Last week, advanced nuclear company Oklo (NYSE: OKLO) received startup authorisation from the US Department of Energy for its Groves Isotope Test Reactor, clearing the way to load nuclear fuel and move towards first criticality.
The approval, granted under the DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program, completes the department’s authorisation process and allows Oklo to begin fuel loading, startup testing and reactor operations.
Groves is a low-power test reactor built to prove Oklo’s reactor design, construction and operating model before the company scales up to commercial isotope production.
Oklo went from groundbreaking to authorisation in a little over ten months, building the facility, standing up an operating organisation, training staff, putting nuclear programmes and procedures in place, and procuring fuel and major equipment from commercial suppliers along the way.
Co-founder and chief executive Jacob DeWitte described it as the fastest progression from greenfield to substantial completion for a full-scale, privately funded and sited reactor that the company is aware of, adding that the sector can “move at a pace that many did not believe possible”.
The reactor is designed to support domestic production of critical isotopes, materials used in cancer treatment, manufacturing, scientific research, space exploration and national security.
This is an area where the US is looking to reduce its reliance on overseas supply.
Because Groves was privately financed, built on private land and assembled with full-scale systems and commercially sourced components, Oklo says it now has a repeatable template for future projects.
Should this be approved, the company could play a vital role in energy security and help power the AI revolution. Oklo shares have lost around 70% of their value since recent highs.