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IDAHO FALLS, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO) (“Oklo”), an advanced nuclear technology company, today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho Operations Office has approved the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) for the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility (A3F) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), selected to participate in the DOE’s Advanced Nuclear Fuel Line Pilot Projects.
The NSDA, the first under the DOE’s Fuel Line Pilot Projects, was approved in just under two weeks and helps demonstrate a new authorization pathway that has the potential to unlock U.S. industrial capacity, advance national energy security and create an accelerated and reproducible framework for scaling production capacity under the executive order ‘Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security’.
“This approval marks clear progress toward demonstrating how we can repurpose used nuclear fuel to power the next generation of clean energy reactors,” said Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo Inc. “Advanced fuel fabrication and recycling technologies represent a significant unlock for our business, addressing fuel-supply challenges while transforming fuel economics and creating new revenue opportunities.”
Located at INL, the A3F will fabricate fuel for Oklo’s first commercial-scale powerhouse, the Aurora-INL, which was selected for the DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program. Together, these facilities couple fuel production to power delivery for near-term commercial deployment of advanced nuclear energy.
The DOE authorization process provides a modernized approach to building and operating nuclear fuel production lines for research, development, and demonstration purposes, while also offering an accelerated route for advanced reactor developers.
The A3F approval builds on Oklo’s recent groundbreaking for the Aurora-INL reactor which can be built and begin operating under a DOE authorization pathway, potentially fast-tracking future commercial licensing by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Oklo was granted access to fuel material through a competitive DOE process launched in 2019. In 2019, the company received both a site-use permit at INL and access to fuel recovered from the historic Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II).
“Approval of the NSDA for Oklo’s Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility is an important step forward,” said Robert Boston, Manager of the DOE Idaho Operations Office. “We're excited for companies selected for the Fuel Line Pilot Program to demonstrate how the United States can safely and efficiently scale the next generation of nuclear fuel manufacturing.”
About Oklo Inc.: Oklo Inc. is developing fast fission power plants to deliver clean, reliable, affordable energy at scale, establishing a domestic supply chain for critical radioisotopes, and advancing nuclear fuel recycling to convert nuclear waste into clean energy. Oklo was the first to receive a site use permit from the U.S. Department of Energy for a commercial advanced fission plant, was awarded fuel from Idaho National Laboratory, and submitted the first custom combined license application for an advanced reactor to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Oklo is also developing advanced fuel recycling technologies in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. National Laboratories.