Regaining Security

Of all the materials, systems and facilities that designed and operated nuclear weapons, one of the most readily available assets for reuse are often identified as highly enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium for warheads. However, proliferation concerns make the reuse of much of this material unlikely. This text explores the economic issues surrounding the major expenditures facing the US as it attempts to dispose of weapon-grade nuclear materials in a proliferation-resistant manner. It discusses the economic values of plutonium and HEU, the economic nature of the nuclear industry, reprocessing and operations costs, the economics of "burning" plutonium to generate electrical power, the economics of down-blending and burning HEU, military conversion as rationale for selecting plutonium disposition options, the economics of transmutation, and the economics of other proposals for disposition - ranging from monitored surface storage to vitrification. The book concludes by indentifying the major cost drivers affecting all disposition options.