Advanced Reactor Developer Oklo Receives Site Use Permit From Energy Department

Congress has passed two bills since September 2018 in an effort to help the domestic advanced nuclear industry. The Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act was “useful,” DeWitte said, in ensuring the right infrastructure is in place to support the commercialization of new reactors. But he says demonstration itself -- a key component of the not-yet-passed Nuclear Energy Leadership Act -- is an insufficient goal for nuclear developers to target. 

“The goal is to build dozens, hundreds, thousands total,” DeWitte said. To that end, Oklo has been clear that it is not as excited about congressional legislation that narrowly focuses on demonstration. “That’s not the end step,” DeWitte added.

The advanced nuclear industry at large is urging Congress to authorize and fund federal demonstrations of advanced reactors and to make available more high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel, for instance. But the C-suite at Oklo, which is solely venture-funded and backed primarily by U.S.-based investors, draws a distinction between collaborating with the government and relying primarily on federal funding for support. 

When appropriate -- such as through providing expertise, land and cross-cutting infrastructure development -- federal funding can be useful, DeWitte said, noting that Oklo might consider opportunities for direct federal funding down the road. However, “I’m not asking the taxpayer to subsidize the design work that I need to do,” he added. “We’ve been able to do a lot very capitally efficient, and that’s a paradigm shift in nuclear.”

Nuclear energy companies need to work with the U.S. government for parts of their development, said Cochran, who spoke positively about how the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear initiative has enabled partnerships between Oklo and the Energy Department. To date, Oklo has received three GAIN vouchers, through which the national laboratories, rather than the company, receive funding from the Energy Department to work with developers, with a cost share.

Oklo, which is also working toward other undisclosed projects in addition to the Aurora, said it intends to submit a license application to the NRC within the next few months, following pre-application talks that began with the agency in 2016.

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