Beyond Nuclear International Weekly Digest, MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2025: Free plutonium for some

Posted: 28th October 2025

Trump is planning a dangerous give-away to private reactor start-ups - plutonium from the weapons stockpile - and a former board member of one of those recipient companies is now Energy Secretary, reports Linda Pentz Gunter. In France, antinuclear activists gathered to resist plans for nuclear fuel pool expansion at the La Hague reprocessing site. 

Free plutonium for some

On December 31, the Trump White House will reveal which lucky startup companies will receive free plutonium needed for their new reactor fuel. Trump will free up between 20-25 tons, according to reports, going against US energy policy that has long avoided the transfer of nuclear weapons-usable materials into the commercial sector. One likely recipient is Oklo, on whose board Trump’s present energy secretary, Chris Wright (pictured) once sat. READ MORE

Furious fairies fight back

A long weekend of action in Normandy, France, further built up resistance to the proposed radioactive waste fuel pool expansion at La Hague and the long-opposed Bure radioactive waste dump. Drawing on Normandy culture and legends, the weekend centered around the local traditional rallying cry of ‘Haro!’ and culminated in a protest featuring the ‘furious fairies’ and other mythical characters. READ MORE

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