Sam Altman's nuclear company Oklo to start on Idaho microreactor
Nuclear startup Oklo has received DOE approval for site investigations in Idaho, aiming for a 2027 operational microreactor. The company faces regulatory challenges and supply chain issues but has secured customer interest.
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Nuclear startup Oklo, backed by Sam Altman, has received approval from the Department of Energy to begin site investigations for its planned microreactor at the Idaho National Laboratory. The company aims to start construction in 2026 and have the reactor operational by 2027, although regulatory reviews could delay this timeline. CEO Jacob DeWitte noted that the nuclear industry has not kept pace with market demand, emphasizing the need for disruption in the sector. Oklo's microreactors, named Aurora, will have capacities ranging from 15 to over 100 megawatts, significantly smaller than traditional reactors. The company has faced challenges, including a rejected license application from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) due to missing safety information, which it plans to address in a new application in 2025. Despite these hurdles, Oklo has secured interest for 1,350 megawatts of power from potential customers. The company is also navigating supply chain issues for nuclear fuel, particularly after the U.S. banned uranium imports from Russia. Oklo has partnered with Centrus Energy to secure domestic fuel supplies and plans to incorporate fuel recycling in the future. The company has yet to generate revenue, but anticipates long-term contracts once its first plant is operational.
- Oklo is set to begin site work for a microreactor in Idaho, aiming for a 2027 operational date.
- The company has faced regulatory challenges, including a rejected license application.
- Oklo's microreactors are designed to meet the growing energy demands of data centers.
- The startup has secured significant interest from potential customers for future power supply.
- Supply chain issues for nuclear fuel remain a concern, but partnerships are in place to address them.
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2 comments AI datacenters will be built next to energy production sites that can produce
gigawatt-scale, low-cost, low-emission electricity continuously.
Basically, next to nuclear power plants.
The advantage is that there is no need for expensive and wasteful
long-distance distribution infrastructure.
Note: yes, solar and wind are nice and all, but they require lots of land
and massive-scale energy storage systems for when there is too little sun
and/or wind. Neither simple nor cheap.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41621097
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