What does our society—and our country—need to know to embrace nuclear as the answer to the global energy situation? Riccardo sits down with the SVP of CANDU Energy at AtkinsRéalis, Julianne den Decker, in this intricate and important conversation. Julianne is the perfect spokesperson to clarify the history and impressive comeback of nuclear energy, a once-maligned and feared innovation. 

A lifelong advocate for the science, safety, and societal benefits of this baseline power source, Julianne explains with detail and passion how the decarbonization movement, security concerns, and AI’s unprecedented energy demands make nuclear a no-brainer for uninterrupted electricity around the world. She and Riccardo unpack the misunderstood safety record and strategic advantages of the made-in-Canada nuclear solution, as well as the practical importance of major project best practices in ensuring the success of complex nuclear infrastructure builds. This episode presents insights on the future of energy that make a compelling case for why nuclear matters now more than ever.

Key Takeaways

• The factors behind the global nuclear renaissance;
• What history got wrong, and how public perception of nuclear risk has evolved;
• What sets CANDU reactors apart, including fuel flexibility to medical isotope production;
• How the Darlington refurbishment succeeded through collaborative project management and realistic planning;
• What the global future of nuclear looks like—and why Canada is well-positioned to lead.

Quote:

“It gets back to fundamental project management. With power ​generation, ​we ​are ​dealing ​with ​a ​very ​sophisticated ​customer ​that ​not ​only ​runs ​a ​big ​fleet ​of ​reactors, but they’re not new to major project execution. There was a lot of thought put into how are we going to run this kind of a major project and how are we going to listen to those who have been around the block and then do this project differently. There’s not one silver bullet you can point to, but many many things we’ve done correctly.” - Julianne den Decker

The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn:

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• Read Riccardo’s latest at https://riccardocosentino.com/   
• Follow Julanne Dan Decker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianne-den-decker-541a4b46/

Music: "A New Tomorrow" by Chordial Music. Licensed through PremiumBeat.