Golf Cutbacks, Tabletop Therapy, and Dominion’s Offshore Wind Math
In the 29th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast, co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous start with Goran's recent “less golf, more miniatures” lifestyle change, trading four-hour rounds for meditative tabletop painting and a quick riff on career phases and moderation. Then they dig into Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project: 2.6 GW across 176 turbines with a $10.7B headline that feels like “almost three gigawatts” until you factor capacity (about 42% on average, weaker in summer), a 30-year life, and the firming needed when wind drops. Goran walks through the real planner math, including financing and why firming can add roughly $40 per MWh now and rise as renewables grow. They compare CVOW to Vogtle 3 & 4, noting the $32B “nuclear cost” hides interest on an overnight cost near $12.5B, and that faster builds and realistic risk pricing can bring firm nuclear to about $150 per MWh, under wind once firming and financing are counted. They also hit incentives and politics, regulated-utility pass-throughs, AI data centers that can’t curtail, and the unglamorous risks of offshore hardware, from corrosion to cut cables, in a country with just one new jack-up vessel. A candid, numbers-first episode on speed to grid versus longevity, and why Dominion’s short-run choice may still leave a long-run gap that nuclear can fill.
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Supply-Chain Bottlenecks, Codification Creep, and Mission-Driven Incentives
In the 28th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast, co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous welcome their first ever guest, Scott MacKinnon, Senior Director of Logistics & Supply-Chain Network Integration at EtherLog°. Scott recounts how Goran’s McMaster talk on “why standardization can slow nuclear builds” sparked a pub-side debate that now becomes a full episode on logistics. The trio unpack codification creep, ask why 75 % of craft labour often waits idle, and probe whether just-in-time delivery really fits multi-gigawatt projects or if local buffers and “zero-trust” micro-measurement are safer bets. They model a hypothetical four-unit program, debate which chokepoint (reactor pressure vessels, grid gear or regulatory sign-offs) most threatens a schedule, and swap ideas for Apollo-style medals, pain-and-gain contracts, and 100 % completion bonuses to turn nuclear megaprojects into a true mission. Tune in for supply-chain stories, systems thinking, and a fresh lens on how logistics could shave years (and billions) off the next reactor build.
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Airport Ammo, Meta’s Energy Dilemma, and Launching The Business of Nuclear
In the 27th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast, co‑hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous open with two case‑method deep dives. Goran debuts his new Harvard Business School case, Meta’s Energy Dilemma, where MBA teams weigh Llama’s vertical integration and whether Meta should own its own generation, trading land use, CO₂ and even “annual deaths” in a live financial model. That segues into his earlier Twitter takeover case, showing why students, armed with hard numbers, often side with Elon Musk’s mass‑layoff playbook while pundits and HR orthodoxy balk. Michael then checks in from Denver with a surreal Pearson Airport vignette: a calm traveler, a pistol magazine, and fifteen identical note‑taking officers. From there the pair launch a new recurring segment, The Business of Nuclear. Michael runs the tariff math: even a 50% U.S. Section 232 steel duty and Canada’s tightened quota move nuclear power costs by only pennies per MWh. Goran broadens it into a consumption‑vs‑income‑tax debate before previewing future company spotlights. Tune in for case‑room contrarianism and an inaugural market lens on nuclear’s growth.
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Streamer and Poker Grinds, Canadian Steel Tariffs, and Nuclear Realpolitik
In the 26th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast, co‑hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous open with a lighter detour on “always‑on” careers. Goran recalls his short‑lived stab at professional online poker, where the glamour fades into a smoky 12‑hour grind, while Michael explains why he would be the world’s worst poker player ever. The conversation then pivots to Hamilton, where Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised a 50 % tariff on non‑CUSMA steel that exceeds 2024 volumes and a fresh billion‑dollar innovation fund for domestic mills. Goran walks through the hard numbers: Canada exports roughly half its steel, 90 % of it to the United States, and argues Carney’s move is less chest‑thumping than a bid to stay in Washington’s good graces while shielding local jobs. Michael pushes back, asking whether the policy is more optics than leverage and whether deeper US integration at this point would really help Canadian industry. So, make sure to tune in for some poker metaphors, streamer angst, and a candid episode of trade‑policy math.
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Cancun Workcations, Our 25th Episode Milestone, and a Self‑Interview
In the 25th‑episode milestone of The Atomic Exchange Podcast, co‑hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous set aside reactor talk to focus on something different: each other. Michael kicks things off fresh from a week in Cancun, weighing beachside bliss against the itch to keep emailing drafts, while Goran unpacks why an off‑season, high‑fixed‑cost resort can feel five‑star on a three‑star budget. From there the episode gets a bit personal, with Goran and Michael trading two‑truths‑and‑a‑lie, sharing music tastes, pet peeves, and the meanings behind their names. They recount how a stab‑wound hospital visit and a university Christian club shaped their parents’ love stories, revisit the best and worst advice they’ve ever heard, and reminisce on some of their best decisions and their biggest regrets. Tune in for a candid, funny, slightly nostalgic detour before the next reactor deep dive.
The Atomic Exchange Podcast is your gateway to the world of nuclear energy and beyond. Join Dr. Goran Calic, a business school professor at McMaster University, and Michael Tadrous, his research assistant and co-host, as they spark engaging, dynamic conversations on the latest developments in nuclear science, energy policy, and global innovation. With compelling discussions and authentic perspectives, Atomic Exchange is the fusion of news, ideas, and dialogue you’ve been waiting for.
Listen to The Atomic Exchange Podcast, All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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