Imperatives for using plutonium in commercial power reactors

The use of reprocessed or newly produced plutonium as a fissile fuel in commercial nuclear reactors in the US has been actively suppressed by the current US Administration. Yet, many other advanced nations have already adopted mixed oxide fuels which are manufactured from a mixture of plutonium and natural uranium compounds. These nations have successfully proven the use of such nuclear fuel in their commercial power reactors for many years. The full consequence of the restrictive nuclear policy in the US will greatly limit the lifetime of the nuclear fuel resources in the US from a nominal potential of 100 centuries or more of potential energy supply to about 50 years or less at economical prices for uranium. This paper addresses both the imperatives and the potential and the perceived hazards of plutonium utilization and examines the consequences of government policy regarding utilization of nuclear power