Trump and nuclear non-proliferation

[The Great Zaganza]

DOE fast tracks test reactor projects - Nuclear Engineering International

The US DOE has selected 11 advanced projects for Trump's Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, aiming for at least three to achieve criticality by July 2026.

www.neimagazine.com

Oklo moves closer to nuclear power deal with US Air Force

Oklo , a U.S. company hoping to build micro nuclear power plants, said on Wednesday the energy logistics agency of the Defense Department has issued a notice of intent to award a power purchase agreement for a pilot reactor.

www.reuters.com

Nuclear energy could power the AI boom—but only if proliferation risks are minimized

The most problematic aspect of a microreactor concept promoted by the nuclear energy start-up Oklo Inc. is its proliferation implications. Simply put, Oklo’s concept could increase the availability of fissile materials needed for nuclear weapons and, therefore, the likelihood that bad actors...

thebulletin.org

Trump is pushing hard the building of new reactors and the development of new reactor types for domestic use and export.

Problematic are the SNRs (small nuclear reactor), which use plutonium that will convert their fuel into weapons-grade material.

The Trump administrations has (via EO), greenlit the transfer of plutonium in military stockpile to the companies selected to build and sell the new reactors.

In particular, the company Oklo proposes to sell a reactor and a fuel post-processing plant that would create material ready for use in a bomb.

Guess Iran doesn't need it's nuclear program - it can just buy what it needs.

 

[Ziggurat]

In particular, the company Oklo proposes to sell a reactor and a fuel post-processing plant that would create material ready for use in a bomb.

Guess Iran doesn't need it's nuclear program - it can just buy what it needs.

This is a reactor intended for use by the US military, to power remote bases such as in Alaska. It's not intended for export, or even general use within the US. It's going to be expensive relative to the amount of power it outputs, so it would have few suitable customers even if we were willing to export it (which I doubt, and your link gives no indication of). And I don't think we really need to worry about the proliferation risk of the United States possibly having access to plutonium.

 

[newyorkguy]

Yes, trump knows what he's doing. You just have to trust him.

 

[Ziggurat]

Yes, trump knows what he's doing. You just have to trust him.

What, you think Trump came up with this idea? Of course he didn't. This isn't about trusting Trump, who has basically nothing to do with this himself. It's primarily about understanding what this proposed reactor even is, and what it's for.

 

[ahhell]

This is a reactor intended for use by the US military, to power remote bases such as in Alaska. It's not intended for export, or even general use within the US. It's going to be expensive relative to the amount of power it outputs, so it would have few suitable customers even if we were willing to export it (which I doubt, and your link gives no indication of). And I don't think we really need to worry about the proliferation risk of the United States possibly having access to plutonium.

The Army has a great track record with that sort of thing.

Aside from the potential use in production of weapons I'm generally in favor of this. It seems to me that if there are more than one option and some of them don't produce Plutonium, we should probably concentrate on those. On the other hand, as Zig says, unless the US licenses these for export, the proliferation thing isn't actually a risk.