Assessing alternative strategies for the disposition of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:182993

Chow, B G

Highly-enriched uranium (HEU) from dismantled nuclear weapons and military inventory can be blended down into proliferation-resistant low-enriched uranium and used economically as fuel in current nuclear reactors. However, the US can no longer expect the agreement to purchase and resell the uranium blended down from 500 metric tons of Russia`s HEU to be budget neutral. The authors recommend that other countries participate in the repurchase of blended-down uranium from the US and that a multilateral offer to Russia, which acts on behalf of all four former Soviet nuclear republics, be made for the purchase of the blended-down uranium from Russia`s remaining HEU. Since spent fuel in temporary storage worldwide contains enough plutonium to fuel breeders on any realistic buildup schedule in the event that breeders are needed, there is no need to save the weapons-grade plutonium for the future. This paper compares the costs of burning it in existing light water reactors, storing it indefinitely, and burying it after 20 years of storage. They found that the present-valued cost is about $1 to 2 billion in US dollars for all three alternatives. The deciding factor for selection should be an alternative`s proliferation resistance. Prolonged plutonium storage in Russia runs the risk of theft and, if the Russian political scene turns for the worse, the risk of re-use in its nuclear arsenal. The most urgent issue, however, is to determine not the disposition alternative but whether Russia will let its weapons-grade plutonium leave the former Soviet Republics (FSRs). The US should offer to buy and remove such plutonium from the FSRs. If Russia refuses even after the best US efforts, the US should then persuade Russia to burn or bury the plutonium, but not store it indefinitely for future breeder use.

• OSTI ID: 182993
• Report Number(s): CONF-950917--; ISBN 0-7918-1219-7
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
COST ESTIMATION
DENATURED FUEL
HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM
NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM RECYCLE
POLITICAL ASPECTS
PRODUCTION
PROLIFERATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
USA