Posted on 08/22/2025 4:41:37 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Summary
WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - The Trump administration plans to make available about 20 metric tons of Cold War-era plutonium from dismantled nuclear warheads to U.S. power companies as a potential fuel for reactors, according to a source familiar with the matter and a draft memo outlining the plan.
Plutonium has previously only been converted to fuel for commercial U.S. reactors in short-lived tests. The plan would follow through on an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in May ordering the government to halt much of its existing program to dilute and dispose of surplus plutonium, and instead provide it as a fuel for advanced nuclear technologies.
The Department of Energy, or DOE, plans to announce in coming days it will seek proposals from industry, said the source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The source cautioned that because the plan is still a draft, its final details could change pending further discussions.
The plutonium would be offered to industry at little to no cost -- with a catch. Industry will be responsible for costs of transportation, designing, building, and decommissioning DOE-authorized facilities to recycle, process and manufacture the fuel, the memo said.
The details on the volume of the plutonium, industry's responsibilities in the plan and the potential timing of a U.S. announcement, have not been previously reported. The 20 metric tons would be drawn from a larger, 34-metric-ton stockpile of weapons-grade plutonium that the United States had previously committed to dispose of under a non-proliferation agreement with Russia in...
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Spent fuel rods is a REALLY big problem that has yet to be resolved.
The new generation reactors are able to use the fuel to the point of being inert.
Jimmy Carter banned reprocessing fuel rods, by executive order.
Will Trump finally be the President with enough guts and common sense to rescind that stupid EO?
Thanks for the info.
It’s my understanding that many nuclear facilities are storing their spent fuel rods on site, and that they must be kept under constant cooling, and if there is ever a catastrophic power outage things would go South very quickly.
If I am misinformed, please enlighten me.
“”””The plutonium would be offered to industry at little to no cost —””””””””””
This is great news. I need some plutonium for my flux capacitor so I can get back to 1955.
My Mister Fusion takes care of that.
Cool!
Walmart can make more radioactive shrimp!
Yes, certain nuclear reactors can use spent nuclear fuel rods (often referred to as “used” or “old” fuel rods) by reprocessing or recycling them. This process involves extracting usable fissile material from spent fuel to create new fuel for reactors. Here’s a concise overview:
1. **Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs)**:
- These reactors, like Russia’s BN-800 or France’s former Superphénix, can use reprocessed spent fuel, including plutonium extracted from old rods, to generate energy. They “breed” more fissile material (e.g., plutonium-239) than they consume, making them efficient for recycling nuclear waste.
- They can utilize mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, which combines plutonium from spent rods with uranium.
2. **Reprocessing Technologies**:
- Countries like France, Russia, and Japan have reprocessing facilities (e.g., La Hague in France) that extract plutonium and uranium from spent fuel rods. The extracted materials are used to create MOX fuel for light water reactors (LWRs) or fast reactors.
- For example, France’s pressurized water reactors (PWRs) can use MOX fuel made from reprocessed spent fuel.
3. **Advanced Reactor Designs**:
- **Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs)**: Some designs, like those proposed by companies such as TerraPower or Flibe Energy, can potentially use spent nuclear fuel as part of their fuel cycle, reducing waste.
- **Gas-Cooled Fast Reactors (GFRs)**: These can also be designed to use recycled fuel from old rods.
- **Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)**: Some SMR designs are exploring the use of reprocessed fuel to improve sustainability.
4. **Challenges and Limitations**:
- Reprocessing is expensive and complex, requiring specialized facilities to handle radioactive materials safely.
- Only a few countries (e.g., France, Russia, Japan) actively reprocess spent fuel due to economic, technical, and proliferation concerns (plutonium can be used in weapons).
- Most reactors, especially traditional LWRs, are not designed to directly use old rods without reprocessing.
5. **Global Context**:
- In the U.S., reprocessing is limited due to policy and cost, so most spent fuel is stored (e.g., in dry casks or pools).
- Countries with active reprocessing programs integrate recycled fuel into their reactor fleets, reducing waste and extending fuel resources.
references?
Check post 9. It is from Grok.
To not reprocess spent fuel never made sense to me. It is called recycling. Big deal.
Swords into plowshares.
Many moons ago a US President from the state of Georgia killed the ‘breeder reactor.’ Is this related?
OK for you but none for Mohammed Power and Light Co.
Agreed. I think of it as the catalytic converter of fuel rod use — getting a little more out of it before disposing it.
Most all “Nuke” issues are due to politics,
not real Physics.
“All things tend to entropy”.
Scary part is controlling that
entropy!
France has a very effective reprocessing of spent fuel.
Still LOTS of U235 in spent fuel
Actually, it’ not . Spent fuel rods can be reprocessed
The problem is that Jimmy Carter banned reprocessing of spent uranium in the US.
“”””The problem is that Jimmy Carter banned reprocessing of spent uranium in the US. “””
That was about half a century ago. I would bet the technology regarding that has improved greatly. Plus, Carter was an idiot.
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