The Trump administration wants nuclear startups to use plutonium in their reactors

For decades, the United States has had a plutonium problem. About 100 tons of the material were manufactured during the Cold War for use in making powerful atomic bombs. But as the nuclear stockpiles were dismantled, the government was forced to store radioactive materials in high-security facilities.

Now, startups want to help eliminate some of it.

The Energy Department said Tuesday it has selected five nuclear startups to enter into negotiations with the government to acquire a portion of the plutonium, which could be used to power a new generation of nuclear reactors. Ministry of Energy It has been previously identified 34 tons of plutonium for disposal.

The five startups include Oklo, Standard Nuclear, Shine Technologies, Flibe Energy and Exodys Energy.

Energy Minister Chris Wright was previously on Oklo’s board, but resigned when he joined management and said he had divested his shares. Sam Altman was chairman of Oklo after its merger with his buyout firm AltC. Altman resigned from his position last year.

Although plutonium exists in nature, it is usually a byproduct of bombarding non-fissile uranium with neutrons. Once a plutonium isotope is formed, it has a half-life of 24,000 years, which means the government can’t wait it out.

Oklo is developing a reactor that can operate on conventional uranium fuel as well as plutonium. The plutonium would help the company fuel its first reactors. Exodys Energy is also developing a reactor that could operate using some plutonium as part of mixed oxide fuel, or MOX, which mixes uranium with plutonium. Flibe Energy is creating a reactor powered by plutonium and other byproducts of fission reactors.

MOX is currently produced in France, and while the United States had plans to manufacture it in South Carolina, the first Trump administration canceled the project after it exceeded budgets and timelines. One of Oklo’s partners in the project, UK-based Newcleo, said it intends to build its own MOX fuel manufacturing facility nearby.

However, not everyone is happy with the plan. Since plutonium comes from nuclear weapons, security concerns are significant. “Nations have tried this before and have concluded that while using this plutonium as fuel is nice, it’s really just a burden and we should get rid of it permanently,” said Scott Rucker, vice president of the Nuclear Threat Initiative. He said New York Times.

For startups, the next step is to enter into advanced negotiations with the government regarding security and transportation of plutonium.