DOE Should Review Tritium Sources

Tritium is vital to the country’s nuclear weapons stockpile, but its continued availability is uncertain, says the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress’s investigative arm. Tritium is produced using low-enriched uranium, much of which is subject to international agreements requiring that it only be used for peaceful purposes. In the past, the Department of Energy has used only low-enriched uranium that is not subject to these bans. However, the company that produced much of it, U.S. Enrichment Corp., ceased enrichment operations last year and declared bankruptcy in March. This puts continued U.S. tritium production in doubt, GAO says. Several international agreements limit the country’s access to much of the world’s low-enriched uranium and support U.S. nuclear nonproliferation goals, DOE explained. GAO says that the department needs to review whether its policy of using only low-enriched uranium that is not subject to international bans will be practical in the future. GAO supports the department’s participation in an interagency working group to decide on the next steps.