Plutonium for Energy?

Book excerpt: Plutonium is a controversial fuel for three reasons: it can be used to make nuclear weapons, causes cancer, and is extremely costly to produce. Yet, relatively little information has been publicly available regarding the main use of this fuel around the world, in traditional ("light water") nuclear power reactors. This book offers the first comprehensive global study of plutonium "mixed oxide" (MOX) fuel in those reactors. Field research was conducted in all seven countries that have commercially manufactured or used such MOX: Belgium, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The chapters explain why five of the countries have decided to phase out MOX, due to concerns about security, economics, safety, the environment, and public acceptance. This volume should inform ongoing decision-making - in China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and beyond - about whether to recycle plutonium for energy.