Five nuclear firms, including one tied to the US energy secretary, have been chosen for a possible fuel production scheme The US Department of Energy has selected a number of private companies as potential recipients of weapons-grade plutonium, including one where Energy Secretary Chris Wright served on the board before joining the administration of President Donald Trump. The US government holds roughly 50 metric tons of fissile material recovered from dismantled nuclear weapons at highly secure sites. The Trump administration said last year that it intended to expand the Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program by allowing private companies to manufacture energy-dense fuel for advanced small reactors, with 20 tons of plutonium earmarked for transfer. On Tuesday, the Department of Energy named five firms chosen for “advanced negotiations” under the plan, among them Oklo Inc., a California-based small-reactor developer that Wright helped run before his confirmation as energy secretary in February 2025.…