The nuclear technology developer Oklo has selected Kiewit Nuclear Solutions as an engineering, construction and contracting contractor for his beloved Aurora micro -actor of 75 MW at the Idaho Energy Dept National Laboratory. of the United States, which will host the first commercial operation of the advanced nuclear installation. The company intends to use its technology to feed data centers, among other applications.
The selection of the contractor was announced earlier this month shortly before the Trump administration presented its new “action plan” to speed up the construction of data centers and the related energy infrastructure to promote US domain in artificial intelligence.
The pre-construction of the project begins this year, with the commercial operation planned in early 2028, said that Santa Clara, based in California, Oklo, who did not spread the value of the Kiewit contract under a master service agreement, nor did he notice the cost of the installation or the plans for a current or future data center at the place of Idaho.
Oklo previously said it has increased aurora’s power capacity to 50 MW and then to its current level to support the demand for large customers in the data center “without adding any technical, design or remarkable complexity”. The reactor has a quick design of neutrons with a supercritical carbon dioxide liquid metal coolant, it is self-stabilizing, cooled by natural forces and can work with enriched uranium or more fuel of economic recycled waste, according to the firm. Oklo works with the Idaho laboratory to reuse waste fuel in a safe storage of an experimental breeding reactor closed in 1994.
The passage to increase Aurora’s power capacity was “a very design decision with the” based “client, where we see … The architectures of the progressing data center,” said Oklo’s founder and CEO, Jacob Dewitte, in a recent company call call. But linked reactors can also be deployed for more flexibility, said the firm.
Before taking his current role as U.S. Energy Secretary, Chris Wright was a member of the Oklo Council as chairman of a key company investor Liberty Energy, who bought a $ 1 million participation by 2023.
Dewitte said Oklo has completed the key pre-constructed milestones in Idaho’s site, including the characterization of the site. “Advanced reactors will be able to build -to largely the legacy [nuclear] The plants and a key way to realize the associated economic benefits is to modernize how we design, acquire and build these plants, “said Dewitte.” This is a critical step to help us build effectively and bring clean energy on a significant calendar, “he added.
Kiewit, Dewitte, “brings the execution force and the delivery experience of the project that are essential.” The modular architecture of the Aurora’s installation has been designed in collaboration with the Gensler architectural giant to adapt to more environments, said Oklo.
Preparation Evaluation
The microreactor is now moving forward by an evaluation of the preparation by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, with the declared intention of OKLO to present -the one for the complete construction and the approval of the operation later this year. The Agency has already agreed to review the “Product -based operators” framework “framework”, which describes what Oklo said is a new operators’ licensing approach to electrical installation. “Combining all aspects of design, construction and operation in an application, we rationalize the path to deployment,” said CEO Dewitte,
The United States Defense Defense Logistics Agency also published a “ warning of intent ” this month to award a contract to deploy the Aurora micro -story at the base of the Eielson Air Force in Alaska, 26 kilometers south of Fairbanks, under a long -term power purchase agreement to provide what is described as “ continuous and resistant energy that can be operated independent. DOD said the warning designates Oklo as a “apparent offer successfully”. The award was stopped in 2023 and was again sought due to a protest of another seller’s offer, according to the media.
Oklo was one of the eight nuclear energy developers chosen for the advanced DOD nuclear energy energy program for installations, which aims to deploy the nuclear micro -registration power plants to the Air Force Bases and the United States Army. Other selected include Nuclear, Bwxt Advanced Technologies, General Atomics, Kairos Power, Radiant Industries, Westinghouse Government Services and X-Energy.
Oklo was publicly marketed in May 2024 through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company owned by Openai CEO SAM Altman, who is the President of the Nuclear Developer. The firm was completed in June a public offer raising about $ 400 million, he said and announced two new electrical food alliances: one with Liberty Energy Investor, which provides access to natural gas plants for data center use until nuclear power plants work and another with a refrigeration technology company at the Vertiva Data Center.
Oklo has gained market care with its dear $ 10.2 million assessment, and other investors, but it is not planned to generate revenue until after the deployment of the reactor Idaho, said Leo Sun.
