US-based Oklo reported that the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have completed the environmental compliance process addressing DOE requirements for site characterisation at Oklo’s first commercial power plant site at INL. The granting of an Environmental Compliance Permit, marks a significant milestone and came after the finalisation in October of a Memorandum of Agreement with the DOE, which initiated site characterisation activities. It also follows DOE approval of Oklo’s Conceptual Safety Design Report for its Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility, which will recycle nuclear material at INL to fuel the Aurora powerhouse.
Oklo is developing the Aurora microreactor, which uses heat pipes to transport heat from the reactor core to a supercritical carbon dioxide power conversion system to generate electricity. It will use high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel. Oklo says the reactor builds on the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) and space reactor legacy. EBR-II features a hexagonal fuel element with a sealed heat pipe and a passive air-cooling system. Oklo initially marketed a 1.5 MWe microreactor version of the Aurora, but has now expanded its capacity offerings from 15 MWe to 100 MWe.
Oklo received a site permit in 2019 from DOE to build its first Aurora facility at INL. In 2020, Oklo submitted a combined licence application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to build and operate the facility. However, NRC denied the application, citing the company’s failure to provide sufficient design information. A revised application was submitted in September 2022.
“These approvals represent pivotal steps forward as we advance toward deploying the first commercial advanced fission plant,” said Jacob DeWitte, CEO and Co-Founder of Oklo. “With this process complete, we can begin site characterisation. Our unique business model of selling power directly to customers rather than power plants, combined with our early mover advantage, positions us to respond to a growing order book effectively and meet diverse energy needs across data centres, industrial processes, defence, and off-grid communities.”
In April, Oklo signed a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) with oil and gas producer Diamondback Energy to enter into a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA). In May a similar non-binding LOI was signed with Wyoming Hyperscale to supply 100 MWe to a data centre campus.
