Trump moves forward with plan to turn Cold War nuclear bomb material into fuel

The U.S. announced Tuesday it has selected five companies, including Oklo, for advanced discussions on potentially repurposing its Cold War-era plutonium as nuclear reactor fuel.

This initiative follows reports last year that the administration of Donald Trump planned to make approximately 20 metric tons of plutonium from dismantled nuclear warheads available to American power companies.

Trump had previously ordered a halt in May to a significant program aimed at diluting and disposing of surplus plutonium. Instead, his directive sought to provide this material as fuel for advanced nuclear technologies.

However, the plan has faced opposition. Democratic lawmakers have urged Donald Trump to cancel his surplus plutonium initiative, warning it poses a proliferation risk and involves enough plutonium to create 2,000 atomic bombs.