Oklo wins access to used fuel for Aurora SMR
The California-based company applied for access to the material through a competitive process INL launched last year to accelerate deployment of commercially viable micro-reactors by providing developers with access to material needed to produce fuel for them. Last month, Oklo announced it had received a site use permit from the US Department of Energy to build and demonstrate the Aurora technology at INL.
John Wagner, associate laboratory director for INL's nuclear science and technology directorate, said INL is "committed to working with private companies and others to develop the technologies that will provide clean energy to the world". Ashley Finan, director of the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC), added that building and operating advanced reactors is "essential to restoring US leadership in nuclear energy".
Led by INL, NRIC was established in August 2019 to provide access to resources to accelerate the demonstration of advanced nuclear technology concepts.
Oklo says the 1.5-megawatt Aurora reactor will avoid the emission of one million tonnes of carbon dioxide during its operation that would otherwise have been produced by diesel generator alternatives.