How the Arctic Could Run on Nuclear With Gwen Holdmann

How the Arctic Could Run on Nuclear With Gwen Holdmann

From Fissionary by NEI

February 19, 2026 · 31 min · Season 5 · Episode 4

About this episode

Gwen Holdmann discusses the challenges of energy access in remote areas of Alaska and the implications of nuclear power.

What if turning on the lights wasn’t a given, but a daily question mark?  In this episode of Fissionary, Mary and Jordan sit down with Gwen Holdmann, an engineer, energy researcher, and longtime off-grid Alaskan, about what energy access really means in some of the most remote places in the United States. Gwen shares what it was like to live for decades without reliable electricity, how fragile Alaska’s power systems really are, and why energy is about far more than convenience when heat can be a matter of survival.  Visit us at www.nei.org/fissionary . Gwen’s Podcast: Closing The Gap Fissionary Wants To Hear From You! Fill out our short listener survey Music used in this episode was created by Beat Mekanik

People in this episode

Hosts: Mary, Jordan

Guest: Gwen Holdmann

Topics covered

  • energy access
  • nuclear power
  • remote living
  • Alaska
  • electricity reliability
  • survival

Keywords

  • nuclear energy
  • Alaska
  • electricity
  • energy systems
  • off-grid living
  • survival
  • power reliability

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NEI, Closing The Gap

Places: Alaska, United States

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