US to Provide Plutonium From Atomic Bombs to Fuel Nuclear Plants

The US is planning to distribute plutonium left over from Cold War-era weapons to commercial nuclear developers as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to accelerate the rollout of new reactors.

The Department of Energy has selected Oklo Inc. and four other firms for advanced negotiations to participate in the Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program, the Santa Clara, California-based company said in a statement Tuesday.

Closely held Exodys Energy, Shine Technologies, Standard Nuclear and Flibe Energy Inc. were also competitively selected for negotiations, the Energy Department said.

Under the program, the US will supply almost 20 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium ...