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Decouple...

Process heat accounts for two-thirds of industrial emissions. Yet talk of decarbonization often misses the engineering realities that separate viable solutions from expensive dead ends. To understand process heat and the technologies capable of providing it, I’m joined by returning guest Jesse Huebsch, a process engineer specializing in chemical plants. Our conversation ranges from steel and cement to plastics and ammonia, examining which processes can be electrified, where steam dominates, and why the most advanced high-temperature reactor designs may not be the answer. Episode title on podcast platforms: "Handling the Heat" Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:42 What is process heat? 06:13 Steel production pathways 12:17 Plastics and ethylene cracking 17:51 Ammonia and hydrogen 21:23 Grades of heat explained 27:42 High temperature gas reactors 32:37 Exotic alloys and heat exchangers 35:55 Siting reactors near chemical plants 40:31 The Dow X-Energy approach 42:14 Why steam wins 46:36 What 565°C steam unlocks 50:54 Oxygen intensification 54:50 Flexibility and intermittency 56:44 Electric arc heating 59:37 The long road to 2050 1:04:36 Peak heating demand 1:06:20 China's hybrid reactor strategy 1:09:10 Closing thoughts

Nuclear has entered its meme stock moment. Last week, Oklo hit a market capitalization of $20.7 billion—more than established nuclear giants BWXT, Curtiss-Wright, and AtkinsRéalis—despite having zero revenue, no NRC design certification, and a rejected license application. In my conversation with returning guest Michael Seely, aka @atomicblender, we examine this preposterous valuation built on glossy renderings rather than demonstrated readiness. If Rosatom, with 70 years of R&D and thousands of specialized engineers, struggles to make sodium fast reactors commercially viable, how will a Silicon Valley startup accomplish it in two years? When this bubble bursts, the entire nuclear renaissance may pay the price. AtomicBlender on Oklo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtAP7Cku9Uo Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:41 From sin stocks to Silicon Valley hype 03:12 Oklo's parabolic rise and marketing prowess 07:13 Zero revenue, no approval, no binding contracts 11:41 The rare NRC rejection 15:26 Exempting basic safety requirements 22:21 EBR-II legacy and design instability 29:59 Idaho groundbreaking: ceremony vs construction 33:42 Russia's 70-year sodium fast reactor experience 37:30 4,000 Rosatom engineers vs 120 at Oklo 43:25 The nuclear waste narrative 48:21 Is spent fuel really "1.3 trillion barrels of oil"? 54:10 Star-studded board and Oval Office access 58:04 HALEU fuel economics breakdown 1:02:16 Why this bubble threatens the nuclear renaissance

This week, award-winning science writer Peter Brannen returns to Decouple to explore the 4.5 billion-year story of carbon dioxide on Earth. Grounding our discussion is his new book, The Story of CO2 Is The Story of Everything. From the alien world of the Hadean eon to humanity's emergence as the "pyromaniac ape," Brannen reveals how this trace gas has shaped every aspect of our planet's evolution, through Snowball Earth, mass extinctions, and the rise of complex life, culminating in humanity's unprecedented ability to burn fossil fuels. We talk about: • The origin of life and early carbon chemistry • Why Earth needed fossil fuels to create an oxygen-rich atmosphere • The Great Unconformity and Snowball Earth's role in building the rock record • The Carboniferous period as the age of giant insects and coal formation • The Permian mass extinction and Siberian Traps volcanism • The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum as a climate analog • The ice age world that shaped human evolution and the rise of agriculture • How megafauna extinctions marked the beginning of human planetary impact Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media

Professor Alex Wellerstein returns from the set of WIRED to help me understand the origins of Middle Eastern nuclear programs and where they stand today. From France’s covert assistance to Israel’s bomb program in the 1960s to the mysterious Vela incident over the South Atlantic, Wellerstein shows how nuclear weapons spread through unofficial networks of scientists, spies, and opportunistic allies. We explore Iran’s strategic nuclear hedging, Israel’s policy of deliberate ambiguity, and the disturbing possibility that recent attacks on Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities may force the country’s hand toward weaponization. Episode title on podcast platforms: To Bomb or Not to Bomb Pre-order Alex Wellerstein's book: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-most-awful-responsibility-alex-wellerstein?variant=43730342150178 Watch Wellerstein on WIRED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJTA2OinEHw Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media Chapters: 00:00 Introduction with Alex Wellerstein 4:04 What was hit in Iran & how much did it set them back? 7:28 Enrichment levels, HALEU vs. weapons-grade basics 8:50 SWU 101, Iranian centrifuge types, why 20% matters 13:55 Breakout math: how many centrifuges/how fast? 14:51 Intent vs. capability: JCPOA, hedging, and after the strikes 19:51 JCPOA fallout and why Iran might now “race” 21:35 Pre-1979: Shah’s nuclear ambitions & Eurodif cash flows 22:43 Atoms for Peace, “nuclear modernity,” and non-proliferation by design 26:46 Iran-Iraq war, A.Q. Khan network, going modular with centrifuges 29:33 Heavy-water track; bomb types myth-busting 30:14 HEU in implosion designs; critical masses compared 31:43 Why implosion beats gun-type (efficiency & size) 35:18 Can a gun-type ride a missile? 36:29 Pivot to Israel’s program 37:15 France’s role, Dimona’s “big basement,” and opacity 45:12 NUMEC, MUF, and the 97.7% HEU mystery 52:13 The 1979 Vela “double flash” & nuclear ambiguity deal with the U.S. 58:15 Israeli doctrine, delivery options, and allied deterrence 1:03:15 Brinkmanship moments & Avner Cohen’s insider history 1:05:57 Ties with South Africa; odd enrichment tech 1:09:05 Why an atmospheric test? Detection then vs. now 1:12:03 Today’s geopolitics & unpredictability 1:16:35 What's next?

This week, we talk about rare earth metals. What are they, where do they come from, and how are they redefining global power? I’m joined by David Abraham, a natural resource strategist who saw the future of rare earths in 2010 while working in Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. When China cut off rare earth exports over a territorial dispute, Abraham realized these obscure elements, sprinkled into our steel, the magnets in our speakers, the phosphors in our screens, held more geopolitical power than oil ever could. The warnings in his book, “The Elements of Power,” now written 10 years ago, feel like reading a prophecy. Half the periodic table now flows through your iPhone, and China controls 90% of the world's refining capacity for these critical materials. As trade wars escalate and great power competition returns, the country that controls rare earths may control the Earth itself. Support Decouple: https://givebutter.com/decouple Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media

This week, we talk about the rise of the global battery industry: its history, key players, raw material struggles, and how China came to dominate it. To do so, I’m joined by Henry Sanderson, author of "Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green." We trace the story of electrification from Volta’s early experiments to the supply chains that now shape global power. Sanderson brings decades of reporting to a narrative that reveals China’s industrial strategy, the entrepreneurs behind battery giants, and the troubling realities of mining cobalt, nickel, and lithium. Together, we examine how technology, geopolitics, massive wealth, and environmental trade-offs define the future of clean energy. Henry Sanderson on Substack: https://voltrush.substack.com/ Read Volt Rush: https://www.amazon.com/Volt-Rush-Winners-Losers-Green/dp/0861543750 Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 03:23 Early Battery History 12:25 Consumer Electronics Revolution 16:50 Chinese Industrial Strategy 27:35 China's Supply Chain Dominance 31:07 Mining and Raw Materials 36:26 Congo Cobalt 42:35 Indonesian Nickel Operations 47:17 Battery Chemistry Evolution 1:01:16 Geopolitical Implications

This week, @atomicblender joins me to discuss the rise of Rosatom: Russia’s nuclear energy behemoth that now builds nearly half of the world’s new reactors. We trace its formation after the Soviet collapse, its grip on the nuclear fuel market, and its unmatched “turnkey” model for newcomer nations. Rosatom’s nuclear exports are more than just a commercial endeavour—they can reshape global influence for decades. Michael's video on Canada: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2JJRdDO2Cg ... on Russia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVvDbf1YyT4 ... on Ukraine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgZnKZ2rXRk Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media Chapters 00:00 Intro 06:30 Rosatom Origins & Newcomer Strategy 12:26 Megatons-to-Megawatts → Fuel Market Leverage 18:40 Sanctions vs Dependence: U.S./EU Fuel Reality & Project Continuity 24:50 The “Dealership” Analogy & Soft-Power “Castles” 43:15 Zaporizhzhia: Occupation, Dam Loss & Why It’s Idle 48:19 Tech Mix: VVER, BN-800 Fast Reactor, Floating SMR 53:23 Can the West Compete? 01:07:19 What’s Next: Rosatom Scaling Limits, China’s Rise, SMR Outlook 01:19:54 Outro