Modern safeguards prevent the unauthorized diversion of nuclear materials through high-speed digital monitoring and advanced chemical processes that mix fuel components together, according to the authors of the newly released report. By tracking substances in near-real-time and ensuring plutonium is never isolated in a pure form, these systems make it significantly harder for dangerous materials to be stolen or misused.
The report states that modern systems “can significantly mitigate concerns about the potential diversion of plutonium by using faster, near-real-time monitoring (or accounting) and co-recovery of plutonium with other fissile materials.” It further notes that “theft or diversion of such materials… would be inefficient, technically complicated, and impractical, since an entity capable of carrying out diversion would likely be able to produce weapons-grade material more easily by other means.”
This means that instead of just checking inventory at long intervals, new facilities use sensors to watch the movement of fuel as it happens. Additionally, the recycling process is designed so that the ingredients needed for a weapon are kept mixed with other heavy metals, making the material technically difficult to use for anything other than power generation. Because the fuel stays in a complex, impure state, it is far less attractive to anyone trying to build a weapon.
The report “The Case for Commercial Recycling of Used Nuclear Fuel: Assessment and Recommendations” was published by the Energy Innovation Reform Project in Fairfax, Virginia, in April 2026. It was prepared by a team of experts including Dr. Christina Leggett, Paul J. Saunders, and Samuel Thernstrom.
