IPFM Blog

U.S. civilian plutonium in 2008

The United States submitted a declaration of its civilian plutonium stock as of the end of 2008 - INFCIRC/549/Add.6/12. According to the declaration, the United States had 49.3 tonnes of separated plutonium described as "held elsewhere", 4.6 tonnes - in unirradiated MOX fuel, and less than 0.05 tonnes - held in the fuel fabrication process. All this material - 53.9 tonnes - is part of the weapon plutonium that the United States declared as excess to national security needs. This amount has not changed since 2007.

The Unites States also has an estimated 501 tonnes of plutonium in spent fuel stored at civilian reactor sites and 12 tonnes of plutonium in spent fuel elsewhere. Of the 12 tonnes, 7.5 tonnes is government owned plutonium that was declared as excess to national security needs. In 2007, the amount of plutonium in spent fuel was estimated to be 480 tonnes.

The total amount of plutonium that was declared excess to national security needs is 61.5 tonnes. This means that the United States had no separated civilian plutonium and about 505.5 tonnes of civilian plutonium in spent fuel.

[Edited on 9/26/11 to correct the year of the declaration]

Tags

Categories

Share