Managing the Plutonium Surplus: Applications and Technical Options

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Superpower arms reduction, nuclear reprocessing and the abandonment or deferral of plans for fast breeder reactions have combined to produce a worldwide surplus of highly enriched uranium and plutonium. Both materials pose security and safety problems, and plutonium poses particular dilemmas for disposal or other ways of consuming the surplus. But new studies and technical developments have opened up new possibilities for managing the plutonium surplus. To highlight the issues raised and to assess these options, the Royal Institute of International Affairs hosted a NATO sponsored Advanced Research Workshop to examine technical aspects of the worldwide surplus of separated plutonium. These proceedings examine the state of knowledge about the amount, form, location and characteristics of separated plutonium, and the many and varied proposals for disposing of or consuming the surplus. With a total of 24 papers and commentaries from leading experts in a dozen countries, it provides an overview of the state of research on ways of dealing with one of today’s most pressing security problems, and the potential implications for nuclear energy strategies.