Plutonium Shortage Threatens Next-Generation Nuclear Energy Projects

LONDON, September 1. /TASS/. A shortage of plutonium could slow the implementation of next-generation nuclear energy projects worldwide, the Financial Times (FT) reported.

According to the newspaper, a shortage of plutonium, an artificial element made as a byproduct of nuclear reactor operations, is creating serious challenges for startups developing innovative reactors. A number of new projects require plutonium to produce mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, but supplies are limited due to a shortage of reprocessing capacity.

According to an estimate by a French nuclear official, building a large spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant requires around 40 bln euros in investment and 10 years of construction. France is currently upgrading its reprocessing plant at La Hague, one of the few such facilities in the world outside Russia. The plant reprocessed 1,200 metric tons of spent fuel last year.

In the United Kingdom, which holds the largest stockpile of plutonium outside Russia, the government decided last year not to use it to produce mixed oxide fuel and instead dispose of it at the Sellafield site, prompting French-Italian startup Newcleo to abandon its operations in the country.

Analysts noted that existing global stockpiles of separated plutonium total 571 metric tons, but most of this material comes from weapons programs and is unavailable to energy companies. According to experts, while only around 10% of small reactor projects under development worldwide require plutonium to produce mixed oxide fuel, these projects are among the most innovative and ambitious. The rest can use conventional uranium fuel or high-assay low-enriched uranium, which is predominantly produced by Russia.