PRESS RELEASE3 MIN READ
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO) (“Oklo”), an advanced nuclear technology company, announced today it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), the management and operating contractor for Idaho National Laboratory (INL), to expand collaboration on scientific and technological research and development in areas such as advanced fuel and materials work that are mutually beneficial and support Oklo’s commercial deployment.
The collaboration builds on Oklo’s strong partnership with INL and plans to utilize Oklo’s first commercial power plant, Aurora-INL. While the Aurora powerhouse is designed for power production, it is also capable of generating fast neutrons and thereby generating valuable data through in-reactor irradiation experiments that can then be analyzed at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC). This enables fast reactor irradiation testing in the US that hasn’t existed in decades. The data collected will support future fuel manufacturing improvements, cost reductions, and Oklo’s recycling efforts.
By generating new fast reactor data under commercial operating conditions, Oklo aims to accelerate how it refines and qualifies its fuel and materials by leveraging its vertically integrated approach of product deployment.
“This collaboration strengthens U.S. leadership in advanced nuclear and demonstrates how Oklo’s model of deploying fast reactors can also accelerate learning,” said Jacob DeWitte, Oklo co-founder and CEO. “We’re building our first plant as a fully capable commercial product; we’re also building it to learn faster, optimize faster, and keep driving down costs for future deployments.”
Under the MOU, Oklo and INL will collaborate on irradiation of advanced nuclear fuels and materials during Aurora-INL’s operating life which could be examined at INL to better understand how fuel and materials perform in a fast- spectrum reactor environment. The resulting data would help advance U.S. fast reactor capabilities and nuclear fuel manufacturing.
“This will be a great example of how the assets of a national laboratory can be leveraged by private industry in order to accelerate technology development,” Ronald Crone, Associate Director of the Materials and Fuels Complex at INL, said.
The collaboration was prompted by ongoing work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) longstanding Advanced Fuels Campaign (AFC) as well as a recent project supported under the DOE’s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) which helped Oklo and INL test design and logistical strategies that can be incorporated into Oklo’s Aurora Powerhouse for irradiation and subsequent analysis.
Oklo broke ground on Aurora-INL on September 22, 2025, as part of the DOE’s new Reactor Pilot Program which was created in response to executive orders aimed at accelerating advanced nuclear deployment and modernizing licensing frameworks.
About Idaho National Laboratory: Battelle Energy Alliance manages INL for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. INL is the nation’s center for nuclear energy research and development, and also performs research in each of DOE’s strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and the environment. For more information, visit www.inl.gov. Follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
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.