Did you Know?
Today’s used nuclear fuel still contains over 90% of its original energy.
The U.S. has enough used nuclear fuel to serve U.S. needs for years to come.
Let’s develop ways to safely use the energy remaining in our used nuclear fuel.
There’s a better way
SOURCES: U.S. DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (2024); Argonne National Laboratory Fuel Cycle Studies; Idaho National Laboratory; International Atomic Energy Agency
The U.S. currently has about 96,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel stored at nuclear power plants. About 2,000 more tons are added every year, and storing it costs taxpayers billions of dollars.
Even though it’s called “spent,” this fuel still contains over 90% of its original energy—enough to produce electricity for hundreds of years.
SOURCES: U.S. DOE Spent Fuel Inventory (2024); GAO Nuclear Waste Liability Reports; PNNL SNF Inventory; NRC Data
SOURCES: U.S. DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (2024); Argonne National Laboratory Fuel Cycle Research; IAEA Fast Reactor Program; OECD Nuclear Energy Agency; World Nuclear Association
THE SOLUTION
New technology from Metatomic® can convert this used fuel into salt fuel for advanced molten salt reactors (MSRs). These reactors can safely reuse the energy that would otherwise go to waste.
Molten salt reactors aren’t new. A working version operated at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the 1960s, and today the U.S., China, and other institutions are actively developing the next generation of these reactors.
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