Episodes
Monday Nov 12, 2018
Episode 6 - Amelia Tiemann
Monday Nov 12, 2018
Monday Nov 12, 2018
Going Fission Speaks to Amelia Tiemann. Amelia is a student, studying a Bachelor of Arts with a focus on Environmental and Urban and Studies, and is keenly interested in how Nuclear technology can play a role. She is enrolled at Bard College in New York, but has been studying abroad at University of Melbourne. Additionally, Amelia contributes to the 4th Generation Blog at; www.4thgeneration.energy
Amelia's Twitter handle is @TiemannAmelia.
Eric Meyer's Clean Power Forever music video: https://youtu.be/cdfgF0YPLFQ
Generation Atomic: https://www.generationatomic.org/
Yellowcake Whitewash (Paywalled): https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=423406822505944;res=IELAPA;type=pdf
The 'Voters Message to the Minister' soundbite is available at the following link. There is a list of current State and Federal energy and environment ministers in the soundbites description, though you are welcome to forward it to any contesting minister: https://soundcloud.com/user-214473340/a-voters-message-to-the-minister
Going Fission's Twitter handle is @fissiongoing.
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro Theme.
1:00 - Introduction.
1:23 - Why study in Australia?
3:05 - Where Amelia comes from.
4:12 - Amelia's Bachelor Degree.
11:17 - Reconciling Environmental Conservation with Nuclear Energy.
12:55 - A resource like anything else...
13:41 - Amelia's road to nuclear.
16:07 - Pushback...
17:10- Involvement with Generation Atomic.
20:26- A Trip to Ohio.
22:12 - The Risk to Ohio Nuclear Power Plants.
24:25 - Possibilities...
26.07- The Thorium Energy Alliance.
27:50 - A discussion of USA and Australian Energy Landsapes.
30:28 - Separate Grids.
31:20 - Electricity in Mining Towns.
34:26 - Acceptance of Nuclear in US Politics.
36:50 - Nuclear in Australian Politics.
38:40 - Atomic Potatoes...
40:28 - Venting Frustrations...
46:00 - Discussion of Native Title.
49:12 - Emotional Baggage...
50.55 - Managing Waste.
52.45 - Amelia's Plans after Graduation.
54:00 - 4th Generation Blog.
55:32 - Farewell.
55:28 - Additional Information.
56:28- Outro Theme
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
Australia’s Uranium Opportunities - Chapters 6 and 7
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
The AAEC changes its research focus, away from HTGR and looks more closely at other reactor options as well as enrichment research. Secondment postings overseas continued for many AAEC staff, and staying on top of developments abroad required specialist visits, even though this was not always understood by the politicians.
The 'Voters Message to the Minister' soundbite is available at the following link. There is a list of current State and Federal energy and environment ministers in the soundbites description, though you are welcome to forward it to any contesting minister: https://soundcloud.com/user-214473340/a-voters-message-to-the-minister
Timestamps:
0:00 - Chapter 6) The changes in Research Programme, 1966-70
18:32 - Chapter 7) Overseas Postings and Visits - Keeping in Touch
Sunday Oct 28, 2018
Episode 5 - Ian Hore-Lacy
Sunday Oct 28, 2018
Sunday Oct 28, 2018
Going Fission Speaks to Ian Hore-Lacy; A Senior Advisor at World Nuclear Association. Ian has an impressive career history, including working with the Uranium Information Centre, the Australian Uranium Association and the WNA. He has authored several books one of which we cover in this interview.
The World Nuclear Association website is found at: www.world-nuclear.org
Ian's book 'Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century' is available at WNA shop; http://www.world-nuclear.org/shop.aspx and Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Energy-21st-Century-Hore-Lacy/dp/0993101933/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1540537277&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=ian+hore-lacy
The 'Voters Message to the Minister' soundbite is available at the following link. There is a list of current State and Federal energy and environment ministers in the soundbites description, though you are welcome to forward it to any contesting minister: https://soundcloud.com/user-214473340/a-voters-message-to-the-minister
The unedited video of the interview will be made available shortly on YouTube.
Going Fission's Twitter handle is @fissiongoing.
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro Theme.
1:00 - Introduction.
1:43 - Website Acknowledgement.
2:38 - Ian's Early Career.
4:59 - Environmental and mining science.
5:56 - Working with Conzinc Rio Tinto of Australia (CRA).
8:18 - Society and resource production.
9:20 - The Uranium Information Centre...
10:22 - ... and its transition to MCA.
11:01 - Staying up to date with the industry.
11:43 - Uranium history in Australia.
14:03 - Front End Nuclear Fuel Cycle Support.
15:19 - The Jervis Bay Nuclear Power Plant Proposal.
15:35 - Australian Coal and its low sulfur content.
16:35 - WNA's role in the world.
18:40 - A comparison of the US and French nuclear fleet.
19:49 - Australia and the WNA.
20:45 - Waste Management.
22:09 - Superannuation and decommissioning.
23:49 - Australia's role in Nuclear.
25:14 - A discussion of Separation of Isotopes by Laser Excitation (SILEX).
27:23 - Energy and political risk in Australia.
29:00 - When does Australia go nuclear?
29:34 - Carbon and the public.
30:12 - Germany, renewables and Hambach Forest.
31:22 - Younger listeners.
32:45 - A note on water and cooling towers.
34:51 - Ian's book: Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century.
36:47 - Farewell.
36:58 - Closing notes.
37:38 - Outro Theme.
Sunday Oct 21, 2018
Australia’s Uranium Opportunities - Chapters 4 and 5
Sunday Oct 21, 2018
Sunday Oct 21, 2018
The AAEC begins it's research into nuclear power and how a reactor should harness this power. Many AAEC staff are recalled to assist with the AAEC and the construction of Australia's first nuclear reactor, HIFAR. As reactor research starts advancing across the globe, the commission faced with making some of the first difficult decisions.
The 'Voters Message to the Minister' soundbite is available at the following link. There is a list of current State and Federal energy and environment ministers in the soundbites description, though you are welcome to forward it to any contesting minister: https://soundcloud.com/user-214473340/a-voters-message-to-the-minister
Timestamp
0:00 - Chapter 4) Beginning of the AAEC Research Programme.
13:10 - Chapter 5) Early Research and Organisation at Lucas Heights.
Sunday Oct 14, 2018
Episode 4 - Lillian Caruana
Sunday Oct 14, 2018
Sunday Oct 14, 2018
Going Fission Speaks to Lillian Caruana; A student at University of New South Wales (UNSW). She is undertaking a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Chemistry and has a keen interest in nuclear research and technology. She has been very active in Australia's nuclear community, and has been involved with ANSTO, Women in Nuclear Australia (WiN) and the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) Winter School. She has launched Australia's first pro-nuclear energy student group, Students for Nuclear Energy (SfNE) at UNSW.
The SfNE Facebook page can be found at: www.facebook.com/studentsfornuclearenergy/. The email address is students4nuclearenergy@gmail.com. Her twitter handle is @lillian_caruana.
Dr. Edward Obbards appearence on Josh Szeps' Radio National programme, 'The People Versus...' can be found at:http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/the-people-vs/the-people-vs-nuclear-waste/10128818
Information on the Nuclear prdie march on the 21st of August 2018, in Muncih, Germany, can be found at http://environmentalprogress.org/big-news/2018/9/10/pro-nuclear-fest-in-munich-germany-on-october-21
The unedited video of the interview will be made available shortly on YouTube.
Going Fission's Twitter handle is @fissiongoing.
Timestamps
0:00 - Cold Intro.
1:00 - Intro Theme.
1:18 - Introduction.
1:53 - Lillian goes to Uni.
3:06 - Lillian's (pre-employment) resume.
3:50 - Research at ANSTO and The AINSE winter school.
5:37 - Discussing GATRI (Gamma Technology Research Irradiator - OK, technically not a 'Three letter Acronym')
7:08 - Being a student researcher at the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering (ACNS).
9:36 - A crash course in Neutron Scattering.
12:04 - What does Neutron Scattering do for us?
13.54 - The difference between X-ray machines and Neutron Scattering devices.
15:01 - Differences between different Neutron Scattering devices.
16:42 - Why nuclear power?
18:42 - A reflection on Lillians pre-assignment nuclear outlook.
19:39 - A discussion of the public perception of nuclear technology.
21:29 - A cultural default.
21:29 - Demographics.
25:19 - The SfNE origin story.
28:59 - The SfNE Inaugural Event.
32:17 - Starting a conversation about nuclear.
33:40 - SfNE Wants You!
35:54 - Getting in touch with SfNE.
36:49 - Who should I invite to Going Fission?
40:35 - Nuclear Power Pride March!
42:24 - Farewell and future plans.
42:52 - Futher Reading and information.
44:00 - Outro Theme
Sunday Oct 07, 2018
Australia's Uranium Opportunities - Chapters 2 and 3
Sunday Oct 07, 2018
Sunday Oct 07, 2018
Keith Alders career begins in earnest at the UK Ministery of Supply in Woolwich Arsenal. Later, his journey takes him to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia, and then back to Harwell, England for 'on the job' training to ultimately staff the newly formed Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC).
Timestamp
0:00 - Chapter 2) My Atomic History.
13:07 - Chapter 3) The Harwell Training Years.
Sunday Sep 30, 2018
Episode 3 - Daniel Zavattiero
Sunday Sep 30, 2018
Sunday Sep 30, 2018
Going Fission Speaks to Daniel Zavattiero; Executive Director, Uranium of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA). MCA is the industry association who represent Australian mining companies and the mineral commodities they produce. He has extensive experience in the marketing of iron ore and uranium.
The MCA website can be found at www.minerals.org.au. The SANFCRC report can be found at http://nuclearrc.sa.gov.au/media-centre/. Copies of the Uranium Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy Report (UMPNER), or Ziggy report can be found at http://pandora.nla.gov.au/tep/66043
The unedited video of the interview will be made available shortly on YouTube.
Going Fission's Twitter handle is @fissiongoing.
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro theme.
1:00 - Introduction.
1:38 - Daniel's career history.
4:21 - Japan's and China's iron ore demand.
6:10 - Iron ore, thermal coal & metallurgical coal.
8:29 - Australia and the development of mining technology sector
10:54 - MCA's role in Australia
16:04 - Developing technologies and building nations
21:02 - Where does uranium come from.
26:03 - Australia's uranium agreement with India.
29:54 - Marketing energy dense fuels.
33:28 - Uranium mining history in Australia.
39:14 - Olympic Dam and its products.
39:14 - SANFCRC findings.
50:28 - The UMPNER or Ziggy report.
57:25 - Who to invite?
59:24 - Extra reading.
59:41 - Outro Theme
Tuesday Sep 25, 2018
Australia's Uranium Opportunities - Formalities and Chapter 1
Tuesday Sep 25, 2018
Tuesday Sep 25, 2018
This is not, strictly speaking, an episode of Going Fission. There is no interviewee.
This is a reading of Australia’s Uranium Opportunities, the memoir of the Late Keith Alder, who we will get to know in due course.
I originally found his book in the UNSW library in 2016. It felt like I’d found a lost piece of Australian History, and in a way I have. It was privately published by Keith’s Wife, Pauline, I don’t know how many were printed, but it is a difficult book to source.
It tells the story of the Australian Atomic Energy Commission, and it’s contribution to Australia’s history in nuclear science, through the experience of the Author. It is not a story that culminates in a great victory, and many listeners will likely recognise much of the resistance that still exists today.
I must offer thanks to several people for their assistance in getting me to this point. John Harries was my first point of contact, and was able to put me in touch with Brian Hickman, both of whom knew Keith. Brian was able to get me in touch with the Alder family and has loaned me his personal copy of the book for this project. Thank you.
Thanks must also be extended to Andrew, Robert and Graeme, Keith and Pauline’s sons. It is by their enthusiastic permission that this project can be undertaken. Thank you and I hope this endeavour finds your fathers work a new audience.
A final thank you to Maurer family funerals and those of you on the twittersphere who also assisted in the search.
My plan at this point is to release Chapters of this audiobook on weeks alternating between regular Going Fission interviews. Upon completion, I plan on making the whole recording available online, free of charge.
I hope you enjoy.
Timestamp
0:00 - Readers Introduction
1:54 - Book Blurb
4:19 - Author's Comment
5:12 - Dedication
5:46 - Acknowlegments
6:31 - Forward by Sir John Proud Kt.
9:24 - About the Author
10:54 - Chapter 1) Introduction, Why Is This Book Necessary?
Saturday Sep 15, 2018
Episode 2 - Robert Parker
Saturday Sep 15, 2018
Saturday Sep 15, 2018
Episode 2 of Going Fission is an interview with Robert Parker. Robert Parker is the current Vice President of the Australian Nuclear Association. He has extensive project management experience around the world on large infrastructure projects, particularly on dams. In this interview, we discuss his introduction to nuclear technology, how Australia can benefit from nuclear power and who could assist us in such an endeavour.
Roberts website can be found at www.nuclearforclimate.com.au, The Australian Nuclear Association can be found at www.nuclearaustralia.org.au. The KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School is at www.kings.ac.kr and the Electricity map is at www.electricitymap.org.
The unedited video of the interview will be made available shortly on YouTube.
Going Fission's Twitter handle is @fissiongoing.
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro Theme.
1:01 - Introduction.
1:39 - Roberts Career History.
3:05 - Roller Compcated Concrete Dams.
4:54 - Three Gorges Dam and dam technology around the world.
6:49 - Dams and methane emmissions.
8:19 - The Nuclear Rabbit Hole.
13:03 - The Australian Nuclear Association (ANA).
14:47 - South Korea's nuclear fleet...
17:41 - ...and where the build them.
17:41 - Pressure vessels, passive reactor cooling and defence in depth.
27:03 - Streamlining the AP1000 design, intentions and results.
32:00 - Doosan Industries...
35:20 - ...and Forge Presses!
37:47 - is there a place in Australia for this technology?
41:57 - The French reactor fleet.:
46:12 - 100 years of power and the implications for industry.
48:12 - Prime Minister Robert Parker and his energy policy.
52:47 - Younger listeners and the nuclear imperative.
55:15 - Plug for the ANA and SfNE at UNSW.
57:35 - Farewell.
57:58 - Website links.
58:38 - Outro Theme.
Sunday Sep 02, 2018
Episode 1 - Dr. Ben Heard
Sunday Sep 02, 2018
Sunday Sep 02, 2018
Going Fission is proud to present it's pilot episode. An interview with Dr. Ben Heard. Ben is the founder of the Bright New World, an Environmental NGO advocating for the use of nuclear power in Australia. In this interview, we discuss his career, how his stance on nuclear power changed, his involvment with the South Australian Royal Commission into the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, what Nuclear power can do for Australia and what barriers exist to such technology.
Ben's blog can be found at www.decarbonisesa.com, and Bright New World can be found at www.brightnewworld.org.
The full, unedited version can be found on the Going Fission Youtube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8Fo796h1zA&t=4923s
Going Fission's Twitter handle is @fissiongoing.
Timestamps
0:00 - Theme.
1:00 - Introduction.
1:34 - Ben's start in the science of climate change.
4:06 - Path to becoming being pro-nuclear.
7:09 - Lightbulb moments.
11:11 - Starting ThinkClimate.
14:25 - What can Nuclear do for Australia?
20:35 - DecarboniseSA and it's transition to Bright New World.
28:47 - The goals of Bright New World.
34:15 - What is 140A?
38:35 - Australia and the South Australian Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission (SANFCRC).
43:38 - Is Australia heading for an Energy Crisis?
53:34 - A message for younger listeners.
56:28 - Official plug for Bright New World (and others).
59:10 - Guest recommendations.
1:00:49 - Farewell
1:00:58 - Conclusion, YouTube Plug, and additional reading.
1:01:51 - Outro Theme