Megatons to Megawatts: One reason we ought to stop worrying and love the bomb
Nuclear power—which generates roughly 20 percent of our nation’s total electricity supply—is a clean source of energy, producing neither criteria pollutants nor carbon dioxide. It is also the only source of energy that combines 24/7 production, reliability and affordability, Scott Peterson of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) said in an ASP Podcast earlier this week.
Nuclear naysayers suggest the perils of nuclear power outweigh its advantages, often raising concerns about weapons proliferation and nuclear waste. Of course, nuclear energy, like any source of energy, has some risks associated with it.
But one lesser-known fact about nuclear energy may give us reason to stop worrying about potential proliferation and to start loving the bomb. A decommissioned bomb, that is. Dismantled Russian nuclear bombs help generate about 10 percent of the electricity in the United States. The Megatons to Megawatts Program recycles bomb-grade uranium from Russian nuclear warheads to into low enriched uranium (LEU) to produce fuel for American nuclear power plants. Born partially out of the necessity to secure an abandoned nuclear arsenal after the Soviet Union collapsed, the program calls for Russia to convert and dilute 500 metric tons of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) from dismantled nuclear warheads into LEU over a twenty-year period. The resulting LEU is then shipped to USEC facilities in the U.S. to be fabricated into reactor fuel.
Talk about killing two birds with one stone! The Megatons to Megawatts program is steadily reducing stockpiles of nuclear bomb-grade material while creating a clean, valuable resource—uranium for use in nuclear fuel. To date, 433 metric tons of bomb-grade HEU have been recycled into 12,494 metric tons of LEU, equivalent to 17,335 nuclear warheads eliminated.
It is very likely that nuclear power will be an important component in our energy profile in the coming years. The challenge lies in being able to manage the risks associated with it. But by spearheading commercial partnerships like the Megatons to Megawatts Program and negotiating nonproliferation treaties, the U.S. can lead the way towards a cleaner, safer energy future.
