Fire2Fission Podcast

What does it actually take to build the next generation of nuclear?Grace Vanderhei is a nuclear fuels engineer and clean energy advocate at Constellation, where she is working on the restart of Three Mile Island Unit 1, now the Christopher Crane Clean Energy Center. She joins Mark Hinaman for a conversation that moves from the technical realities of restarting a nuclear plant to the people, processes, and public trust needed to build the industry back up.Grace explains what nuclear fuel engineering actually looks like day to day, from core design and reloads to the unusual challenges of putting an all-fresh-fuel core into a reactor that has been shut down for years. She shares lessons from the Crane restart, including how the industry is drawing on experience from Vogtle 3 & 4, and why good documentation becomes incredibly important when decades of plant-specific knowledge can disappear.The conversation also explores the less technical side of nuclear: communicating with the public, working with regulators, recruiting the next generation, and making space for people who don't fit the traditional image of a nuclear engineer. Grace shares her own experience being told she shouldn't become an engineer, why resilience matters more than having a perfect résumé, and why she believes the best way to bring young people into STEM is to start with their mission and help them find the passion that supports it.Finally, Grace looks ahead at what she hopes the nuclear industry accomplishes over the next 10–30 years—from extending and improving the existing fleet to deploying advanced reactors and ultimately doubling US nuclear generation. Her message is straightforward: the industry can build nuclear successfully, but it needs to demonstrate a pattern of projects delivered on time and on budget and rebuild public trust along the way.

The best energy opportunities are often hiding in plain sight.David Ramsden Wood—engineer, operator, investor, writer, and longtime energy thinker—joins Mark Hinaman for a wide-ranging conversation about how to recognize overlooked opportunities, allocate capital, and understand where the energy industry is heading next.From the early days of the shale revolution to overlooked acreage in the Bakken and New Mexico, DRW shares how he learned to look past conventional wisdom and find assets that others had dismissed. The conversation gets into the importance of timing, understanding the underlying rock, and why simply spending more money is not the same thing as creating value.They also discuss the lessons oil and gas may offer the rapidly expanding nuclear and data center industries. DRW argues that the current AI infrastructure boom deserves the same scrutiny as any other capital-intensive energy buildout: Are the economics real? Who is generating free cash flow? And are investors funding genuine demand or simply rewarding growth?The conversation ranges from nuclear and natural gas to EVs, autonomous vehicles, commodity markets, private equity, and the changing economics of energy. Along the way, DRW shares hard-earned lessons about raising capital, incentives, groupthink, and why some of the best opportunities can look completely wrong—until suddenly they don't.

The nuclear bottleneck most people ignore is already here - and it could decide which reactors actually get built. Nick Smith, co-founder and CEO of RavenFlint Nuclear, explains why the real shortage is not just reactors, but the upstream chemistry that turns uranium into usable fuel.Mark Hinaman presses Nick on the overlooked step between the mine and enrichment, and Nick lays out the case for why uranium conversion has become one of the most urgent supply chain problems in advanced nuclear. If you care about reactor deployment, fuel availability, domestic energy security, or the economics of nuclear scale-up, this conversation shows exactly where the industry is getting stuck.You’ll discover:Why uranium conversion is the “boring” chemical process that quietly powers the entire fuel cycleHow Nick went from electrical engineering and utility power quality to advanced nuclear R&D, INL, and finally launching RavenFlintWhy RavenFlint is betting on a modern conversion process built to replace a plant that dates back to 1958How the company is thinking about trade secrets, patents, and the brutal realities of working with HF and fluorine chemistryWhat “Match, Torch, Forge” means for the path from lab scale to pilot plant to commercial productionNick also breaks down why today’s conversion market is tight, why secondary supplies have been exhausted, and why advanced reactor developers cannot afford to ignore this bottleneck if they want fuel on a realistic timeline. Along the way, he shares the origin of the RavenFlint name, the team’s garage-chemistry beginnings, and what it takes to build a serious radiological chemistry operation from the ground up.This episode is especially relevant if you’re following advanced nuclear, fuel cycle infrastructure, clean energy investing, or the gritty reality of how nuclear supply chains actually work. It is a rare look at the part of the industry that is usually left behind the curtain - but may end up being one of the most important businesses in the whole sector.Perfect for nuclear wonks, energy investors, advanced reactor followers, and anyone who wants to understand where the next real bottleneck - and opportunity - lives.

Heating accounts for roughly 40% of global energy demand, far more than most people realize. Yet while the conversation around nuclear energy often focuses on electricity, Tommi Nyman, CEO and co-founder of Steady Energy, believes one of nuclear's biggest opportunities lies somewhere much simpler: producing clean, reliable heat.In this episode, Mark Hinaman sits down with Tommi to discuss how his team is developing a new generation of small nuclear reactors designed specifically for district heating. Drawing on experience from CERN, Finland's Olkiluoto 3 project, and leading nuclear research at VTT, Tommi explains why removing the turbine and focusing solely on heat makes reactors simpler, more efficient, and potentially much cheaper to deploy. The conversation explores reactor design, passive safety, underground construction, natural circulation cooling, and how proven light-water technology can be adapted for an entirely new market.The discussion also looks beyond the technology to the business of bringing nuclear innovation to market. Tommi shares Steady Energy's journey from research project to venture-backed startup, the realities of fundraising in the nuclear sector, and why Finland has become an ideal place to commercialize advanced reactors. Together, they examine the future of district heating across Europe, the role nuclear could play in replacing fossil fuel boilers, and why energy security and affordability are becoming just as important as decarbonization.Whether you're interested in advanced reactors, clean energy, engineering, or the commercial side of nuclear innovation, this episode offers a thoughtful look at an often-overlooked application of nuclear technology, and why heating may become one of the industry's most important growth markets.

The connection between military skills and the explosive growth of the data center industry might surprise you. While everyone talks about AI and mega-projects, few highlight the power of veterans as the backbone of this critical infrastructure revolution. If you're a veteran, an industry leader, or just curious about how the DoD has powered one of the most transformative sectors of our time, this episode is your front-row seat to the untapped potential fueling the future. Chris Dove Jr., a Navy nuclear veteran turned data center powerhouse, reveals how military training seamlessly translates into key roles from power systems to construction management. Discover why veterans are so well suited to tackle the industry's biggest challenges. You'll hear firsthand stories of how Navy nukes are now leading in critical infrastructure, why the skills learned in nuclear propulsion are so applicable, and how a disciplined approach to education and training can fill the void left by a declining skilled trades workforce. We break down the overlooked strength of veterans—exceptional work ethic, adaptability, and a mission-driven mentality—and how these qualities accelerate career progression in the rapidly expanding data center realm. Chris shares insights into how military transition programs, like DOD SkillBridge, are revolutionizing veteran onboarding, helping thousands find purpose and stability in civilian jobs that matter.