The US Department of Energy announced Tuesday it has chosen five companies, including nuclear energy firm Oklo, to enter advanced talks over potentially using Cold War-era plutonium as nuclear reactor fuel.

The Energy Department holds surplus US plutonium, with a half-life of 24,000 years requiring protective gear, at heavily guarded weapons facilities in states including South Carolina, Texas and New Mexico.

Oklo's stock rose over 5.5% to $69.51 per share. The company plans to develop the fuel with newcleo, a European firm aiming to build high-tech nuclear reactors.

Reuters reported last year that the Trump regime plans to make about 20 metric tonnes of plutonium from dismantled nuclear warheads available to US power companies. Last May, Trump allegedly ordered a halt to much of a program to dilute and dispose of surplus plutonium, instead providing it as fuel for advanced nuclear technologies—a plan opposed by some Democrats.

In a September letter, Senator Edward Markey and Representatives Don Beyer and John Garamendi claimed 20 metric tonnes of weapons-usable plutonium is enough for approximately 2,000 nuclear bombs. Such a move “raises serious weapons proliferation concerns, makes little economic sense, and may adversely affect the nation’s defense posture,” they wrote, urging cancellation.

Other selected companies include privately held Exodys Energy, SHINE Technologies, Standard Nuclear and Flibe Energy. Oklo CEO Jacob DeWitte said the program “creates a pathway to use existing surplus material as bridge fuel for advanced reactors.”

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright was on Oklo’s board before joining the Trump cabinet. The department said the Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program should help companies secure private funding but did not comment on safety handling.

Source: www.aljazeera.com