Small modular reactor (SMR) developer and nuclear fuel recycling company Oklo has received approval from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for its conceptual safety design report on its proposed Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in the US.
The Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility will produce fuel for Oklo's planned Aurora power plant at INL and utilize high-assay, low-enriched uranium. The uranium will be sourced from reprocessing spent fuel used initially in the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II at INL.
The CSDR approval is a crucial milestone in the DOE's review process. Upcoming steps include completing a preliminary documented safety analysis before construction can begin, followed by the final documented safety analysis, which will be conducted after the facility is built and commissioned. This phased approach ensures that all safety requirements are thoroughly addressed throughout the project’s development.
Oklo aims to commission the Aurora reactor at INL in 2027, making it the first advanced nuclear reactor completed in the US.
The company has positioned itself as a key player in the data center industry's push to secure nuclear power as a low-carbon fuel source.
Over the past 12 months, it has signed several deals with data center firms. In May, it signed a non-binding letter of intent outlining plans for a power purchase agreement with Prometheus Hyperscale to provide 100MW of power through one or more SMRs.
In April, the firm inked a pre-agreement with Equinix to provide up to 500MW of nuclear energy.
Oklo has secured backing from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who has served as chairman of its board of directors since October 2015.
However, Oklo has also suffered several setbacks over recent months. Late last year, the US Air Force rescinded a $100m award for one of its microreactors, and it has yet to receive approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its designs.
Despite this, there remains significant confidence in SMRs within the data center sector, as demonstrated by Google’s agreement this week to purchase nuclear energy from multiple SMRs from Kairos Power.
