One of the byproducts of the operation of nuclear reactors is the creation of plutonium. Plutonium is a toxic radioactive metal that is primarily useful for the creation of nuclear weapons. Hundreds of tons have been produced by nuclear reactors and every day more is being produced. There has been an attempt to use plutonium in conventional reactors as fuel or in fast breeder reactors to produce more fuel but there has been little success in creating an economically viable use for the metal. There is also great international concern that terrorists could obtain plutonium from the stockpiles scattered around the world and use it to construct a nuclear or dirty bomb. Currently fifteen countries have stockpiles of plutonium.
The U.K. has the biggest stockpile of plutonium in the world. One hundred and forty tons have been produced at the Sellafield facility in northwest England. The U.K. government has no current plans for what to do with the plutonium and the cost of security for the stockpile keeps rising. The cost of maintaining this stockpile is not reported as a cost of nuclear power so proponents continue to claim that nuclear power is economically viable.
Japan intended to create fuel from their plutonium but endless technical problems at their conversion facility have prevented this program from achieving success. They have a stockpile of forty seven tons of plutonium and are uncertain as to whether it will ever be put to a productive use.
This week, two nuclear fuel carriers, the Pacific Egret and Pacific Heron, set out from England on a mission to retrieve a small amount of plutonium from Japan and take it to the United States. They have been fitted with naval cannons and there are heavily armed security squads on both ships.
Japan is sending seven hundred and thirty pounds of plutonium from their Tokai Research Establishment to the U.S. Most of this plutonium was given to Japan by the U.K. for experimental purposes at the Tokai Fast Critical Assembly facility. There has been concern that this particular plutonium is a security threat presenting a "high risk of theft of diversion." It could be used to make forty nuclear bombs.
The shipment of plutonium from Japan to the U.S. is part of the U.S.-led Global Threat Reduction Initiative also referred to as the Materials Management & Minimization (M3) program. This program was established to removed weapons-grade plutonium and uranium from other countries and ship it to the U.S. for safe storage. The plutonium will be sent to the Savannah River site in South Carolina. The U.S. Department of Energy has plans to import almost two thousand pounds of plutonium currently stored in seven other countries. There are plans for twelve shipments over the next seven years.
International groups that monitor the transport of nuclear fuel and waste around the world are highly critical of this mission. A British watchdog group has issued a statement that said, "The practice of shipping this plutonium to the US as a safeguard is completely undermined by deliberately exposing this prime terrorist material to a lengthy sea transport, during which it will face everyday maritime risks and targeting by those with hostile intentions. We see this as wholly unnecessary and a significant security threat in today's volatile and unpredictable world."
U.S. critics of the plan to transport the plutonium to the Savannah River site claim that there is no plan for what to do with the plutonium once it reaches Savannah River. They are afraid that the Savanna River site is being used as a dumping ground for dangerous international nuclear waste.
One of the main problems with plutonium is that the world once prized this metal during the arms race of the Cold War. Now it is a liability. But there are still dreams of using it for fuel and, until those dreams are abandoned, it will be difficult to substantial reduce the amount of plutonium lying around in national stockpiles.
Tokai nuclear research campus:
