Oklo Announces U.S. Department of Energy Approval for Nuclear Safety Design Agreement of Aurora Powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory

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other transaction agreement regulatory

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nuclear safety design agreement regulatory

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IDAHO FALLS, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO) (Oklo), an advanced nuclear technology company, today announced that it has signed a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to support the design, construction, and operation of Oklo’s first reactor, the Aurora powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) under DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program (RPP). The DOE Idaho Operations Office subsequently approved the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) for the fast-fission power plant, and Oklo immediately requested DOE commence review of its Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis (PDSA).

Aurora-INL in Idaho Falls under construction (Images: Oklo)

The NSDA is the first step under DOE’s RPP authorization licensing pathway, which has the potential to unlock U.S. industrial capacity by establishing an accelerated framework that enables quick and scalable generation capacity. With the OTA signed and the NSDA approved, the Aurora powerhouse at INL (Aurora-INL) enters the next phase of project execution under DOE oversight after initial groundbreaking in September.

“The OTA sets the program structure, while the design agreement reflects DOE’s rigorous authorization process and safety-first approach,” said Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo. “DOE’s pathway for the Aurora-INL supports a stepwise approach to deploying our first powerhouse while we continue progressing our engagement for future commercial licensing by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.”

“DOE Idaho is committed to enabling safe, disciplined progress from design to demonstration,” said Robert Boston, Manager of the DOE Idaho Operations Office. “With the Aurora powerhouse NSDA—alongside the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility—we’re supporting an integrated Idaho effort that can help scale domestic nuclear capability for the next generation of secure and reliable energy.”

The Aurora-INL is supported by Oklo’s broader Idaho work, such as the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility (A3F) at INL, which will fabricate the first fuel assemblies for the Aurora-INL. DOE Idaho approved the A3F NSDA in November 2025 and the A3F PDSA in December under DOE’s Advanced Nuclear Fuel Line Pilot Program.

DOE’s RPP authorization offers a modern framework for building and operating advanced nuclear generating capacity and supports an accelerated path to building, operating, and gaining experience under DOE authorization. Oklo plans to subsequently pursue NRC licensing to support commercial operations.

Oklo secured access to fuel recovered from the Experimental Breeder Reactor II through a competitive process launched in 2019. That same year, the company received a site-use permit at INL to site and construct the Aurora-INL.

About Oklo Inc.: Oklo Inc. is developing fast fission power plants to deliver clean, reliable, affordable energy at global scale; establishing a domestic supply chain for critical radioisotopes; and advancing nuclear fuel recycling to convert used nuclear fuel into clean energy. Oklo was the first to receive a site use permit from the U.S. Department of Energy for a commercial advanced fission plant, was awarded fuel from Idaho National Laboratory, and submitted the first custom combined license application for an advanced reactor to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Oklo is also developing advanced fuel recycling technologies in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. National Laboratories.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes statements that express Oklo’s opinions, expectations, objectives, beliefs, plans, intentions, strategies, assumptions, forecasts or projections regarding future events or future results and therefore are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements.” The words “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “continue,” “might,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “goal,” “would,” “commit,” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology, and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this press release and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the markets in which Oklo operates. Such forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this press release, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties.

As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, the actual results or performance of Oklo may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The following important risk factors could affect Oklo’s future results and cause those results or other outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements: risks related to the development and deployment of Oklo’s powerhouses; the risk that Oklo is pursuing an emerging market with no commercial project operating and regulatory uncertainties; risks related to acquisitions, divestitures, or joint ventures we may engage in; the need for financing to construct plants, which remain subject to market, financial, political, and legal conditions; risks related to an inability to raise additional capital to support our business and sustain our growth on favorable terms; the effects of competition; risks related to accessing high-assay low-enriched uranium, plutonium, and other fuels at acceptable costs (including recycled fuels); risks related to our supply chain; risks related to power purchase agreements; risks related to human capital; risks related to our intellectual property; risks related to cybersecurity and data privacy; changes in applicable laws or regulations, including tariffs; the outcome of any government and regulatory proceedings and investigations and inquiries; and the other factors set forth in our documents we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties of the other documents filed by Oklo from time to time with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on Oklo. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting Oklo will be those that Oklo has anticipated. Oklo undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this presentation, except as may be required by law.

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Media Contact for Oklo:

Bonita Chester, Head of Communications and Media at media@oklo.com,

Investor Contact:

Sam Doane, Director of Investor Relations at investors@oklo.com

Source: Oklo Inc.