⚛️⚡Advocating a new Atomic Age: A Quick Q&A with … nuclear evangelist Jenifer Avellaneda
'We need to tell a better story about nuclear — one that is exciting, forward-looking, and tied to solving global challenges.'
My fellow pro-growth/progress/abundance Up Wingers,
Nuclear energy is having a moment — probably more than a moment — but fears and misperceptions still abound. Clean, abundant energy should speak for itself, but strong pro-nuclear voices are needed to combat the lingering doubts. Luckily, a new generation of nuclear engineers is bringing the necessary knowledge, enthusiasm, and communication skills to spread the word about the near-miracle of nuclear power.
Jenifer Avellaneda is a nuclear advocate dispelling myths and broadening the conversation through social media, notably as Nuclear Hazelnut on X (formerly Twitter). I asked Avellaneda a few quick questions via email about her experiences. She is a nuclear-risk analysis senior engineer at Westinghouse Electric Company.
You can feel that sense of purpose in the culture, and it is one of the reasons I love being part of this community.
1/ What first sparked your interest in nuclear energy and what led you to take on the role of promoting it to others?
My interest started when I was 12 and read Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. While most people focused on the thriller, what caught my attention was CERN, the world’s largest physics laboratory in Europe. I was fascinated by the idea that scientists were out there pushing the limits of knowledge and shaping the future through nuclear science! That curiosity stayed with me, and when I later studied Sustainable Development Engineering, I discovered that nuclear energy wasn’t just exciting science, it was also one of the strongest real-world tools we have to fight climate change.
From there, advocating for nuclear came naturally. At first, it was just conversations with family and friends, helping them understand what I was learning. But the more I saw how much people wanted clear, honest information, the more I felt compelled to share it publicly, so others could see nuclear not as a mystery from a novel, but as a practical solution for clean energy.
2/ What is the most impressive thing about nuclear energy, in your view? When you visit a reactor, what are you most inspired by?
The scale always amazes me!! Just a handful of uranium pellets can power entire cities for years. But beyond the technology, what inspires me most is the people. Everyone at a nuclear power plant, from maintenance crews to security staff to engineers and operators, carries the responsibility of safety. You can feel that sense of purpose in the culture, and it is one of the reasons I love being part of this community
Living near a plant actually means cleaner air and stronger local infrastructure.
3/ Why nuclear as opposed to wind, solar, or geothermal?
It’s not nuclear instead of . . . it’s nuclear with. Wind, solar, and geothermal are crucial pieces of the puzzle, but they’re intermittent and limited by geography. Nuclear is the anchor: It runs 24/7, rain or shine, and can be built almost anywhere. Together, they complement each other. Without nuclear, the math on decarbonization gets very difficult, if not impossible.
4/ What would you say to someone who maybe supports nuclear in theory but opposes a reactor being built in their own backyard?
I’d say: I understand. It’s natural to be cautious about something so powerful and misunderstood. But here’s the reality: the reactors running today have operated safely in communities for decades, providing jobs, tax revenue, and clean energy. Living near a plant actually means cleaner air and stronger local infrastructure. The best way to replace fear with confidence is through transparency: plant tours, community meetings, and ongoing engagement. When people understand and see with their own eyes how these plants really operate, most realize they’re not something to fear, they’re something to be proud of.
. . . the real takeaway [from Fukushima] is that nuclear is an industry that learns and adapts, and honest communication is key to making trust stronger than fear.
5/ What was it like to visit the site of Fukushima? What was your biggest takeaway?
Visiting the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was a moment of respect and reflection for me. You cannot ignore the memory of the event, but what struck me most was the resilience of the recovery work. The site shows discipline and determination in every detail, and the lessons learned there have shaped the industry and strengthened safety worldwide. Fukushima Daiichi has become a source of operating experience that every nuclear professional builds on. The event was serious, but its greatest impacts were displacement and fear, not radiation exposure. For me, the real takeaway is that nuclear is an industry that learns and adapts, and honest communication is key to making trust stronger than fear.
6/ If we’re looking at a “nuclear renaissance,” why are we still seeing American reactors demolished, as recently as last month in Hartsville, TN?
It is a paradox. On one hand, we are living through what many call a nuclear renaissance, with exciting new designs, strong policy support, and even efforts to bring previously closed reactors back online, like Holtec’s work at Palisades Nuclear Generating Station in Michigan. At the same time, sites like the Hartsville Nuclear Plant in Tennessee remind us of the challenges. That project began in the 1970s but was canceled in the early ’80s due to budget concerns and lower electricity demand projections. The cooling tower that came down last September 2025, was not from a running plant but from a project that (sadly) never operated. To me, Hartsville is not proof of failure but proof of how much economics and policy shape nuclear’s future. If we want this renaissance to last, we need stable policies, modernized regulations, and markets that reward what nuclear delivers: clean, reliable, round-the-clock energy. That is how we make sure stories like Hartsville stay in the past, while stories like Palisades show us the future
Young people want purpose, and nuclear offers that in abundance.
7/ How can we get more young people interested in pursuing careers that support nuclear energy? How can we ensure that the next generation of talent helps us get the most out of our nuclear future?
First, we need to tell a better story about nuclear: one that is exciting, forward-looking, and tied to solving global challenges!! Young people want purpose, and nuclear offers that in abundance. Second, we need to create clear pathways: scholarships, internships, international exchanges . . . real opportunities!! And finally, representation matters. When young people see peers and role models in nuclear, they realize this is a space where their talents and values belong.
On sale everywhere The Conservative Futurist: How To Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised
Nuclear in its present form is withering on the vine as geometrically increasing solar and wind installations reshape the grid away from a centrally-managed baseload + peaker model to a more resilient network in which power flows in different directions to take advantage of the wind when it blows and the sun when it shines. Energy storage over various timescales is improving on a geometric experience curve, most recently with sodium batteries, and the Chinese are demonstrating what an HVDC-linked large scale network can look like. To take advantage of solar overbuilding and the often dirt cheap energy that it brings, designing many industrial processes around demand response will give humanity access to cheaper raw materials and possibly even desalination on an agricultural scale.
Nuclear's problem is not just that it always takes three times as long and costs three times as much as the initial estimate, that it's uninsurable and that the cost of storing the waste is never factored in because there's no plan to do that. The real problem is the centralized, huge bureaucracy, high tax and uncertainty it forces on society. Most power consumers would be happy putting up a few solar panels in a nearby field with a battery in the basement and a fat wire to the grid to even things out. This is becoming a reality now, and in less than a decade anyone will be able to make it happen with a few calls and a wait of a couple of months, as opposed to the decade or two it takes to get a nuclear plant permitted and built.
If you think small nuclear or thorium will save the industry, build a production line and sell a few. But bet your money on it rather than mine.