Trump Administration Wants to Give Cold War-Era Plutonium to Nuclear Energy Start Ups
The Trump administration is exploring the use of surplus Cold War-era plutonium for advanced nuclear energy. Five companies have been selected for negotiations to convert this plutonium into fuel for new reactors. Critics warn that this initiative could pose risks related to nuclear proliferation and safety.
- ▪The U.S. Department of Energy has selected five companies for advanced negotiations to utilize surplus plutonium from dismantled nuclear warheads.
- ▪Oklo plans to collaborate with newcleo to convert plutonium into fuel for advanced reactors, addressing fuel supply constraints.
- ▪Critics, including the Nuclear Threat Initiative, express concerns that this program could lead to more weapons-usable material and encourage proliferation.
2 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 23 hours. All of the coverage we found sits in one bucket: lean left. That one-sidedness is itself worth noticing.
- ▪ U.S. Aims to Give Cold War Plutonium to Start-Ups for Nuclear Fuel — NYT — Science
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| Original publisher | Gizmodo |
| Canonical URL | https://gizmodo.com/trump-administration-wants-to-give-cold-war-era-plutonium-to-nuclear-energy-start-ups-2000763989 |
| Publication time | Wed, 27 May 2026 17:05:15 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-27T17:08:01.967Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-27T17:08:01.967Z |
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| Cluster | pPX6Ea4Ik9aa · 2 stories |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Apparently, the U.S. government’s solution for its stockpile of plutonium left over from Cold War-era nuclear weapons is to give private companies a shot at turning some of it into energy. The U.S. Department of Energy has selected five companies for advanced negotiations under a program that could make surplus plutonium from dismantled nuclear warheads available as fuel for advanced nuclear…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Gizmodo.
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