Key Background
President Donald Trump previously signed a series of executive orders last year aimed at reinvesting resources into nuclear energy, including one order that paused a “dilute and dispose” program for surplus plutonium. The order also directed Wright to start a program to make the material available to U.S. industries for future fuel use. The DoE was previously pursuing a plan to dilute about 34 metric tons of plutonium and store it in an underground facility in New Mexico.
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Crucial Quote
In a statement released earlier on Tuesday, Oklo CEO Jacob DeWitte said the surplus plutonium could be used to address “fuel supply constraints,” and addressing this could help the company bring nuclear reactors online. “Material that has been set aside for disposal can instead be converted into fuel to produce electricity through fission,” DeWitte said. Stefano Buono, the CEO of newcleo, praised his company’s new partnership with Oklo and said they would work onto “reducing nuclear liabilities through our fuel and reactor technologies.” The other companies and the DoE did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Forbes.
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