Story perspectives

Trump Orders 20-Tonne Plutonium Fuel; Lawmakers Cite Bomb Risk

5/28/2026

Summary

Energy Dept Allocates

The U.S. Energy Department announced it will allocate 20 metric tonnes of plutonium to Oklo, Exodys Energy, SHINE Technologies and Flibe Energy.
President Donald Trump ordered a halt to dilution and directed the plutonium’s use as reactor fuel.
Senators Edward Markey, Rep. Don Beyer and Rep. John Garamendi warned the 20-tonne stock could enable 2,000 nuclear bombs.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the program creates fuel to speed deployment.

Summary

DOE Reverses Plan

The program reverses the plan to dilute, vitrify, and bury surplus plutonium, a $19 billion strategy.
Oklo and Newcleo pledged up to $2 billion for a plant near Savannah River, South Carolina.
The plant aims to ease HALEU shortage after the 2024 U.S. ban on Russian uranium, choking supply by 2028.
The DOE will apply security protocols and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) oversight to plutonium’s transport and conversion before commercial use.

Summary

DOE Halts MOX

Past U.S. and foreign attempts to convert weapons-grade plutonium into mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel faced massive cost overruns and technical problems, prompting cancellation.
Tech firms planning large AI data centers are driving small modular reactor projects, tying nuclear fuel policy to growing AI power needs.
The Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program is still being negotiated, with open questions on security, transport and processing of material possibly still locked in dismantled warheads.

Summary

DOE Negotiates Plutonium

The Department of Energy’s nuclear energy office is leading advanced negotiations to allocate surplus plutonium to five selected firms.
Ernest Moniz, former Energy Secretary, warned that plutonium-based fuels have a poor civilian track record and could create additional weapons-usable material.
Standard Nuclear was listed among the five companies entering the 2026 negotiations, alongside Oklo, Exodys Energy, SHINE Technologies and Flibe Energy.

History

Historical Context

After the United States and Russia signed the 2001 Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement to convert 34 tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium, the U.S. built a $19 billion MOX plant at Savannah River, while Russia advanced the BN-800 fast-breeder at Beloyarsk, reaching full power in August 2016. Obama halted the U.S. facility in 2016, and Putin suspended the bilateral pact later that year, reshaping non-proliferation plans.

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Energy Dept Allocates

The U.S. Energy Department announced it will allocate 20 metric tonnes of plutonium to Oklo, Exodys Energy, SHINE Technologies and Flibe Energy.
President Donald Trump ordered a halt to dilution and directed the plutonium’s use as reactor fuel.
Senators Edward Markey, Rep. Don Beyer and Rep. John Garamendi warned the 20-tonne stock could enable 2,000 nuclear bombs.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the program creates fuel to speed deployment.

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