It is understood that the United States will provide nuclear waste to energy companies so that they can convert it into fuel for advanced reactors, thereby breaking Russia's dominance over the uranium supply chain.
US Energy The ministry released an application on Tuesday that allows nuclear energy companies to acquire up to 19 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium from Cold War-era nuclear warheads.
Civilian nuclear power plants can use either uranium or plutonium as nuclear fuel, but their usage methods and scenarios differ.
In a document seen by industry insiders, the U.S. Department of Energy stated that selected companies receiving plutonium will likely receive faster approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license—a prerequisite for operating nuclear facilities in the United States.
At least two companies are expected to apply for access to the government’s plutonium stockpile—Oklo, backed by OpenAI CEO Altman, and Newcleo, a French developer of innovative reactors.
This move is the latest initiative by the Trump administration to promote the development of the nuclear industry, and is related to the US power sector. Demand is currently experiencing its first growth in decades. Industry experts predict that by 2035, data centers used for training and running AI models will... The surge will lead to a more than doubling of electricity demand.
Despite nuclear power plants in Michigan and Pennsylvania set to resume operations within the next two years, and billions of dollars invested in the development of small modular reactors in the United States, nuclear fuel bottlenecks remain a major constraint on the industry’s growth.
Small modular reactors (SMRs) can provide up to 300 megawatts of electricity and typically require highly enriched, low-enriched uranium (HALEU)—a material currently dominated by Russia. In 2024, the former Biden administration announced a ban on uranium imports from Russia. The United States produces less than one ton of uranium annually.
In May, Trump issued four executive orders aimed at promoting the development of the nuclear industry, two of which instructed the Department of Energy to identify and supply surplus nuclear fuel to reactor developers.
The hidden dangers should not be ignored.
However, many industry experts remain concerned about the commercial uses of plutonium and the risk of it falling into the hands of criminals.
Usico "Unless there is a commitment to ensure that its security is at the nuclear weapons level, the risk of theft will increase dramatically," said Edwin Lyman, a physicist at the Alliance of Scientists.
"If the parties involved have mature management capabilities and the federal government can set reasonable standards, this matter is not worth worrying about too much, but in reality this seems difficult to achieve."
As required by the U.S. Department of Energy , groups applying for access to plutonium stockpiles must now provide detailed information on their recycling plans, methods for manufacturing radioactive materials into fuel, and safety procedures.
As a potential applicant, French company Newcleo reached a joint agreement with Oklo last week to invest up to $2 billion in the United States, with the funds to be used to develop advanced fuel manufacturing and production infrastructure.
Newcleo founder and CEO Stefano Buono stated that they would be "very happy" to use the plutonium resource. "The United States has 92,000 tons of spent fuel, which could enable energy independence for up to a century."
However, the U.S. attempt in 2018 to use plutonium for civilian purposes was unsuccessful—it was ultimately cancelled due to the rising cost of converting plutonium into nuclear fuel. Furthermore, Trump's legal authority to distribute plutonium is currently unclear, as Congress controls nuclear waste.
(Article source: CLS)
