PRESS RELEASE2 MIN READ
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO) announced today that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has initiated its review of Oklo’s Licensed Operator Topical Report. This milestone represents continued progress in Oklo’s regulatory strategy and follows the company’s recent entry into the NRC’s Readiness Assessment Audit for Phase 1 for its Combined License Application. The Combined License Application is a one-step application that will allow Oklo to operate the Aurora once approved by the NRC.
The topical report seeks regulatory approval for the specific process to license operators for Oklo’s fleet of Aurora powerhouses. Today, most nuclear plant operators in the U.S. are licensed to a single facility, and a 24/7 onsite licensed operator workforce is required to ensure that they are available to carry out safety-related actions. That framework was initially developed around the large, traditional nuclear fleet, which uses light water reactor technology. Oklo is proposing a different model. Instead of licensing operators for individual sites, operators would be licensed for the Aurora powerhouse technology itself. This approach enables operators to monitor multiple plants from a central location and move between sites when needed. Oklo is able to streamline operational overhead through this approach due to the enhanced use of automatic controls and the inherent safety features of the Aurora.
Oklo’s business model of selling power, not power plants, means that the company builds, owns, and operates its powerhouses. That model is closely aligned with a licensing strategy designed for repeatability and efficiency. Once approved, the Licensed Operator Topical Report may be referenced in future applications, reducing the need to re-review previously approved material. This regulatory efficiency is central to Oklo’s plan for scalable deployment across its fleet. By strategically submitting topical reports like this one, Oklo is laying the regulatory foundation for faster licensing pathways that support its broader commercialization goals.
“This milestone demonstrates how our licensing strategy supports our mission to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable energy quickly and at scale,” said Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo. “By combining all aspects of design, construction, and operation into one application, we’re streamlining the path to deployment. Since we build, own, and operate our powerhouses to sell energy directly to customers, it makes sense to align that with a more integrated licensing pathway.”
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 material 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.