Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Terence Tarnovsky has introduced an innovative method for extracting tritium from spent nuclear fuel, stating that the use of a specialized reactor could significantly reduce the cost of tritium—a precious hydrogen isotope essential for thermonuclear energy.

Currently, tritium costs up to $33 million per kilogram, and the United States does not produce it domestically, resulting in a severe market shortage. Tritium is regarded as a promising fuel for future thermonuclear power plants. A 1-gigawatt nuclear power plant would require approximately 55 kilograms of tritium per year, yet global tritium reserves are only a few hundred kilograms, making it extremely limited.

The breeding reactor concept proposed by Tarnovsky uses particle irradiation of spent fuel to produce up to 2 kilograms of tritium annually—equivalent to Canada's total output and ten times that of conventional fusion reactors. This technology offers extremely high commercial appeal.