Oklo's technology has been built and operated before. Our fast reactor design benefits from robust inherent safety performance. The reactor is self-stabilizing, self-controlling, and cooled by natural forces. This means the plant is walk-away safe and the technology that enables this has been demonstrated at scale.

Reactor Module
Reactor Module with Logo
Energy Technology

Starting in 1964, the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II proved the concept of fuel recycling and passive plant safety characteristics.

There are many amazing advanced nuclear technologies, but Oklo wanted to focus on the technology with the most demonstration history, with inherent safety, while having the capability to use waste as fuel.

By far, liquid-metal-cooled, metal-fueled fast reactors have the most demonstration history of the advanced fission technologies at over 400 reactor-years of operating experience worldwide.

In fact, the very first power plant to produce useful electrical power from fission was a liquid-metal-cooled, metal-fueled fast reactor – the Experimental Breeder Reactor-I (EBR-I). It's successor, the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II), operated for decades and showed that it could easily remain safe during challenges as severe as those that led to the Fukushima accident. The tests done with EBR-II showed that the coolant could be shut off and all shutdown systems removed, and the reactor would naturally stabilise and shut itself down without damage.

Sec Granholm

Secretary Granholm taking the controls on Oklo's liquid metal experiment, part of the first set of tests conducted at Argonne's new Thermal-Hydraulic Experimental Test Article.

Only fast reactors can use waste as fuel, and in fact, this capability too was demonstrated already with EBR-II. Oklo is currently doing work with the Idaho National Laboratory to take the waste fuel from EBR-II and use it for our very first Aurora Powerhouse.

Proven technology

EBR-II was a fast reactor that produced about 20 MW of electric power and operated for 30 years. During its illustrious history, EBR-II and its on-site facilities recycled its used fuel, demonstrated inherent safety, achieved superior operating and maintenance characteristics to commercial light water reactors, and sold power to the grid.

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The BOP-302R test demonstrated on EBR-II simulated a loss of heat sink without scram situation, where, starting from full power, the intermediate coolant pump was turned off while the control rods were prevented from inserting. The reactor temperature automatically stabilized within minutes.

Graph BOP-302R

The SHRT-45R test demonstrated on EBR-II, simulated a loss of flow without scram situation, where, starting from full power, the primary and intermediate coolant pumps were simultaneously turned off while the control rods were prevented from inserting. Again, the reactor rapidly and safely stabilized.

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Oklo obtained a site use permit from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2019, was awarded fuel for its first reactor from Idaho National Laboratory, and has significant regulatory traction to date, including having submitted a license application to build and operate its first plant. Oklo is on track to bring its first plant online before the end of the decade.

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