In the artificial intelligence arms race, microreactors may be pivotal to scaling up the energy-intensive product. One clean power company is hoping to be the first.
Oklo — which is focused on fast fission and nuclear fuel recycling technology — signed a memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to prepare a site in Idaho for the construction of a microreactor.
The microreactor — named Aurora — would produce 15-100 megawatts of energy, only as much as 10% of a typical reactor, as Interesting Engineering detailed.
Nuclear sites promise clean, reliable, and affordable power, and Oklo says it could build the first commercial advanced fission power plant in the United States.
"By addressing critical site preparation tasks early, Oklo is working towards a streamlined transition to construction and aims to keep the project on track for timely completion," the company stated in a news release.
It hopes to submit an application next year, break ground on the project in 2026, and begin using the first advanced fission reactor in the country in 2027, according to Interesting Engineering.
Oklo is backed through a May merger by Sam Altman's AltC Acquisition Corp., CNBC reported. Altman, CEO of artificial intelligence organization OpenAI, is also chairman of Oklo.
The reactor needs only two acres of space and can be set up in a remote area since it doesn't require water for cooling, as Interesting Engineering reported. The most promising aspect of the endeavor may be that Oklo plans to use recycled nuclear fuel to generate energy. Existing used nuclear fuel could power the U.S. for over 100 years "with near-zero carbon emissions," according to a video by the company.
This process would also reduce radioactivity and radioactive waste and could lower energy costs "significantly" by making fuel more available and enhancing efficiency, according to the video. Oklo hopes to open a commercial-scale nuclear fuel recycling facility in the U.S. by the early 2030s.
Besides the radioactive waste to manage, some scientists also caution against investing in more nuclear instead of focusing on renewable energy, which is cheaper to build per megawatt-hour generated — and even safer.
Edwin Lyman, the director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, has said that "certain alternative reactor designs pose even more safety, proliferation, and environmental risks than the current fleet."
Oklo had its first application rejected by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2022, per CNBC, and its release contained more disclaimers than actual news, but this plan is worth monitoring in the goal to replace dirty energy sources such as coal and natural gas power plants.
Idaho is also where a similar microreactor will be tested by Westinghouse, at the first microreactor test bed in the world.
"Signing this MOA reflects our commitment to timely deployment and operational readiness while also helping to manage costs and maintain our project schedule," Oklo co-founder and CEO Jacob DeWitte stated in the news release.
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