{"podcast":{"title":"The IR thinker","slug":"the-ir-thinker-6691770","podcast_index_feed_id":6691770,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/655776911a7d7e0012cbc914","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/irthinker","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/cover/1700230788592-f97a89c769205262be6d5629fc306022.jpeg","author":"Martin Zubko","episode_count":122,"summary":"The IR thinker features in-depth interviews with leading experts in international relations. The IR thinker is an independent, non-partisan and non-aligned platform. It hosts a wide range of perspectives on international relations but does not endorse any political party, government or ideological position. Since its first episode in 2023, The IR thinker has produced more than 100 episodes as a pro bono initiative established by Martin Zubko, an international relations scholar and lecturer. Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770"},"episode":{"title":"South Africa's Nuclear Energy - Kelvin Kemm Final | Ep. 8 (2026)","slug":"south-africa-s-nuclear-energy-kelvin-kemm-final-ep-8-2026","published_at":"2026-04-14T11:46:06+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770/south-africa-s-nuclear-energy-kelvin-kemm-final-ep-8-2026","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770","url":"https://www.irthinker.com/south-africa-nuclear-energy-kelvin-kemm","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/655776911a7d7e0012cbc914/e/69de29002cab0d3ec881ae9a/media.mp3","summary":"South Africa has been involved in nuclear development for more than 75 years. In 1948, the Atomic Energy Act established the Atomic Energy Board (AEB) — only two years after the United States created its own Atomic Energy Commission. South Africa's first nuclear research reactor, SAFARI-1, went critical in 1965, and the country's first large nuclear power station, Koeberg, came online in 1984. In February 2010, the South African government announced it would stop funding the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) programme. Over US$1.3 billion had been invested in the project since 1993, making its cancellation one of the most consequential decisions in South African energy history. But the technology did not disappear. A group of nuclear engineers and scientists pressed on independently, channelling the PBMR's intellectual legacy into a new design: the HTMR-100, an advanced Generation IV helium-cooled reactor. That effort eventually gave rise to Stratek Global, and it is an honour to speak with its Chairman and CEO, Dr Kelvin Kemm. Kelvin Kemm Dr Kelvin Kemm is a nuclear physicist and Chairman of Stratek Global, based in Pretoria, South Africa. He is the former Chairman of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) and has been involved in South Africa's small modular reactor programme since its inception — a journey spanning more than two decades. Dr Kemm has briefed the US Senate and Congress in Washington DC, and is a sought-after international speaker on nuclear energy, technology, and strategic development, having addressed audiences across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the United States. Above all, he brings over 25 years of hands-on experience building small modular reactor technology from the ground up — making him one of the most knowledgeable voices in the…","meta_description":"South Africa has been involved in nuclear development for more than 75 years. In 1948, the Atomic Energy Act established the Atomic Energy Board (AEB) — o…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4126,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-ir-thinker-6691770/episodes/south-africa-s-nuclear-energy-kelvin-kemm-final-ep-8-2026/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770/south-africa-s-nuclear-energy-kelvin-kemm-final-ep-8-2026.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}