Overview Long-Term Disposition Options for Plutonium

Abstract

Large amounts of plutonium will be released from dismantled warheads and spent reactor fuels in the next two decades. At present, there are no clear strategies for managing these unprecedented flows of material. The most urgent need is an international plutonium storage scheme. Various suggestions have been made to get rid of the weapons plutonium once it has been separated. Burning-up the plutonium as MOX fuel in existing or specially designed reactors, and thus deriving some energy benefit, seems to present an attractive alternative. MOX fuel technology and utilization in existing reactors has become mature in several countries. If plutonium arisings cannot be absorbed commercially, much of the plutonium will have to be treated as waste. A substantial international R&D effort is required to find acceptable solutions other than storage.