The US Department of Energy announced that it is conducting negotiations with five companies "to explore if nearly 20 metric tons of surplus plutonium materials could be transformed into advanced nuclear fuel or used in advanced reactor research and development." The companies earlier selected by the DoE are Exodys Energy, Flibe Energy, Oklo, SHINE Technologies, and Standard Nuclear. The negotiations are part of the Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program, which was established in May 2025. In October 2025, the DoE issued a request for proposals, in which it announced the intent to offer 19.7 metric tons of surplus plutonium to the industry.