How is MOX fabricated?
Plutonium dioxide is mixed with depleted uranium dioxide to form mixed oxide powder. This powder is pressed and bonded into pellets through a heating process called sintering. The pellets are then loaded into corrosion-resistant thin metal tubes called fuel rods. The rods are bundled into fuel assemblies that are shipped to power plants licensed to use MOX fuel. MOX fuel assemblies will be shipped to the reactors in transportation containers that have undergone a thorough safety evaluation and are licensed by the NRC for this purpose.