US: Nuclear Experts Warn Against Weapons-Grade Uranium Reactor Test

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Facts

  • In a letter published Tuesday, a group of former nuclear regulators urged the US Department of Energy (DOE) to re-think its Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment (MCRE) at the Idaho National Laboratory, which intends to use weapons-grade uranium for nuclear power research.1
  • The experts say "the damage to national security could exceed any potential benefit" by encouraging other nations to increase their production of highly enriched uranium (HEU), going against a "decades-old" US policy against HEU proliferation.2
  • In the 1950s and 60s, the US provided HEU for research reactors around the globe before reversing course in the 1970s. Since then, 99 of the 171 HEU research reactors have reportedly either switched to low-enriched fuel or shut down entirely, with five currently operating in the US.3
  • The six-month experiment, led by the DOE, Southern Colorado, and the Bill Gates-backed TerraPower, will use 1.3K pounds of HEU in hopes of advancing molten chloride technology.1
  • The signatories encourage the conversion of the project to low-enriched uranium, claiming that a decrease in security expenses would offset the costs. The DOE, however, says the reactor would need to be three times larger if it used less pure uranium, and that the current reactor would be deactivated at the conclusion of the project.2
  • TerraPower has said the MCRE would be handled at a facility used to dealing with HEU and that they are already developing an MCRE that would use low-enrichment 20% uranium, adding that "there will never be a commercial product from TerraPower that runs on HEU."1

Sources: 1Reuters, 2BOL News, and 3Science.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Freethink. Decades-old technology might hold the key to unleashing the full potential of nuclear power around the world, as molten chloride reactors could generate more electricity, be cheaper to produce, and be safer and more reliable than current reactors. The risks of the MCRE using highly-enriched uranium will be offset by the adoption of clean, safe, and economical nuclear power.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Dismal performance metrics have been the fruit of all prior molten chloride experiments, as there isn't a single material that can reliably withstand the highly corrosive and radioactive conditions inside the reactor. Energy agencies also doubt that one could ever be economical to deploy. The risks of nuclear proliferation for the sake of an all-but-doomed experiment are too grave to continue the MCRE.

Predictions