"US Moves to Use Cold War Nuclear Waste as Fuel for Power Plants"

Nucleo CEO: "U.S. Could Achieve 100 Years of Energy Independence With Plutonium"

The Financial Times (FT) reported on October 21 (local time) that the U.S. government has decided to allow private companies to use highly enriched plutonium, previously contained in Cold War-era nuclear warheads, as fuel for nuclear power generation.

The headquarters of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) located in Washington, D.C.

According to the FT, companies selected by the U.S. Department of Energy as recipients of plutonium will be able to obtain the necessary permits from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to operate nuclear facilities more quickly. This measure by the Department of Energy is interpreted as part of the Trump administration's policy to promote the nuclear power industry in order to meet the growing electricity demand in the United States, driven by operations such as artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Nuclear power plants in Michigan and Pennsylvania are scheduled to be restarted within the next two years, and billions of dollars have been invested in the development of small modular reactors (SMRs). However, there are still concerns that the supply of nuclear fuel remains insufficient to meet demand.

Experts have expressed concerns about the commercial use of plutonium and the risks if plutonium is misused. Edwin Lyman, Director of Nuclear Power Safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), an American anti-nuclear organization, stated, "Unless there is a guarantee that plutonium will be protected as securely as nuclear weapons, the risk of theft will inevitably increase." He added, "If you could trust that responsible parties will act accordingly and that the federal government will impose appropriate standards, it would not be a major concern, but that does not seem feasible."

The FT also reported that two SMR development companies-Oklo, which is backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and the French company Nucleo-are expected to apply for permission to use plutonium. Stefano Buono, founder and CEO of Nucleo, said he would be "very willing" to use plutonium, adding, "The United States has 92,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel, which could ensure energy independence for 100 years."

However, some have pointed out that since legal authority over nuclear waste rests with Congress, it is unclear whether President Trump has the legal power to authorize the use of plutonium in this manner.