Plutonium Conversion

The US will dispose of 34 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium by converting it into mixed oxide fuel (MOX) for use in commercial nuclear reactors. The decision, announced in late January by Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, ends the dual-track approach that considered immobilizing the plutonium in glass logs as an alternative to fuel conversion. The elimination of the storage alternative will save about $2 billion, Abraham said.

The surplus plutonium is the result of an agreement signed by the US and Russia in 2000 committing each country to dispose of 34 metric tons of plutonium from their weapons programs. The decision to go with fuel conversion came after the National Security Council staff spent a year reviewing the costs and implications of alternative methods of disposing of the plutonium. “This path forward is workable, technologically possible, and an affordable solution that meets our commitments …,” Abraham said. The MOX conversion process is estimated to cost $3.8 billion over 20 years. A number of public interest advocacy groups, led by the Washington-based Nuclear Control Institute, plan to oppose the licensing of the MOX processing plants on the grounds that the plutonium immobilization is safer.