Plutonium Disposition Program: DOE Needs to Analyze the Root Causes of Cost Increases and Develop Better Cost Estimates

By U.S. Government Accountability Office

The end of the cold war left the United States with a surplus of weapons-grade plutonium. Much of this material is found in a key nuclear weapon component known as a pit. In 1997, DOE announced a plan to dispose of surplus, weapons-grade plutonium through an approach that included fabrication of plutonium into MOX fuel for use in domestic commercial nuclear reactors. In 2000, the United States and Russia entered into a Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement, in which each country pledged to dispose of at least 34 metric tons of surplus, weapons-grade plutonium. Through a protocol to the agreement signed in 2010, the United States and Russia reaffirmed their commitment to dispose of surplus, weapons-grade plutonium as MOX fuel in nuclear reactors, and the agreement entered into force in 2011.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1503371808
• ISBN13: 9781503371804
• Release Date: January 2015
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 58 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 8.5" x 11.0"