In the Spotlight: Tim Rausch & The Sequoyah Nuclear Plant

Morning, friends - Logan here, fresh off Evan’s bachelor trip to Puerto Vallarta. Huge shoutout to our Middle Tech cofounder as he gets ready to marry the love of his life in just a few weeks!

Middle Tech has led to some amazing opportunities over the years, but few have been as cool (or as important) as getting a private tour of a nuclear power plant.

This episode has been nearly two years in the making. I first got connected to the folks at the Tennessee Valley Authority through our work covering the GAME Change initiative when I met Amy Henry, the TVA’s Director of Transformation Innovation. She was kind enough to get me connected to their communications team and I’ve been bugging them to create some content together ever since.

So when the opportunity arose to come and tour one of their nuclear facilities and interview their Chief Nuclear Officer, Tim Rausch, it was an instant yes.

To be real for a second - I’m very proud of everything about this episode. I believe that the topics discussed in this one are some of the most important of this current moment in history. Not only does this episode feature an awesome conversation with a “Chief Nuclear Officer” (is there a more badass title?), but it will also give you a behind the scenes look at real, operational nuclear energy infrastructure from our tour of the facility. I believe it’s some of the best content Middle Tech has put out, and I’m very excited to be sharing it with you today.

What We Discussed:

Why nuclear energy is having a moment
Tim explains why nuclear is back in the national spotlight and how TVA is leading the charge in clean, scalable, dispatchable energy.

How AI and industry are reshaping the energy grid
From data centers to advanced manufacturing, demand for electricity is exploding and the grid has to evolve fast to keep up.

What a nuclear plant looks (and sounds) like
We take you inside the Sequoyah facility with TVA’s Fire Marshal Jake Carroll for a firsthand look at the turbines, control room, and cooling towers.

The path to next-gen nuclear technology
Tim outlines how TVA is exploring small modular reactors, advanced reactor designs, and modular construction as the future of energy generation.

What it takes to build a career in nuclear
Tim shares his 30-year journey in the industry and why the next generation has a huge opportunity to shape America’s energy future.

Listen to the episode on Spotify

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts

We hope you enjoy this episode! If you have any thoughts after listening, feel free to shoot me a message at [email protected]

Have a great week, friends!

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