Nuclear Science: Accelerator Technology for Tritium Production Needs Further Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the feasibility of the Department of Energy (DOE) producing tritium, a critical material for nuclear weapons, using a linear accelerator, rather than a nuclear reactor, focusing on: (1) the appropriateness of the criteria the Energy Research Advisory Board (ERAB) used in performing its assessment of the feasibility of using an accelerator to produce tritium; and (2) the cost estimates used in the ERAB report.