Feb 23, 2026
3 min read
The U.S. Department of Energy laboratory is investing $8.17 million in a superconducting accelerator and a 10-megawatt power plant to recycle spent nuclear fuel and generate more electricity.
With an investment of $8.17 million, a US Department of Energy laboratory is betting on a superconducting accelerator and 10 megawatts of power to recycle spent nuclear fuel and generate more electricity.
What to do with materials that will still be dangerous in 100,000 years?That's been a question that has plagued the nuclear industry for decades. Now, American researchers say they can turn some of this problem into clean energy.
The idea is to use particle accelerator technology to convert nuclear waste into clean energy and greatly reduce its radioactive hazard time.
The program already has $8.17 million from the NEWTON program, which is affiliated with the US Department of Energy.
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A nuclear liability that transcends generations and puts pressure on governments for definitive solutions
Nuclear power plants produce carbon-free electricity but leave a sensitive legacy.Spent fuel remains radioactive for thousands of years.
Today, the main strategy includes arguments about long-term storage and permanent geological reserves.
These models create high costs, political interference and ongoing public concern.
Reducing the risk period from 100 thousand years to 300 years completely changes the scale of the problem.A difference that changes plans, budgets and generational responsibilities.
Transmutation, the technology behind the flood of high speed protons and neutrons
The technology under development is called forced acceleration system, or ADS.
The system fires high-energy protons at a target, such as liquid mercury.This effect causes a phenomenon known as spallation, which emits many neutrons.
These neutrons interact with the most dangerous isotopes in nuclear waste and promote so-called transmutation, changing long-lived elements into elements with shorter radioactive lifetimes.
99.7 percent of the required storage time can be reduced.
And there's a strategic bonus: The process generates enough heat to generate more electricity, increasing the energy use of the fuel already used.
Technical information that can determine everything, niobium pits with tin and 10 megawatt magnetic
The big challenge has always been to make the system economically viable.
Traditional accelerators require large cryogenic structures to achieve extremely low temperatures, making them more expensive to operate.
Jefferson Laboratory develops niobium cavities coated with tin.This combination allows operation at higher temperatures, reducing the need for complex cooling systems.
Another critical point relates to beam power.The team is working on adjusting magnets, a common technology in microwave ovens, to transmit up to 10 megawatts with a frequency set at 805 MHz.
This fine control is essential to ensure maximum efficiency in neutron generation.
A major goal to replace the entire US nuclear stockpile within 30 years and that would affect the energy industry.
The NEWTON program sets a bold goal: to enable the entire commercial nuclear stockpile of the United States to be recycled within the next three decades.
If the technology reaches industrial maturity, it could change the debate about long-term geological disposal and replace nuclear power in the energy transition.
Companies such as RadiaBeam, General Atomics and Stellant Systems are already participating in the development, signaling that interest is expanding beyond academia.
It's not just technological innovation that's at stake.This is an opportunity to turn one of the energy industry's biggest liabilities into a productive asset.
The potential to dramatically reduce radioactive hazard time while generating more electricity explains why the industry is watching this progress with increased attention.
Do you believe that this technology can change the future of nuclear energy in the world?Share your thoughts in the comments.
