Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO) (“Oklo”), an advanced fission power technology and nuclear fuel recycling company, today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has approved the Conceptual Safety Design Report (CSDR) for the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). This approval is a key milestone as Oklo advances toward its goal of utilizing recovered nuclear material to fuel its first commercial Aurora powerhouse.
The Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility is expected to fabricate fuel for Oklo’s Aurora power plant to be sited at INL. The facility will use high assay low enriched uranium that has been recovered from used Experimental Breeder Reactor-II fuel. “We are proud of our collaboration with INL and DOE as we move closer to turning on our first commercial plant that uses this recovered nuclear fuel in just a few years,” said Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo. Oklo is uniquely positioned with a secured fuel supply, site use permit, significant regulatory traction, and supply chain development to support the first deployment of its Aurora powerhouse.
“The approval of the CSDR is a critical step toward fabricating fuel for Oklo’s first commercial deployment,” 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 partnering with companies like Oklo to advance fission technologies and deliver clean energy solutions.”
The CSDR approval is part of the DOE’s comprehensive review process, with the next steps including the Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis before construction and the Documented Safety Analysis after construction and commissioning.
