Oklo fuel facility receives design approval

Oklo was named in late September as one of four companies selected by the Department of Energy (DOE) for its Fuel Line Pilot Program to build advanced nuclear fuel lines. This was established in May under an executive order from President Donald Trump to establish a domestic nuclear fuel supply chain for testing new reactors, including those in the DOE's Reactor Pilot Program which aims to have at least three reactors achieve criticality by 4 July 2026. One of the reactor projects selected for that programme is Oklo's Aurora-INL, a sodium-cooled fast reactor which is to be built at Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

The DOE's Idaho Operations Office has approved the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement for the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility - the A3F - where the initial core for Aurora-INL will be made.

The swift approval of the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement by the DOE's Idaho Operations Office helps demonstrate a new authorisation pathway. The authorisation process provides a "modernised approach to building and operating nuclear fuel production lines for research, development, and demonstration purposes, while also offering an accelerated route for advanced reactor developers", Oklo said.

"This approval marks clear progress toward demonstrating how we can repurpose used nuclear fuel to power the next generation of clean energy reactors," Oklo co-founder and CEO Jacob DeWitte said. "Advanced fuel fabrication and recycling technologies represent a significant unlock for our business, addressing fuel-supply challenges while transforming fuel economics and creating new revenue opportunities."

Oklo's reactor builds on the design and operating heritage of the Experimental Breeder Reactor II, which ran at INL from 1964 to 1994. The company received both a site-use permit at INL and access to fuel recovered from the historic reactor in 2019 following a competitive process launched by the DOE to provide access to fuel material.

Robert Boston, manager of the DOE Idaho Operations Office, said approval of the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement for the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility is an important step forward. "We're excited for companies selected for the Fuel Line Pilot Program to demonstrate how the United States can safely and efficiently scale the next generation of nuclear fuel manufacturing," he added.

The fuel facility will be located at INL.