Duke Energy Plans N.C. Test of Plutonium Fuel

The Charlotte Observer today published a must-read story about Duke Energy’s plan to begin testing a controversial new fuel at its nuclear power plant at Lake Wylie, which is on the Catawba River near Charlotte. Mixed-oxide, or MOX as it’s known, contains plutonium from nuclear warheads.

The nonprofit Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League in Glendale Springs, N.C. says MOX is dangerous and is seeking to stop the tests. However, Duke Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have denied the group access to federal documents that it says it needs to make its case. A hearing on BREDL’s security claims began today at NRC headquarters in Rockville, Md., but it’s closed to the public – including BREDL representatives. Duke and the NRC argue that disclosing too much information could aid terrorists.

The battle over Duke Energy’s proposed tests highlights a larger environmental concern: what to do with materials left over from weapons-of-mass-destruction programs. In 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy acquired 34 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium stockpiles from the U.S. Department of Defense. In order to dispose of the material, the DOE came up with plans to convert several U.S. nuclear power plants from enriched uranium fuel to MOX.

For more information on BREDL’s Southern Anti-Plutonium Campaign, click here.