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2026-05-27 10:31:22
[US Department of Energy plans to supply weapons-grade plutonium as fuel to five private companies, raising concerns about nuclear proliferation] (1) The US Department of Energy has selected five companies, including Oklo, to begin negotiations on the “Excess Plutonium Utilization Program,” which for the first time allows private companies to acquire weapons-grade plutonium left over from the Cold War and convert it into electricity. (2) The program aims to expand the domestic supply of nuclear fuel, but has raised concerns about nuclear proliferation: some members of Congress have warned that transferring weapons-grade plutonium could increase the risk of it falling into the hands of rogue states or terrorists and open the door for other countries to follow suit. (3) Small modular reactors have attracted much attention due to the increased demand for electricity driven by AI, but face a fuel bottleneck—advanced reactors require higher enrichment levels of uranium. Companies such as Oklo believe that the US plutonium stockpile is key to quickly providing transition fuel and accelerating reactor commissioning.
