nuclear stance in parts of the discourse.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#182
Canada/Science
Apple Podcasts
#81
Finland/Science
Apple Podcasts
#101
Singapore/Science
Apple Podcasts
#147
India/Science
Apple Podcasts
#169
Ireland/Science
Apple Podcasts
#195
United Arab Emirates/Science

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Fission Impossible? Financing New Nuclear w/ Michael Seely
Q: What changes did Sizewell C bring to the financing approach compared to Hinkley Point C?
Sizewell C uses a regulated asset base structure, allowing early charges to customers and a government-backed framework, reducing the need for the heavy construction risk borne solely by the operator and enabling broader private and public investment under a government-supported risk framework.
Fission Impossible? Financing New Nuclear w/ Michael Seely
Q: What are some of the main financing models used in Europe for nuclear projects?
Models range from government-backed sovereign or utility debt with guarantees to more market-based schemes like contracts-for-difference and, in the UK, regulated asset bases that allow charging customers during construction to de-risk private investment.
Fission Impossible? Financing New Nuclear w/ Michael Seely
Q: Why are nuclear plants challenging from a financing perspective?
Because they face two big risks—construction risk and long-term revenue (offtake) risk—and the cost of capital is highly sensitive to these risks, with long build times and delayed revenues rapidly inflating the total cost unless de-risked by guarantees or backstops.
Limits to Growth of LLMs w/ David Helmer
Q: What do you think is driving the AI hype cycle, and is AGI likely any time soon?
The hype largely stems from clever marketing and the perception of rapid progress, but the fundamental limits show up in safety, reliability, and costs. AGI as an imminent, universally transformative breakthrough is unlikely; progress will continue, but with substantial caveats and the need for guardrails.
The Gas Turbine: The Final Revelation in Humanity’s Pantheon of Prime Movers (w/ David Helmer)
Q: How do material constraints shape the design and cost of modern gas turbines?
High-temperature materials, coatings, and advanced ceramics are expensive and difficult to manufacture; the capability to reliably operate at extreme conditions is limited by both materials science and manufacturing supply chains.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Frequently Asked Questions About Decouple

What is Decouple about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This program features in-depth conversations with world-class experts on energy systems, with a pronounced focus on nuclear technology, fuel cycles, and the economics and geopolitics of energy transitions. Episodes routinely blend technical detail with policy and market context, often comparing reactor designs, fuel technologies, and supply chains across regions. A distinctive trait is its willingness to challenge mainstream narratives, offering rigorous, data-driven perspectives from industry veterans, researchers, and executives. Listeners are likely drawn to a technically rigorous, policy-aware look at how energy choices shape decarbonization, security, and industrial strategy, including cross-cutting topics like advanced fuels, reactor ... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Decouple?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Decouple:

1. Catalyst with Shayle Kann
2. Hidden Forces
3. The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens
4. Macro Voices
5. ARC ENERGY IDEAS

How many episodes of Decouple are there?

Decouple launched 6 years ago and published 327 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Decouple?

Recent guests on Decouple include:

1. Navid Badie
2. David Helmer
3. Grant Isaac
4. James Kralstein
5. Seaver Wang
6. Joe St. Julian
7. Stephen Stapczynski
8. Ken Petrunik

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