For decades, the United States has had a plutonium problem. Approximately 100 tons were manufactured for use as powerful atomic bombs during the Cold War. However, as nuclear stockpiles were disposed of, the government had to store radioactive materials in high-security facilities.
Now it’s looking to startups to help remove some of that.
The Department of Energy announced Tuesday that it has selected five nuclear startups to enter into negotiations with the government to receive some of the plutonium that could be used to power a new generation of nuclear reactors. The Department of Energy had previously identified 34 tons of plutonium for disposal.
The five startups include Oklo, Standard Nuclear, Shine Technologies, Flibe Energy, and Exodys Energy.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright previously served on Oklo’s board, but said he resigned and sold his stake upon entering government. Sam Altman served as chairman of Oklo’s board following its merger with acquisition company AltC. Mr. Altman resigned from his position last year.
Plutonium occurs in nature, but is generally a byproduct of bombarding non-fissile uranium with neutrons. Once formed, plutonium isotopes have a half-life of 24,000 years, so the government can’t just wait around.
Oklo is developing a reactor that can run on conventional uranium fuel as well as plutonium. The plutonium will help the company fuel its first nuclear reactor. Exodys Energy is also developing reactors that can operate using plutonium as part of mixed oxide fuel (MOX), which mixes uranium and plutonium. Flibe Energy is working on developing nuclear reactors that run on plutonium and other byproducts of nuclear fission reactors.
MOX is currently being produced in France, and the United States was planning to produce it in South Carolina, but the first Trump administration canceled the project because it was significantly over budget and schedule. UK-based Nucleo, one of Oklo’s partners in the project, said it intends to build its own MOX fuel production facility nearby.
However, not everyone is happy with this plan. Plutonium comes from nuclear weapons, so security concerns are significant. Scott Locker, vice president of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, told the New York Times: “Countries have tried this before, but they’ve come to the conclusion that while it’s good to use that plutonium as fuel, it’s really just a liability and needs to be disposed of forever.”
The next step for the startup is to begin advanced negotiations with governments regarding the security and transportation of the plutonium.
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