US to Share Old Plutonium for Nuclear Fuel by Year-End

The U. S. Energy Department is planning to announce by the end of December which companies will receive around 19. 7 metric tons of surplus plutonium from the Cold War era. This plutonium will be used to make fuel for nuclear reactors. Applications from companies are due by November 21.

Background and Context

This plan is part of a decision made by President Donald Trump in May. He ordered the government to stop diluting and disposing of surplus plutonium. Instead, the plutonium will be given to companies to use as fuel. However, it will take several years for companies to convert the plutonium into fuel.

Storage and Handling

The U. S. Energy Department stores surplus plutonium in heavily guarded weapons facilities. Plutonium has a half-life of 24, 000 years and must be handled with protective gear. The plutonium will be offered to companies at little to no cost, but companies will need to get approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. They will also have to pay for processing and manufacturing the fuel.

Concerns and Criticisms

The idea of using surplus plutonium for fuel has raised concerns among nuclear safety experts. They argue that it comes with proliferation risks and that a previous similar effort failed. Edwin Lyman, a physicist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said:

"It would be incredibly dangerous, complicated, and expensive to convert these impure plutonium materials into fuel that is safe enough for use in reactors."

Historical Context

Under a 2000 agreement with Russia, the U. S. initially planned to convert surplus plutonium to mixed oxide fuel (MOX) for reactors. But in 2018, the first Trump administration killed the contract for a MOX project that it said would have cost more than $50 billion.

Companies Interested

Companies including Oklo and Newcleo hope this time will be successful. Stefano Buono, CEO and founder of French company Newcleo, said his firm was encouraged by Trump's decision to make the plutonium available. He believes it can bring "safe, efficient and secure operations to the U. S. nuclear ecosystem and to our partners."