The Nuclear Frontier

Why nuclear energy matters now — and how it can power communities for the next 100 years.

Nuclear energy and AI are no longer separate conversations — together, they’re redefining America’s future. As data centers, advanced manufacturing, and digital infrastructure strain the power grid, nuclear is re-emerging not as a relic of the past, but as a critical solution.

Recorded in Washington, D.C., Juliann Edwards — Chief Development Officer at The Nuclear Company and Chair of Women in Nuclear — joins Ken to explore how nuclear energy is shifting from controversy to necessity.

Filmed shortly after the Kennedy Center premiere of The Nuclear Frontier and just before the national college bus tour began, this conversation looks beyond the film. It dives into why nuclear is being reimagined as long-term infrastructure, a national security strategy, and a catalyst for economic revival.

Key Takeaways from the Conversation

Why Nuclear, Why Now
How AI, data centers, and global manufacturing are pushing America toward an unprecedented energy shortfall — and why nuclear is the only scalable, carbon-free baseload power that runs 24/7.

China’s Head Start
China has built 55 reactors in 30 years. The U.S. has built two. What that means for global influence, technology leadership, and the new energy race.

Power and AI Are Now the Same Conversation
Why “whoever controls power controls AI” — and how nuclear sits at the intersection of innovation, defense, and digital infrastructure.

Community and Generational Impact
Beyond electricity, nuclear brings thousands of construction jobs, 600+ long-term careers per plant, and tax revenue that funds schools, hospitals, and infrastructure for decades.

From NIMBY to NIMBY — Nuclear In My Backyard
How public perception is changing — from fear and satire (The Simpsons) to local pride, clean energy advocacy, and grassroots movements led by young people and women in nuclear.

Why This Conversation Matters

Nuclear isn’t just about energy policy.
It’s about whether America will have enough power to build, innovate, manufacture, and compete in the AI age. It’s about whether communities that once fueled the industrial revolution can once again power the nation — this time with clean, resilient, century-long infrastructure.

About the Guest

Juliann Edwards is the Chief Development Officer at The Nuclear Company and Chair of Women in Nuclear, representing more than 6,000 members across the U.S. She has spent nearly two decades in energy development and nuclear advocacy. A cancer survivor raised in a Florida mining town, her work blends personal conviction, economic realism, and national ambition — bringing nuclear energy out of the shadows and back into public life.