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Climate Confident - Practical Climate Solutions That Cut Emissions

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Climate Confident - Practical Climate Solutions That Cut Emissions

The Lithium Isotope Bottleneck Between Nuclear Breakthroughs and Power Plants

October 21, 2026 • Tom Raftery • Season 1 • Episode 299

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Advanced nuclear could have a lithium isotope problem long before it has a commercial power plant. Promising reactor designs need specialist materials that are barely produced at industrial scale.

John Elling, CEO of Molten Salt Solutions, joins me to explain why isotope separation matters to both advanced fission and fusion. Getting enough of the right lithium, at a price developers can plan around, is an engineering and investment challenge - not simply a procurement exercise.

We explore the surprising reason some fission reactors want to avoid lithium-6 while many fusion designs depend on it. We also examine how material prices can change reactor design, and the dilemma facing suppliers asked to invest in production capacity before customers can commit to buying it.

Listen now to understand what needs to happen between a nuclear breakthrough and a power plant delivering electricity to the grid.

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