STOCKPILED PLUTONIUM FROM THE COLD WAR ERA. THE COMPANY SAYS IT COULD HELP TURN THAT INTO SURPLUS PLUTONIUM, INTO NEW FUEL FOR ITS NEW REACTORS. JOINING US NOW TO DISCUSS IS OKLO CEO, JACOB DEWITT.SO YOU GOT TO EXPLAIN THIS TO US, JAKE. WE HEAR PLUTONIUM FROM THE COLD WAR AND WONDER, IS THAT A GOOD THING. IS THAT SAFE.>> IT'S GREAT. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE DEMONSTRATED AND SHOWED IS YOU CAN DO IT VERY SAFELY. WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT ABOUT IT IS THIS IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO FUEL REACTORS, BASICALLY TO B ...

Nuclear Energy Safety and Public Perception - The industry addresses misconceptions about radiation harming human life, potential radioactivity leaks from nuclear power stations, and the permanent hazard of spent fuel [1][2] - Early radiation safety standards, based on limited low-dose data, led to overly cautious regulations, which the industry now believes are not entirely supported by more recent data from nuclear plant workers and medical patients [5][6] - The industry emphasizes that low-dose radiation exposure within prescribed limits is not significantly harmful to human health, supported by epidemiological studies showing no abnormal cancer increase in plant workers and surrounding communities [7][10][11] - Regulatory boards prescribe a maximum dose of 1 millisievert per year for the public, which is less than half of the natural background radiation dose and significantly less than a chest CT scan (6-7 millisievert) [8][9] Spent Fuel Management and Reprocessing - India, unlike the USA, reprocesses spent nuclear fuel to extract reusable uranium and plutonium, as well as useful radioisotopes [13] - Reprocessing of one ton of spent fuel can generate 336 million kilowatt hours of electricity, with over 99% being uranium and plutonium that can be reused or safely stored [14] - Useful isotopes extracted from spent fuel, such as strontium-90, cesium-137, and americium-241, have applications in blood irradiators, cancer treatment plaques, and deep space missions [14][15] Nuclear Energy and Climate Change - Nuclear power is presented as a clean and concentrated energy source that does not generate carbon dioxide during operation, crucial for mitigating climate change [18] - While solar and wind energy are vital, they are intermittent, unpredictable, and require significantly more land compared to nuclear power (a 1,000 megawatt electric nuclear power station requires 1 square mile, while solar requires approximately 45 times more) [19][20] - India aims to increase nuclear power generation from 8 gigawatt electric to 100 gigawatt electric by 2047, a 12-fold increase, to achieve net-zero carbon footprint by 2070 and improve the human development index [20][21][23]

Nuclear Power Construction - South Korea is the fastest builder of nuclear power plants globally, with an average construction time of 4.7 years [1] - The nuclear power plant construction process involves approximately 5 years of site selection, design, planning, permissioning, and testing, extending the total average timeframe to around 10 years [1] - Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) have the potential to significantly reduce the overall construction timeline, but they are not yet ready for deployment [1]

Industry Challenge - Building nuclear power plants presents significant challenges [1] - Europe needs to relearn the process of building nuclear power plants quickly [1]