Key insights
- Oklo is in talks with the US Energy Department to use Cold War-era plutonium as nuclear reactor fuel. This follows a Trump-era executive order to halt plutonium dilution and disposal, instead using it for advanced nuclear technologies. This could modestly benefit the nuclear energy sector and related equities.
WASHINGTON, May 26 (Reuters) - Nuclear power company Oklo said on Tuesday it has been selected by the U.S. Energy Department for advanced talks on taking Cold War-era plutonium for use as nuclear reactor fuel.
Last year, Reuters reported the Trump administration plans to make available about 20 metric tons of Cold War-era plutonium from dismantled nuclear warheads to U.S. power companies as a potential fuel for reactors.
The plan would follow through on an executive order signed by President Donald Trump about a year ago ordering the U.S. government to halt much of its existing program to dilute and dispose of surplus plutonium, and instead provide it as a fuel for advanced nuclear technologies.