Russia's Decommissioned Nuclear Bombs Provide 10% of U.S. Electricity

Off-loading the final shipment of Russia's low enriched uranium (LEU) at the Port of Baltimore. Credit: U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration/flickr For the last two decades, the United States has been drawing about a tenth of its electrical power from an unlikely source: the uranium from 20,000 decommissioned Russian nuclear bombs. But today marks the end of this energy exchange era. The arrangement with a former adversary may seem strange, especially since these are the very bombs that Americans once feared would be used against them. But on a practical level, the program, called Megatons to Megawatts, actually makes a lot of sense.