Oklo, a nuclear startup backed by Sam Altman, has received approval from the Department of Energy to begin site investigation work for its planned microreactor at the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls. CEO Jacob DeWitte said the company expects to start initial construction activities in 2026, with the goal of bringing the reactor online by 2027, although regulatory reviews could delay this timeline. The site investigations will include infrastructure planning, environmental surveys, and geotechnical assessments.
“This sets the stage for doing all the initial site prep work, and what I would call initial construction activities,” DeWitte stated. Oklo’s microreactors, named Aurora, are designed to range from 15 megawatts to as much as 100 megawatts, much smaller than the average 1,000-megawatt reactors currently in use in the U.S. The company aims to meet the rising demand for electric power, particularly from the tech sector, which has been driving up energy needs with the construction of data centers for artificial intelligence operations. DeWitte emphasized that the nuclear industry has failed to keep up with market interest.
“The industry has radically fallen short of its ability to keep up with market interest,” he said. “Disruption has needed to take place to sort of change the paradigm.”
Oklo faced challenges, including the initial denial of its application by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) due to missing safety information. The company plans to re-file its application in 2025.
Oklo begins Idaho microreactor site work
DeWitte attributed the setbacks to disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. “Everything changed,” he noted, explaining that the missing information was largely due to communication challenges during the pandemic.
Oklo aims to build, operate, and directly sell power to customers under long-term contracts. The company has received 1,350 megawatts of interest through letters of intent with potential customers, a significant increase from 700 megawatts in July 2023. The company plans to bring additional plants online “in multiples per year” starting in 2028 to 2029.
DeWitte highlighted that Oklo’s microreactors are well-suited for data centers, which typically have energy needs of less than 50 megawatts. Despite constraints on nuclear fuel, including the U.S. ban on uranium imports from Russia, Oklo has secured the necessary fuel for the Idaho plant and has formed a partnership with a U.S.-based nuclear fuel supplier. Oklo’s reactors will have the capability to recycle fuel, diversifying its supply chain, though meaningful quantities of recycled fuel are not expected until 2029 or beyond.
The company, which is yet to generate revenue, anticipates financial growth once its first plant becomes operational and enters into long-term power purchase agreements. “We’re going to be getting revenues for the next 20 years and then growing from there,” DeWitte concluded.
