Every plan to decarbonize the grid, power data centers, or
secure energy independence quietly depends on one
uncomfortable assumption that we can actually build the
infrastructure we're promising. Nuclear power is often described
as essential for climate, for reliability, national security.
But here's the real question. What if we can't build on time
or on budget? Because when these nuclear
projects slip up, costs rise, public trust erodes, projects
get cancelled, and the door opens for dirtier, faster
alternatives to take their place.
Today, we're stepping away from theory and into the reality of
building these projects to understand what it really takes
to build nuclear power plants that actually get delivered.
My guest today is on at Tokpinar, Principal Vice
President and General Manager of Nuclear Power at Bechtel.
People don't appreciate the benefits of nuclear power.
It hits so many objectives. Climate change, no carbon base
load. It's running at a high capacity
without interruption. Very, very reliable social
power. And for any country, it provides
energy security. One of the most experienced
engineering, procurement and construction companies in the
world, with a nuclear track record going back to the very
beginning of the industry. Ahmet leads Bechtel's global
nuclear portfolio, including large reactors, advanced and
small modular reactors, and projects like Vogel Units 3 and
4, Poland's first nuclear power plant, and the Natrium
demonstration project in Kemera, Wyoming.
What sets us apart from other international state supported
companies? We bring know how when we go to
Poland, we don't go to Poland with thousands of Americans.
We're going to have 15 hundreds, maybe 250 will come from US that
bring the know. How today we're going to talk
about what it takes to actually build nuclear from the ground
up. So who is Bechtel?
Just a construction company or something more?
We are actually an EPC company. So it's, it's more than
construction, it's the design, engineering, procurement,
construction and commissioning a plant.
We can offer turnkey solutions to projects.
We operate in different businesses, including nuclear
power is just one of the businesses that we operate and
that's what I'm going to focus on.
But just quickly, we are also in the energy business building LNG
export facilities, infrastructure business,
airports, roads, mining and metals and advanced
manufacturing that look at semiconductor fabrication.
In addition, we also have a government business that we do
the legacy cleanup of the environmental sites within the
US for Department of Energy and Department of Defense.
So in nuclear, this is really a core business for the company
that goes back several generations.
We started out in late 1940s with the construction of the
first nuclear test reactor and the commercial reactor in the US
Bechtel was building about 15 units in each decades at the
same time in the US and abroad. And there's also the first we
built the first nuclear reactor in India with GE 1962.
Not too many people even in Bechtel would know that.
We built the 1st in Taiwan, Korea.
Companies like Bechtel, Westinghouse, Combustion
Engineering really stood up the nuclear industry in Korea going
all the way back to 70s, eighties, 90s.
And now as you can see, they're self-sufficient and became a
competitor to us, which is a good thing for us.
That's our model. We go in and we develop and
create an industry, bring our know how for others to learn and
prosper. Then we did the first in Spain.
So our footprints globally is pretty broad.
Obviously nuclear fell out of favor.
There were periods where we thought it was coming back.
It didn't. We kept ourselves busy in
nuclear in two ways. There was always one or two big
project in the US, It was mostly around completing existing
unfinished units, Bransbury, Watts Bar.
And we moved that talent that was heavily experienced nuclear
power projects to other nuclear projects that the US government
has been undertaking like the West treatment plant in
Washington state, the uranium processing facility at the CNSY
12 complex. So we were able to maintain the
pedigree and the number of resources.
And most recently, we took over the Vogel construction project
as the Force EPC contractor and brought it to a finish.
But if you're wondering what's on that story, how did he get to
Bechtel? We'll answer that too.
Did you ask me at the time, would you be running a nuclear
business in the USI would have said, what are you talking
about? It's it's a bit accidental by
entry into nuclear. You know, I studied civil
engineering at Bosphorus University.
Then I came to US to the my master's and as I was finishing
my master's, Bechtel was recruiting at the school.
I really didn't know anything about Bechtel learning.
I did my research, I did the interview.
Couple of weeks later they gave me an offer and then that was my
first nuclear project. I stayed, I worked been with the
company 34 years primarily in the power business, about 1/3 in
conventional power, oil and gas pride plants, combined cycle
plants and then the rest was in nuclear, the last 15 years
without a gap in all nuclear. With 34 years of experience in
the industry, I wanted to know what did Ahmed think about the
current nuclear boom that's happening?
I mean nuclear coming back in early 2000s when the shale gas
revolution really brought the price of gas so low at the
nuclear economically make no sense.
So you know US started building gas plants.
What changed is first, if you dial back 3-4 years, is the
climate concerns and the penetration of renewables.
The intermittent source of power started to play a role in even
in the, you know, the non nuclear and started seeing the
value in carbon free base load reliable energy.
This was resonating more in Europe than in the US at the
time, although in the US there was always bipartisan supports.
But the US is a market economy. Market should find a solution
from it. The added factor to that with
the geopolitical tensions was the energy security aspects.
You know, countries wanted to have their own supply of
abundant energy. They didn't want to rely on gas.
You know, when Russia invaded Ukraine, you know, that made the
point stronger. And then more recently,
especially in the US, the AI demands for power really brought
all the drivers together and made a very strong case for
nuclear. I mean, when you look in the
last two years, what we've seen in AI, the growth, the data
centers and also heavy focus on battery plants, heavy
manufacturing, semiconductor, all of this put a significant
pressure on US supply, which had been pretty much static in the
last 10-15 years. Now the projections are, you
know, the utilities, the developers, they don't know how
to keep up with the demand. And then early last year,
President Trump's executive order to have a 10 gigawatts of
nuclear power under construction by 20-30 was the last, you know,
piece that we needed. Put significant pressure, make
something happen. There are good programs in the
US. But when I look back, you know,
in my 34 years, because I came at the tail end of the nuclear
built in the US, so it was coming down, I have never seen a
moment where all the forces that drives nuclear power is so
strong, persistent. And now it's up to the industry
to make sure that we can demonstrate we can build these
responsibly on time and a new budget because we can't lose
this opportunity to to to showcase that nuclear can be
built on time and budget. So before we can actually get to
building nuclear power plants, what does it take to actually
start moving dirt? What testing has to be done
before a site can even be selected?
We also help customers with site selection, which is, you know,
the very first thing utilities or developers would do, they
have to identify sites using your criteria that is well
established by NRC i.e., A proximity to population centers,
other maybe hazardous plants, environmental impact.
So you do your site selection. We could play a role in that.
We've done it with Terra Power when they were selecting a site
in Wyoming. And then the first thing you
want to do is make sure that you understand the geotechnical
aspects of the ground for seismic response, soil
behaviour, water table, access to water flat decides how you're
going to level it, the access roads.
So all of that is, you know, the first thing you need to do,
because you need that data through geological surveys and
drilling, you take out samples where you're going to have to
reactor building. Most importantly, you analyze
all that data and analysis feeds into your design feeds into your
safety assessment reports for your foundation design is going
to be informed by the condition underneath it.
So that's that's about a year and a half, two year period.
You're also during that time collecting data to make sure
where the water table is through wells, you have the met towers
so that you have information on the wind so that you can base
your design on. That gets you to a point where
you're advancing your design and now you're ready, getting ready
to mobilize to the site, to the drubbing leveling and and get
ready for excavation that will house the building foundations.
So if there's one big take away here, it's this.
Nuclear power plants don't start with concrete.
They start with understanding the ground, the data and the
risks. Long before construction crews
arrive, teams are already making decisions that will affect
safety, cost, and schedule years down the line.
And once you realize how much planning happens before anything
is built, the next question naturally follows.
What actually makes nuclear construction different from
every other big infrastructure project?
Nuclear safety obvious is very, very important.
You know the safety of the public that you want to site and
build and ensure that where you're building it can withstand
seismic events, weather events, so that there's more rigor, more
data and analysis with a higher quality required.
You know, before you can start construction and putting the
foundations in the buildings. You have different quality
standards. There's I show 9000 and others
that companies comply with for doing work right.
Nuclear brings in an additional layer or quality assurance
requirements to ensure public safety.
This is very important, but you do that for the nuclear safety
related aspects of design and construction.
When you look at a whole plant, not everything on that plant is
nuclear safety related. You have where you generate the
power, the turbines and the turbine generators balance shop
plant you're cooling. They're not nuclear safety
related. So they are subject to your
conventional quality requirements.
But when it comes to the nuclear reactor, the the articular
systems, the building it's in, it is a different set of
standards. And So what it means for a
company like Becton, you need to have a nuclear quality assurance
program that is qualified, certified under NRC, that looks
at your organization of the company undertaking the project,
how decisions are made, how people are trained and certified
for the work they do, documentation and records
management, how we control our suppliers, how we buy material,
how we subcontract. And it's audited on an ongoing
basis to ensure that we are adhering to our own processes
and procedures along the way. So when we look to work with
other companies, suppliers and the contractors, even if they
have their own program, we have to audit and qualify them under
ours. So this layer of quality
assurance in the supply chain is an added layer and it adds cost
and it's an investment. If you want to be a supplier to
provide nuclear safety related electrical cable, the cable may
be the same cable, but the documentation of where the raw
material supply comes from, how it's installed, how well it's
inspected every step of the way needs to be all documented.
So the process is far more rigorous to manufacture that
piece of cable compared to a conventional cable.
So it's a higher standard of quality checks, audits, the
pedigree. Maintaining the pedigree and the
records requires discipline and culture of compliance to ensure.
Because at the end, you know, if you have missed a step that is
critical, it could result in endangering public safety.
That's why it's very important. What you're hearing is that
nuclear construction isn't just slower or more complex for the
sake of it. It's governed by a completely
different set of safety standards, quality and
accountability. And that raises a really
practical question. If the standards are that high,
who is actually allowed to do the work?
But first, a message from our sponsors.
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staffed. Now back to the show.
Yeah. So in the US there aren't that
many nuclear facilities that are being built that you can count
with one hand. So the supply chain to some
extent atrophy. You know, the companies that can
produce nuclear safety related steel, cable, pipe supports,
instrumentation, you name it, all the commodities that you
need in a nuclear installation. What we've been doing, you know,
we started this effort last year really surveying qualifying
suppliers for each of the commodities that we're going to
need, not just one 2-3 suppliers for each.
If they need help, if they want to get into being a nuclear
supplier, that we're helping them along the way.
Here are the things that you need to do, programs you need to
develop, and that's an investment.
So they need to start early on if they have a program.
Maintaining the program is also a rigorous effort because it's
not like I got my certification, I'm good.
You need to demonstrate through frequent audits that you're
always in compliance to your quality assurance program.
So it's an effort. It's a high bar, you know, and
the suppliers, rightfully, they're willing to invest.
It's not a matter of capability. It's a matter of investing to
develop that capability. But they want to see a pipeline
of projects. You know, if you're a supplier
and there's only one project. You may think, well, there's
plenty of work, why am I going to invest so much money just to
supply pipe for one project? But that that is changing now.
There's so much discussion and potential work in a pipeline
that the landscape is changing. They're going to invest more and
more. So I'm comfortable, while
there's a gap today, we're able to identify and work with those
that need the support and encourage them to start getting
back into nuclear work. Who gets to build nuclear power
plants? One of the most eye opening
parts of this process is realizing that nuclear projects
don't just hire workers, they qualify people, companies, and
entire supply chains to meet nuclear standards.
But even with the right people in place, there's another
massive constraint shaping these projects, the equipment itself.
Some parts of a nuclear plant take years to manufacture even
before they arrive on site. And with all of the talk of
modularization, I wanted to ask Ahmed what is modularization and
how can it help the construction process?
So modularization in any industry is a smart way of
moving. You want to move that work off
sites and do it in a control environment without worrying
about the weather effects and then ship those modules maybe in
smaller pieces and then you assemble them and put it in
place. So I want to step back and
because, you know, I want to put some perspective on the role of
EPC in the overall picture and our engagements.
Depends on what the technology provider does.
But in a typical world, the EPC for a nuclear power plant is 60
to 70% of the work. A reactor technology brings the
core technology and the EPC designs the power plant around
the reactor where you get the heat source.
But then everything else A EE PC can design, procure and built.
It varies. Like Westinghouse made the
decision, you know, go back a decade to design what we call
the nuclear island, the buildings and the structures
around the nuclear equipment and the reactor themselves.
So when we work with them, then we design the energy islands
were determined and the turbine generator and the balance show
plant, the cooling resides, but it's a large part of a project.
It's usually the most underrated.
But then if you don't get it right, that's where you have two
problems and delays and over us. So depending on the design, you
have to GW scale, which in the US today's the AP 1000 design
offered by Westinghouse. It's heavily modularized.
You know, there were a lot of challenges during the Vogel
project. People heard about it.
But the good thing, all those risks are retired now.
The supply chain learns, the technology provider learns.
So the next ones are going to be drastically different than the
first ones. When you look at the new
designs, whether SMRS, advanced reactors, there's a degree of
modularization taking place because we're designing the
Natrium reactor for Terra power. There's the GESMR, there's
Kairos, the different technologies, but they're not
built yet. They're still in the design
phase. They're all promising to be
relatively simpler in design and ease of construction as compared
to the GW scale, but they're right now in the stage where
they're trying to get their designs completed.
You know, we mobilize at the site on Atrium, We're doing the
manpower structures and test facilities, and then we're going
to roll in this spring actually to start the energy island
construction. So the modularization is a good
concept. In some places it doesn't make
sense. But in the US, in a lot of the
European jurisdictions, modernization has significant
advantages, lowering the cost and bringing more certainty
during construction on your schedule.
A lot of what determines whether a nuclear project stays on track
actually happens years before construction peaks, through
early procurement decisions and long lead manufacturing.
Nowhere are those lessons more visible than in projects that
had to figure it out the hard way.
That brings us to Vogel Units 3 and 4.
The main one, which sounds very simple and easy, but it is very
difficult for Orders Utilities developers to stick to, is
ensuring the design is complete before you start construction.
When we took over in 2017, we were under the impression that
the design was 95% complete. It was 95% complete four years
later. What it does is if you are
designing as you're building or you're building as you're
designing, there are always changes in design.
That creates a lot of rework. What you do in the field, you
install a component, the location may change, so you may
have to take it out, reinstall. So that was the primary problem.
There were supply chain problems because the supply chain, it was
the first time a new unit was built in the US after 20-30
years. There were issues with the
modules, there were issues with some of the equipment.
So when I look back and there was no integration of how the
work was completed between, you know, the technology provider,
EPC contractors, 0 integration. It was very ad hoc tools, you
know, even when we took over, you know, when you take over a
project in the middle of construction, you can't bring
all your tools. So we had to be very creative.
We did the best that we can, turn it around and finish the
project. Vocal showed the industry just
how unforgiving nuclear construction can be, but it also
created hard won lessons about sequencing, workforce planning
and execution that are shaping projects today, not to mention
the importance of finalizing your design.
Now imagine taking those lessons and applying them in a country
that's never built a nuclear power plant before.
That's exactly what's happening in Poland.
Now, looking forwards, we are working with Westinghouse in
Poland and we don't even compare to Vogel anymore because now we
are totally integrated with the technology provider in a common
data environment. All the data that we need to use
to design, to build, to buy resides in a common data
environment where we as Bechtel can interface with our tools,
whether it's engineering, design tools, procurement or
construction tools. Common data environment also is
a single source of truth, which is the data in that database is
the only data there's no risk of duplicating in a different
place. Everyone uses the same set of
data, and it also helps us to create this digital platform as
opposed to carrying binders of paper.
Everything flows seamlessly. The work flows in a digital
environment. So our goal when we mobilize in
the field on Atrium or in Poland or the next AP1000 in the US
will execute these projects with tablets, no binders.
And there was so much time on vocal spent on chasing paperwork
because nuclear quality requirements.
There's a lot of handoffs. There's a lot of hold points
with this points inspections. So there are work flows.
You wait for a quality control engineer to come and inspect
before you can close it. All that now is going to be
through a digital platform. So the QC engineers notified on
his tablet iPhone that he has an inspection to do, and it's going
to make a paradigm shift. It also gives the workers more
time with tools in hand to do the actual work as opposed to
chasing closing paper packages. Let me add one thing because I
think it's important. So we use this digital delivery
on other backup projects. But in nuclear, there's an added
layer of complexity on using data because of the nuclear
quality requirements, you need to ensure the integrity of your
data, the integrity of the configuration.
So we had to qualify a digital execution platform under our
nuclear quality assurance program.
The data exchanges, we spent about a year last year because
we have hundreds of tools that connect to this database,
collect data, use it. But before you have to make sure
all these tools are qualified not just under our quality
nuclear quality assurance program because that's what the
NRC requires. So we're really ready to deploy
it when we're mobilized at a site, we're doing it in the
office with engineering interface, but construction is
where really make a difference still.
You know, I mentioned, you know, we did this in Korea, Taiwan,
Spain. So as a company we have an
institutional knowledge experience of building a nuclear
industry. It doesn't happen overnight, it
doesn't happen in a year. It takes time.
So in Poland there are two big projects.
We're executing the first one, three GW scale API 1000 units on
the Baltic Sea. That program alone is huge.
And then there's the opportunity to to build it at a second
sight. Utilization of local content is
obviously in our best interest too, because it's cheaper,
faster and more reliable, but also international interest
because they want to get the most out of these projects by
increasing the capability and capacity of the supply chain.
So we are working very closely with the Polish supply chain
which is very robust. Yes, they haven't done anything
in nuclear, but they have very good quality suppliers,
construction companies, subcontractors.
So and then Westinghouse are partner on this doing the same
for the supply that they bring to the project, you know
fabrication of modules, you work closely with the supply chain,
you walk them through this. The first the educational part
of OK, what does it take to be a nuclear quality supplier?
What are the steps, how long does it take, What is the
investment? So we're walking them through
the different parts and you know, as they see the project in
Poland is real, they start investing.
If you look at the local contents, what we buy within the
country will increase over time from unit to unit and from site
to site. Our goal is that when we
mobilize for the second site, the participation from the polar
supply chain is fully maximized. They're not going to do
everything because it doesn't make sense for example, that you
have forging of a reactor capability in the country, you
will see a much bigger participation.
The added benefit to them as as we or others build more nuclear
plants in Bulgaria, in Sweden, in, you know, the neighboring
Central and Eastern European countries or even in the UK,
that will provide an opportunity for Poland to export their
supply chain, export their subcontract services to other
countries because they would have benefited going through
this with us. This is really what sets us
apart from other international, you know, state supported
companies. We bring know how when we go to
Poland, we don't go to Poland with thousands of Americans.
If we're going to have 1500 people that we hire in Poland,
maybe 250 will come from US that bring the know how.
So we are not only developing the supply chain, we are
investing, training, developing local talents in the ways we do,
in the ways we built, in the ways we design and buy nuclear
power plants. So I think it's very important,
you know, when I look and you know other companies, you know
from China, Russia or Korea, they're more driven by exports
from their country of origin to the host country.
They're more export driven. You know when they go and build
a nuclear plants, the primary goal is to boost exports from
their country, whereas we look at how can we help just by
bringing down know how develop an industry.
So in the long term, this is how Korea benefited, how Taiwan
benefited, how Spain, because they were able to develop their
industries. Poland isn't just building a
nuclear power plant, it's building the foundations of an
entire nuclear industry, from workforce training to supplier
qualification to public trust. When they're fabricating
something, what we do is send our people to their shop to
ensure they are complying with the process, with the
inspections and the witness points.
So we are there helping them with that aspect.
And the fact that it coming within the country eliminates
the risk of logistics to an extent.
You're not shipping it from Korea or China.
There's more certainty around the schedule that it's going to
be there in time. You always want to work with
local workforce. In any event, they're very
productive, especially in Poland.
I think we're lucky because very, very productive workforce
there. The challenge for us is be in
the number of skilled craft force these plants.
You know, when you talk about 3 gigawatts scale units require
let's say 10,000 skilled workforce, that's just people
doing the work. Nuclear projects are not the
only projects. They're always projects, right?
Highways, commercial buildings, refineries, export facilities.
And getting to that level, having the right skill sets,
trained, qualified at the numbers that we need is our
biggest challenge in any country.
In the US, Poland, that's what we worry about.
If you mitigate the design risk, which I think we have with
AP1000 reactors, the bigger risk for us now is going to be how do
we get this level of craft to do the work.
You have to incentivize, you have to have the proper
training, and then they have to have a reason to work on your
project versus working in Germany on a windmill.
But that's the planning that we're starting.
We do these things way ahead of time because you can't just, you
know, a month before you start construction, like say, let's
get a couple of 100 people. Where are they coming from?
So we do these labor surveys that analyze, you know, we start
with where the plant is being built and you keep enlarging the
circle 5000 meter diameter. You start looking at the
neighboring countries and at the ends, if you feel like you're
not going to be able to fulfill 100% and you need 20% contingent
labor from other countries, then you start working with the
government for the permits, you know, and then when you look at
sources of Labor from third countries, so in the US, this is
a big challenge because when you look at the US construction
workforce and look at all the projects, there's a significant
shortage today, hundreds of thousands shortage.
Every industry is struggling to find qualified people.
US really hasn't built major infrastructure for a very long
time. Second is somehow construction
work was looked down like go to college.
Why do you want to be a construction worker?
If I tell you how much a welder electrician makes, it's a much
better paying job than most professions.
So we are working with, you know, the states with the
federal governments. How do we attract more people
into the construction workforce so that, you know, trade
schools, vocational schools? Community colleges were
developing programs to recruit, train, you know, and then
advertise that these are well paying jobs.
It resonates with the new administration and they're doing
the same. But you know, this is going to
take time because I encourage them to go to vocational school,
you know, when they finish high school, learn trade skills and
then bring it to the projects. There's going to be plenty.
I mean, with all the investment targeted in the US, if you look
the next 20 years, it's crazy. It's very exciting for everyone
but the workforce. You know, we're doing our part.
And, you know, others are hopefully doing the same, not
just to train and develop, but to encourage so that the pool is
bigger for which you're recruiting.
What's striking here is that even as reactor technologies
evolve, the fundamentals of nuclear construction don't
change. Safety, culture, quality
assurance, and discipline execution still matters most.
Which brings us to the question everyone asks, and very few
people are explaining clearly. What does it actually take to
build nuclear safely, on time and on budget?
So I'm going to draw a parallel to the LNG industry.
You know LNG, these are the liquefied gas export facilities.
Right now we're building, we're at 5 different sites and the
total value of these facilities are over 100 billion.
We have 18,000 US craft in the Gulf, metal employees 18,000,
very successful. These are big jobs, complex.
We learned to do these jobs very effectively and they're all
under budgets finish ahead of schedule.
We turned the LNG industry down back 20-30 years and brought it
to a level today where we're able to take a turnkey risk
delivered to our customers, a facility that is operating ahead
of time. Time to market in LNG is very,
very critical. It's a huge success story and
we'll look at from the first LNG train to the 9th, we brought
down the cost and schedule over 30%.
So there is precedent. We can do it.
We know we can. OK.
Nuclear brings added complexity because of the quality nuclear
safety related requirements, but they're manageable if you plan
it right. The key in nuclear is the
discipline that you will finish design before you jump in, so
you don't have to do any rework. You stay close to your supply
chain, making sure the equipment and material you're receiving
are meeting the quality standards.
You get ahead of the craft make do your surveys, plan rigorously
to ensure you'll have the right number.
Not only recruited, but also trained and qualified to do the
work where if you do all these things with the proper
integration, the digital delivery platform that I talked
about working closely with your technology provider, it's not
rocket science. We can do it.
We're very, very confident we can do it.
But then the first one we do is still not going to be the ideal.
It's the end of a kind. So what is the end of a kind?
It is it the four, six tense unit?
It will change. It will depend on the
technology. When you have a pipeline of
these projects, you know as you're finishing the first
units, you start moving the people to the second unit.
At each unit you're developing more talent and then transfer of
knowledge is best done through the people.
Each project you want to develop talent so that you can deploy to
more projects. That's how we're planning it.
We're in discussions with the US governments this right now a big
effort to build. You may hear buzzwords like 10
pack SMRS, 10 pack GW scales. Hopefully something will break
mid year or later this year. We're excited.
We want to grow the industry for everyone.
And then once the industry grows and we can demonstrate through
replication that you can bring the cost down, finish ahead of
time, then there's going to be more and more builds.
But one other aspect very, very important, keeping the designs
standard and fight the temptation trying to improve the
design. If it works, keep it, don't
touch it because any changes you make brings complexity and risk
of construction issues. And the good thing is, the US
nuclear technology companies learned this lesson from the
past, and they're disciplined. With over 3 decades of
experience in the industry, I wanted to know if Ahmed believes
the nuclear industry can meet this moment.
Are we really able to convince the public that nuclear is the
way forward? Yes, I do.
Actually, you know, people don't appreciate the benefits of
nuclear power, but when you think about it, it hits so many
objectives. Climate change, no carbon base
loads. It's running at a high capacity
without interruption, Very, very reliable social power.
And for any country, it provides energy security.
And in this geopolitical environment, you cannot take
that for granted. It is an exciting fields
newcomers will benefits participating in reviving this
industry and then you look back and say I played a role in
reviving this industry that will serve all of us well.
Bechtel is making moves around the world, but where exactly are
these nuclear projects taking place?
You know, we have Poland, we have Natrium in Wyoming, we are
working with the TVA on the Clinch River.
This is the GESMR. They're very limited projects in
the industry today that is making headline.
But I think you're going to see far more.
You know, the wave is coming and we are investing a lot of
talents and time so that we are 100% ready when the day comes.
Just watch out. The next 6 to 18 months is
things are going to break loose. It's coming.
Thank you so much to my guest, Ahmed Tokbinar of Bechdel and
the Bechdel Communication Team for making this episode happen.
If this episode has showed anything, it's that nuclear
isn't impossible to build. It's just demanding.
It requires patience, preparation, and people who are
willing to do things the hard way to get them done the right
way. When we talk about nuclear
power, it's easy to get lost in reactor designs, policy debates,
or long term climate targets. But this conversation brings it
back to something much simpler. Because the future of nuclear
doesn't hinge on whether the technology works.
It hinges on whether we can build it predictably, safely, on
time, and on budget. If you're looking to follow
Bechtel's builds around the world, we'll put those links in
the show notes. If this episode changed how you
think about what it takes to build nuclear, share it with
someone who still thinks can't be done.
I'm Danielle Allen, and this is naked nuclear.
Until next time, stay curious.