Nuclear energy exhibits great potential as a low-carbon energy source, but carries inherent risks of diversion to weapons-related uses. At its core, the nuclear fuel cycle includes the various industrial processes associated with the production of electricity from uranium in nuclear reactors. However, some of the industrial processes more easily open the door to produce […]
Op-ed: How Iran’s research reactors prove the nuclear deal is still working
Research Analyst Samuel Hickey wrote an op-ed in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on how the JCPOA could set a new gold standard for ensuring civilian nuclear programs do not pose proliferation threats. “An underexamined success story from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiations is the effective blocking of Tehran’s ability to collect plutonium […]
Fact Sheet: Disposal of Weapons-Grade Plutonium: Current Plans and Controversy
Between 1944 and 1994, the U.S. government produced 99.5 metric tons of plutonium for use in an estimated 70,000 nuclear weapons. Today, roughly 80% of the U.S. nuclear arsenal has been discarded, and the United States is struggling to dispose of the surplus plutonium. Currently, a total of 61.2 tons of plutonium is declared excess […]
Fact Sheet: The Iran Deal, Then and Now
Updated May 2024 To understand why the Biden administration has charged American diplomats with reviving the Iran nuclear deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), one only need look at what would happen in its absence. Without it, Iran has moved closer to a nuclear weapon and is threatening to reach […]
‘Sea change:’ Advanced reactors spur look at recycling waste
Research Analyst Samuel Hickey spoke with E&E News about the proliferation concerns inherent in fuel reprocessing policy conversations. Foes of reprocessing see similarities between such defunct nuclear designs and some of the advanced reactor technologies now under development. “There are some new designs, but they are not demonstrably greater, so we are still dealing with […]
