Fast breeder reactors Fast breeder reactors using either plutonium or thorium hold out the prospect of an everlasting supply of energy - but only in theory! The whole fast-breeder cycle using plutonium, consisting of three processes none of which have ever worked as intended, has itself never worked. There are three fast-breeder reactors in the world: Beloyarsk-3 in Russia, Monju in Japan and Phénix in France. Monju and Phénix have long been out of operation. Beloyarsk is still operating, but it has never bred. There is about 240 tonnes of plutonium in the world held in stock - enough to fuel 4 reactors for their lifetime. But what if instead of using uranium-235 as the energy source, it were possible to breed plutonium-239 as the start-up fuel to breed more plutonium-239? Both the Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency suggest that if all available sources of ore are exploited and fast-breeder reactors perfected and developed, we may look forward to 20,000 years of nuclear energy at current rates of output. But that’s a big ‘if’. The reality is that the breeding process produces a highly radioactive mixture and breeder operation, reprocessing and recovery of plutonium on a smooth running commercial scale has never yet been achieved. Clogging and corrosion of equipment is a problem and there is some debate about the danger of plutonium accumulating into a critical mass and setting off a nuclear explosion. Another way of breeding fuel is to use thorium, a metal found in most rocks and soils. However, the process using thorium requires a start-up fuel - uranium-235, plutonium-239 or uranium233. The four-step sequence of thorium breeding is complex and as with breeding plutonium, produces substances which are highly radioactive and can be used for nuclear weapons. Worldwide, thorium resources are estimated to be 6 mil tonnes. Carlo Rubbia proposes an alternative ‘energy amplifier’ reactor that he suggests would convert 6 mil tonnes of thorium into 15,000 Twy of energy, or 60 kWh/day/person over 1,000 years (Assuming 40% efficiency, this would translate to 24 kWh/day/person). If there is a long38
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