Aurora Powerhouse
The technology behind Oklo’s deployment model
The Aurora powerhouse is Oklo’s fast fission power plant. It is designed to deliver clean, reliable, affordable power through a compact, standardized system that supports long-term operation and repeatable deployment.
The Aurora powerhouse is the foundation of Oklo’s clean power business, while fuel recycling and isotope production capabilities are being developed as complementary parts of an integrated business model.
What is the Aurora powerhouse?
The Aurora powerhouse is a metal-fueled, sodium-cooled fast reactor with inherently safe technology that can run on high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), recycled fuel fabricated from used nuclear fuel, and other qualified fuels. Its compact form factor and standardized design allow it to be deployed incrementally and operated consistently across multiple sites.
How it works
The Aurora powerhouse uses fast reactor physics and metal fuel to offer high energy density on a compact footprint and resilient onsite power and heat. Its small size and inherent safety support a reliable, local power supply with reduced dependence on grid capacity.
The reactor and its supporting systems are designed as an integrated power plant, allowing performance, safety, and operations to be managed together rather than as separate subsystems.
Designed for long-term operation. Aurora powerhouses are designed to operate for decades, supported by:
- Long operating cycles that reduce refueling frequency
- Materials selected for durability under fast reactor conditions
- Systems designed for predictable performance over time
This approach supports reliability and reduces operational disruption over the life of the facility.
Design and safety. Safety is built into the Aurora powerhouse through its physics, materials, and system design.
The Aurora powerhouse design is informed by the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II, which ran at Idaho National Laboratory for 30 years and underwent landmark safety tests demonstrating its ability to shut itself down safely without operator action or external power.
The Aurora powerhouse is designed to respond naturally to changes in operating conditions. If external power is lost, passive heat-removal systems and natural circulation continue removing heat without depending on continuous operator action or electrically powered pumps.
Aurora powerhouses will operate under applicable federal oversight with trained operators, continuous monitoring, and defined operating procedures.
Standardization and repeatability. Standardized designs and parts improve deployment efficiency and create the foundation for deploying nuclear power faster and at scale.
The Aurora powerhouse is designed using standardized, manufactured components where appropriate, allowing for high repeatability and large-scale fleet deployment generating gigawatts of power.
By deploying the same reactor across multiple sites, Oklo builds operational experience that carries forward from one deployment to the next. This approach improves predictability and enables faster deployment over time.
Where Aurora powerhouses are planned. Aurora powerhouses are advancing through active projects, including:
- Idaho National Laboratory, supporting Oklo’s first commercial deployment
- Ohio, supporting a multiphase clean energy campus
- Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, the site of a planned powerhouse providing electricity and steam