The Trump administration wants to introduce nuclear weapons to use plutonium in their power plants

For years, the US has had a problem with plutonium. About 100 tons of the material was produced during the Cold War to go into the atomic bomb. But when nuclear weapons were dismantled, the government had to store nuclear weapons in highly secure facilities.

Now it needs the basics to help remove the rest.

The Department of Energy said Tuesday it had selected five nuclear reactors to begin negotiations with the government to receive a portion of the plutonium, which could be used to power a new generation of nuclear weapons. Department of Energy already known 34 tons of plutonium to waste.

The top five include Oklo, Standard Nuclear, Shine Technologies, Flibe Energy, and Exodys Energy.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright was previously on Oklo’s board, but he resigned when he took over and said he has resigned from his shares. Sam Altman was the chairman of Oklo following its merger with its acquisition company, AltC; Altman stepped down from the position last year.

Although plutonium exists in nature, it is usually produced by bombarding non-fissile uranium with neutrons. Once produced, the plutonium isotope has a half-life of 24,000 years, meaning the government cannot wait.

Oklo is developing a reactor that can use uranium and plutonium fuel. Plutonium could help the company turn on its first electricity. Exodys Energy is also developing a reactor that can use plutonium as part of mixed oxide fuel, or MOX, which combines uranium and plutonium. Flibe Energy is working on a reactor that would work on plutonium and other fission reactor materials.

MOX is currently produced in France, and while the US had plans to go to South Carolina, the first administration of Trump canceled the project after destroying the budget and time. One of Oklo’s partners in the project, UK-based Newcleo, said it plans to build its own MOX refinery nearby.

Not everyone is happy with the plan. Since plutonium is derived from nuclear weapons, safety concerns are paramount. “Countries have tried this in the past, and they have concluded that, even if it would be good to use plutonium as fuel, it is difficult and we have to dispose of it forever,” said Scott Roecker, vice president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative. he said and the New York Times.

For starters, the next step is to enter into high-level negotiations with the government on the safety and transportation of plutonium.