--- title: "America Now Disassembling Old Nuclear Warheads to Power Nuclear Reactors" description: "Nuclear researchers and energy startups are now melting down weapons-grade uranium from unexploded warheads to power next-generation SMRs." date: "2024-09-09" modified: "2024-09-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/disassembling-nuclear-warheads-power-nuclear-plants" categories: - "Energy" - "Nuclear Fusion" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Nuclear Energy" - "small modular reactors" - "the digest" --- # America Now Disassembling Old Nuclear Warheads to Power Nuclear Reactors ![Nuclear researchers and energy startups are now melting down weapons-grade uranium from unexploded warheads to power next-generation SMRs.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Nuclear and Present Numerous ventures are looking to develop small [modular nuclear reactors]() (SMRs) that are smaller and cheaper to build than traditional nuclear plants and can provide an in situ source of l0w-emission electricity. But especially since president Joe Biden [signed a ban]() on the import of Russian-enriched uranium earlier this year, nuclear scientists have had to resort to some highly unusual sources. Case in point, as [*CNN* reports](), researchers and energy startups are now melting down weapons-grade uranium from unexploded warheads to power next-generation SMRs. The "couch cushion exercise," as the Office of Nuclear Energy principal deputy assistant secretary Michael Goff called it, is a heartening example of converting weapons into something practical — not to mention a creative solution to a tricky technical problem. ## Power Struggle The uranium inside unexploded warheads isn't the only source scientists are leveraging. Others have kickstarted a new supply chain of locally enriched uranium designed for reactors. There's plenty of money in it, at least potentially. According to *CNN*, the government is investing over $2 billion this year in uranium enrichment. Meanwhile, small startups, including TerraPower, which is [being backed by Bill Gates](), or Oklo, which is [backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman](), are caught in a race to turn the concept of SMRs into a reality. Now that the US has cut itself off from Russia's enriched uranium, these companies are becoming increasingly desperate. "We are getting to the point where we need to see more urgency from the government," TerraPower director of external affairs Jeff Navin told *CNN*. "There’s a huge national interest to move quickly. We don’t fully understand why that same sense of urgency hasn’t gotten to the Department of Energy in getting this material out." As of right now, nuclear power accounts for roughly a [fifth]() of the US electricity generation. As governments are turning to green sources of energy, the demand for nuclear fuel and reactors is expected to rise steadily. SMRs in particular have caught the interest of officials thanks to their reliance on "high assay low-enriched uranium" (HALEU) which can be harvested from old weapons stockpiles. For an alternative source, the Department of Energy is hoping to revitalize a domestic uranium enrichment industry, which could take many years. Fortunately, the country's existing nuclear arsenal could give them a huge leg up. "Within their possession, they have more than enough (highly enriched uranium) to make many, many, many tons of HALEU," Navin told *CNN*. **More on SMRs:** *[AI Data Centers Need So Much Power They May Need Built-In Nuclear Reactors]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()