PRESS RELEASE3 MIN READ
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO), an advanced nuclear technology company, announced today that it has selected Kiewit Nuclear Solutions Co. as the lead constructor for its first commercial Aurora powerhouse in Idaho, at Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
Under a newly executed Master Services Agreement, Kiewit Nuclear Solutions Co. (Kiewit), a subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation, one of North America’s largest construction and engineering organizations, will begin to support the design, procurement, and construction of the Aurora-INL, with pre-construction expected to begin in 2025 and commercial operations targeted for late 2027 to early 2028. The Aurora-INL represents a major milestone in Oklo’s near-term commercialization strategy to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable energy using proven, advanced nuclear technology.
Oklo selected Kiewit through a competitive process that evaluated both technical capabilities and construction expertise. Because a significant portion of the Aurora powerhouse’s construction scope is non-nuclear, Oklo can leverage Kiewit’s extensive experience in delivering large-scale industrial and infrastructure projects. This approach is designed to accelerate delivery timelines, reduce costs, and uphold standards of safety and quality, underscoring Oklo’s commitment to the efficient, pragmatic deployment of advanced nuclear technology.
“We’ve completed key pre-construction milestones, including site characterization work in Idaho, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and Idaho National Laboratory,” said Jacob DeWitte, Co-Founder and CEO of Oklo. “Kiewit brings the execution strength and project delivery experience that are essential as we move into this next phase. This is a critical step in helping us build efficiently and deliver clean energy on a meaningful timeline. Advanced reactors will largely be able to be constructed differently than legacy plants, and a key pathway to realizing the economic benefits associated with that is to modernize how we design, procure, and build these plants.”
Oklo is uniquely positioned to deploy advanced nuclear technology in the near term, with a U.S. Department of Energy-approved site, secured fuel, and demonstrated regulatory progress that support its ability to advance toward commercial operation.
“We’re excited to support Oklo in delivering one of the nation’s first commercial advanced nuclear projects,” said Mike Rinehart, president of Kiewit Nuclear Solutions Co. “As a leading design engineering, procurement, and construction partner with decades of experience in complex energy infrastructure, Kiewit is well positioned to help bring Oklo’s innovative vision to life. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to advancing clean energy solutions through disciplined execution, safety, and delivery certainty.”
The Aurora-INL is a key part of Oklo’s broader deployment pipeline, which includes agreements to supply over 14 GW of clean energy to commercial customers and U.S. government partners.
About Oklo Inc.: Oklo Inc. is developing fast fission power plants to deliver clean, reliable, and 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 National Laboratories.
About Kiewit: Kiewit is one of North America’s largest and most respected construction and engineering organizations. With its roots dating back to 1884, the employee-owned organization operates through a network of subsidiaries in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Guam. Kiewit offers construction and engineering services in a variety of markets including power; transportation; water; oil, gas and chemical; marine; building; industrial and mining. Kiewit had 2024 revenues of $16.8 billion and employs 31,800 staff and craft employees.