Trump admin wants nuclear startups to use plutonium for their reactors

Source: TechCrunch

Background

For decades, the United States has faced a plutonium problem. About 100 tons of plutonium were produced during the Cold War for nuclear weapons. As nuclear stockpiles were dismantled, the material was stored in high‑security facilities.

DOE selection of startups

The Department of Energy announced that it has selected five nuclear startups to negotiate receiving portions of the plutonium for use in a new generation of reactors. The DOE previously identified 34 tons of plutonium for disposal (https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0549-surplus-plutonium-disposition-program).

The selected companies are:

• Oklo
• Standard Nuclear
• Shine Technologies
• Flibe Energy
• Exodys Energy

Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a former Oklo board member, resigned from the board and divested his shares after joining the administration. Sam Altman, who chaired Oklo’s board following its merger with AltC, stepped down from that role last year.

Reactor concepts

• Oklo is developing a reactor that can run on traditional uranium fuel as well as plutonium, using the material to fuel its first reactors.
• Exodys Energy is working on a reactor that can operate with mixed‑oxide (MOX) fuel, which blends uranium and plutonium.
• Flibe Energy is pursuing a reactor design that would run on plutonium and other fission by‑products.

MOX production and past projects

MOX fuel is currently produced in France. The United States had planned to manufacture MOX in South Carolina, but the project was canceled by the first Trump administration after exceeding budgets and timelines. One of Oklo’s partners, UK‑based Newcleo, intends to build its own MOX fuel fabrication facility nearby.

Security concerns

Because the plutonium originates from nuclear weapons, security concerns are significant. Scott Roecker, vice president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, told the New York Times that “countries have tried this before, and they concluded that, as nice as it would be to use that plutonium as fuel, it’s really just a liability and we need to dispose of it permanently” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/climate/plutonium-nuclear-weapons-fuel.html).

Next steps

The startups will now enter advanced negotiations with the government covering security protocols and the transportation of plutonium.