Silicon Valley–based Oklo has received a site use permit from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to build its Aurora plant at Idaho National Laboratory located in Idaho Falls.
Aurora plant will utilize a compact fast reactor to generate about 1.5 megawatts of electric power and will run on lower waste fuel. It’s a first-of-its-kind to use recycled high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel. HALEU is nuclear fuel that is enriched to a higher degree (of between 5 percent and 20 percent) in the fissile isotope U-235.
“DOE is clearly demonstrating its commitment to enabling commercial deployment of novel clean energy technologies, and advanced fission in particular. We are excited to be among the first to exercise this new process,” said Caroline Cochran, Oklo co-founder and COO.
The firm hopes to have it online by 2022–2024.
Oklo joins startups around the world working to innovate safer, smaller nuclear power plants.
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