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SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oklo Inc. (“Oklo”), a fast fission clean power technology and nuclear fuel recycling company, has announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has reviewed and approved the Safety Design Strategy (SDS) for the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility is being designed to demonstrate the reuse of recovered nuclear material to support Oklo’s planned commercial advanced fission power plant demonstration at INL.
Oklo was selected for access to the fuel material through a competitive process launched in 2019 by INL. The goal of the solicitation was to accelerate the deployment of commercially viable reactors by providing developers with access to the material needed to produce fuel for their reactors. The DOE is supporting INL to produce High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium for advanced reactors by recovering uranium through electrorefining treatment on used fuel from the now-decommissioned Experimental Breeder Reactor-II.
“The SDS approval is a major step towards a DOE approval of the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility as we continue towards our goal of producing fuel for our planned Aurora commercial power plant,” said Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo.
The SDS marks the initial stage in a comprehensive DOE approval process prior to the operation of the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility. Oklo and Battelle Energy Alliance, operator of INL, are currently working on the next phase, focusing on the Conceptual Safety Design Report (CSDR). The purpose of the CSDR is to summarize the hazard analysis efforts and safety-in-design decisions incorporated into the conceptual design, along with any identified project risks associated with the selected strategies.
“The approval of the SDS is an important step to enable fabrication of fuel for the Aurora advanced fission power plant,” said Dr. Jess Gehin, INL’s associate laboratory director for Nuclear Science and Technology. “As the nation’s nuclear energy research laboratory, we are committed to working with private companies like Oklo to develop advanced fission technologies that will provide clean energy to the world.”
With a provisional site, fuel, and the design of the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility underway, Oklo is progressing toward its goal of bringing its commercial advanced fission power plant online in the U.S.
About Oklo Inc.: Oklo Inc. is developing fast fission power plants to provide clean, reliable, and affordable energy at scale. Oklo received a site use permit from the U.S. Department of Energy, was awarded fuel material from Idaho National Laboratory, submitted the first advanced fission custom combined license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and is developing advanced fuel recycling technologies in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. National Laboratories.
On July 11, 2023, Oklo and AltC Acquisition Corp. (“AltC”) (NYSE: ALCC) announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement that upon closing would result in the combined company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “OKLO.”
About AltC Acquisition Corp.: AltC Acquisition Corp. was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.
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.