Hmmmm...
High-grade plutonium (reactor-grade plutonium) is plutonium created in reactors during the uranium fuel cycle. Currently, this plutonium either stays in the spent fuel or is extracted during reprocessing and stockpiled. High-grade plutonium can be used in new nuclear reactor fuels or in nuclear weapons.
As recent reports indicate, there are 274 metric tons of separated high-grade plutonium (equivalent of 15,000-20,000 nuclear weapons) stored around the world. Another 1,400 metric tons of this fissile material is embedded in spent fuel and stored at hundreds of commercial reactor sites. While not called weapons-grade, separated high-grade plutonium is weapons-usable and can be used to make a nuclear weapon.
This fissile material continues to be produced as a byproduct of the fission process due to heavy reliance on conventional uranium fuel. Each reactor produces approximately 25 bombs worth of plutonium per year. As of early 2007, World Nuclear Association , there were approximately 435 operating nuclear power plants in the world and another 30 reactor units were under construction.
Thorium Power's thorium/high-grade plutonium disposing fuel technology is expected to offer a more economically viable way to dispose of separated reactor-grade plutonium than conventional fuel technologies (i.e., mixed oxide fuel or MOX) currently used in a number of European and Japanese nuclear power plants. Moreover, our technology combined with available high-grade plutonium inventories makes it possible for commercial reactors to achieve superior fuel economics. We have estimated that our solution can provide fuel cost savings of up to 15%, compared to current commercially available solutions. |
