US chooses partners to use Cold War-era plutonium as fuel | Nuclear Energy News

The Trump administration plans to make about 20 tons of plutonium from decommissioned nuclear weapons available to US companies.

The United States government has selected five companies, including the nuclear weapons company Oklo, to begin negotiations on using its Cold War-era plutonium as nuclear fuel.

The US Department of Energy made the announcement on Tuesday.

The US Department of Energy has an additional US plutonium stockpile, which has a half-life of 24,000 years and must be supported by protective equipment, in highly protected military facilities in areas such as South Carolina, Texas and New Mexico.

Oklo, whose price was up more than 5.5 percent to $69.51 per share, said it plans to produce oil with nucleo, a European company that wants to develop advanced nuclear weapons.

Reuters reported last year that US President Donald Trump’s administration wants to produce about 20 tons of plutonium from dismantled nuclear weapons for the US energy industry.

Last May, Trump ordered a halt to the program to reduce and dispose of excess plutonium, and instead donate it as fuel for advanced nuclear weapons, a plan that some Democrats opposed.

In a letter in September, Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Representatives Don Beyer of Virginia and John Garamendi of California said 20 tons of weapons-grade plutonium was enough for about 2,000 nuclear bombs. Such a move “raises concerns about weapons proliferation, makes no economic sense, and could undermine national security,” he wrote, asking the agency to block the plan.

Other companies that have been selected are Exodys Energy, SHINE Technologies, Standard Nuclear and Flibe Energy, the US Energy Department said in a statement.

Oklo said in his statement that nucleo will bring information about the oil and possible investment in the project, according to the agreements, approved by the security and defense of the US.

“This program creates a way to use existing resources as bridge fuel to bring more reactors online sooner,” said Oklo cofounder and CEO Jacob DeWitte. “Materials that are set aside to be destroyed can be turned into fuel for electricity generation.”

Stefano Buono, nucleo’s CEO and founder, said that using plutonium as fuel would reduce the US nuclear debt.

US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright was on Oklo’s board of directors before joining the Trump administration.

The department said the Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program is supposed to help companies get their money back. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how the program would ensure the equipment is properly maintained.