Singapore imports nearly all of its natural gas. It has no wind, and its rooftops can generate enough solar power to meet less than 10% of national demand. For a country that has committed to net zero by 2050, that math falls dangerously short.

Nuclear was never the obvious answer. But the emergence of energy security concerns alongside the advent of small modular reactors has moved it from fringe consideration to serious policy conversation. In this episode, Jordan sits down with Low Xin Wei, CEO of Singapore's Nuclear Research and Safety Institute, to trace the full arc of that shift: why the country ruled nuclear out in 2012, what has changed in the years since, and what it genuinely takes to build a clean energy grid in one of the most land-scarce nations on Earth.

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Connect with Low Xin Wei: Low Xin Wei’s LinkedIn | SNRSI Website | SNRSI LinkedIn

Music used in this episode was created by Beat Mekanik

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Poland ran on coal for decades—in fact, more than 90% of its electricity came from it. Now the coal is running out, the grid needs replacing, and Poland is building its first commercial nuclear power plant. In this episode, Jordan talks with Robert Rudich about what it actually takes to build a nuclear industry from the ground up: the policy hurdles, the workforce challenges, the financing puzzles, and why Poland moved faster than every other country in the region.

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Connect with Robert: LinkedIn | SGE Website

Music used in this episode was created by Beat Mekanik

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The UK once held the crown in nuclear development, and now they are eager to reclaim that title. In this episode, Jordan chats with Millie Beaver, the Public Affairs Director at the Nuclear Industry Association, to explore what’s shaping up to be one of Europe’s most ambitious nuclear projects. They discuss Sizewell C, which will feature two reactors capable of powering six million homes for 60 years, and Project Gwyndaf, the innovative Rolls-Royce SMR making its way to Wales.

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Connect with Millie: LinkedIn | NIA Website

Music used in this episode was created by Beat Mekanik

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In much of Africa, the question isn't how to optimize the grid. It's how to build one at all. Princy Mthombeni grew up in a rural South African village without electricity until she was 14 and that experience shapes how she talks about energy today. As founder of Africa4Nuclear, Princy makes the case that nuclear isn't just a power source for the continent; it's a path to jobs, medicine, clean water, and so much more. Jordan talks with Princy about which African countries are moving fastest on nuclear, why the "just energy transition" framing misses the mark for developing nations, and why South Africa's own 40-year nuclear success story deserves way more attention than it gets.

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Connect with Princy: LinkedIn | TikTok @princymthombeni

Music used in this episode was created by Beat Mekanik

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A nuclear renaissance doesn't just happen on paper, it takes thousands of people to design, build, operate, and sustain it. In this episode, Jordan sits down with Callum Thomas, a workforce strategist and talent expert who works across the nuclear sector in the UK, Europe, and beyond, to explore one of the industry's most urgent and underappreciated challenges: building the human infrastructure behind the new era of nuclear growth. Callum breaks down what's actually happening across Europe right now and what it tells us when countries get serious about workforce planning.

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Thomas Thor Website: https://www.thomas-thor.com/

Music used in this episode was created by Beat Mekanik

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After Fukushima in 2011, Japan went from getting roughly a third of its electricity from nuclear power to running zero reactors for two full years- and spending $270 billion more on fossil fuel imports in the process. Today, Japan's government has reversed course, officially committing to maximize nuclear energy in its national strategic energy plan. Jane Nakano, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins Jordan to unpack what actually drove that shift, from rising energy demand and AI-powered data centers to decades of careful, community-by-community rebuilding of trust.

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CSIS Website: https://www.csis.org/

Music used in this episode was created by Beat Mekanik

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Germany shut down its last nuclear plants in 2023. Now, the country is asking whether that decision came at a cost. In this episode of Fissionary, Mary and Jordan head to Germany to talk with educator and Mothers for Nuclear Deutschland co-founder, Britta Augustin, about the country’s changing nuclear conversation. From rising energy prices and economic pressure to shifting public opinion and growing political support, Britta explains why nuclear is once again becoming part of Germany’s energy debate.

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Learn more about Nuklearia https://nuklearia.de/

Music used in this episode was created by Beat Mekanik

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Nuclear is having a global moment and this season of Fissionary is taking you around the world to understand why. In the Season 6 premiere, Mary and Jordan sit down with former diplomat and nuclear policy expert, Justin Friedman, to unpack the rapidly changing international nuclear landscape. From Europe and Southeast Asia to Africa and Latin America, countries are rethinking energy security, economic prosperity, and what it takes to build reliable power systems for the future.

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Music used in this episode was created by Beat Mekanik

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