Nuclear Barbarians

Emmet Penney talks to experts, workers, journalists, and scholars from all over the world about nuclear energy, energy issues, culture, and society. Subscribe to the Substack to get the newsletter and the podcast sent directly to your inbox: www.nuclearbarbarians.com. This podcast is supported by the Foundation for American Innovation.

Last refreshed: May 20th, 2026 at 8:04 AM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Yung Nuclear ft. Aidan Swanson

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 divide amongst his generation, and more! Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MemdeeCapital Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at www.nuclearbarbarians.com/subscribe

Dec 23, 2021•36 min•Ep. 9

Energy Crisis Update ft. Mark Nelson

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 nuclear. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at www.nuclearbarbarians.com/subscribe

Dec 16, 2021•43 min•Ep. 8

Defending Diablo Canyon ft. Heather Hoff

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 Heather and all the work that she does. We talked about how Heather came to work at Diablo, how she overcame her fears of nuclear and became one of its fiercest advocates. We also talked about the amazing march to save Diablo that took place over the weekend. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at www.nuclearbarbarians.com/subscribe...

Dec 09, 2021•37 min•Ep. 7

RTO No! ft. Meredith Angwin

Author of Shorting the Grid and Campaigning for Clean Air , Meredith Angwin joins me to talk about electricity wholesale markets, grid resiliency, the beauty of energy, and more! Follow Meredith. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at www.nuclearbarbarians.com/subscribe...

Dec 02, 2021•55 min•Ep. 6

Ireland Energy Report ft. Gavin Mendel-Gleason

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 crisis, the Irish public’s feelings about nuclear, and what might be next for the country as its burgeoning data center economy makes it more and more power-hungry. Check out his Why Nuclear Power is Necessary brief for the WPI. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at www.nuclearbarbarians.com/subscribe...

Nov 18, 2021•41 min•Ep. 5

Dr. Decouple ft. Chris Keefer

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 medicine and one of nuclear’s most powerful advocates. We talk about fragilizing green policies, the importance of labor for nuclear energy, why mitigation is the wrong way to think about handling climate change, and more. Check out his podcast , and follow him on Twitter . Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at www.nuclearbarbarians.com/subscribe...

Nov 11, 2021•52 min•Ep. 4

China's Cruel and Dirty Winter ft. Angelica Oung

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 trade-off and tribulations of China's command economy, what's happening with Chinese coal, how Taiwan's president basically spoke the Taiwanese renewables economy into being, and more! China Faces a Cruel and Dirty Winter , Angelica Oung, Citywire. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at www.nuclearbarbarians.com/subscribe...

Nov 04, 2021•54 min•Ep. 3

The Hunger for Power ft. Robert Bryce

Robert Bryce critically examines the global energy crisis, tracing its roots to failed electricity market deregulation and an over-reliance on intermittent renewables. He highlights the "fatal trifecta" concept, underscoring the vital importance of reliable, dispatchable power like nuclear and coal. Bryce shares transformative experiences from his documentary "Juice," illustrating electricity's profound human impact, and criticizes the political opposition to nuclear power and the influence of unaccountable environmental NGOs and biased academics.

Oct 28, 2021•51 min•Ep. 2

CEPPtic Shock in Arizona ft. Isaac Orr

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 Energy Performance Program would mean for the state of Arizona. We talk about the report, the suburban mindset, the hard winter ahead, elite resentment against regular people, and more! Check out Isaac's report here . Follow him on Twitter . If you like the episode: rate, review, like, and share! Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at www.nuclearbarba...

Oct 21, 2021•46 min•Ep. 1

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

Emmet introduces himself and then sits down with Paris Ortiz-Wines ( https://twitter.com/ParisOrtizWines ), the global organizer of Stand Up for Nuclear ( https://twitter.com/StandUp4Nuclear ), to talk about the international nuclear scene, Paris' background, why nuclear gives us so much hope, and more! Check our Paris's work and get involved with Stand Up! ( https://standupfornuclear.org/ ) Sign up for the Nuclear Barbarians substack to get podcast episodes and more delivered straight to your i...

Oct 13, 2021•1 hr 2 min0

← Prev

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android