Oklo Expands Collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory on Advanced Fuels and Materials
Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO) ("Oklo"), an advanced nuclear technology company, announced today it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), the management and operating contractor for Idaho National Laboratory (INL), to expand collaboration on scientific and technological research and development in areas such as advanced fuel and materials work that are mutually beneficial and support Oklo's commercial deployment.
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Capsule disassembly at INL's Hot Fuel Examination Facility. (Image: Idaho National Laboratory.)
The collaboration builds on Oklo's strong partnership with INL and plans to utilize Oklo's first commercial power plant, Aurora-INL. While the Aurora powerhouse is designed for power production, it is also capable of generating fast neutrons and thereby generating valuable data through in-reactor irradiation experiments that can then be analyzed at INL's Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC). This enables fast reactor irradiation testing in the US that hasn't existed in decades. The data collected will support future fuel manufacturing improvements, cost reductions, and Oklo's recycling efforts.
By generating new fast reactor data under commercial operating conditions, Oklo aims to accelerate how it refines and qualifies its fuel and materials by leveraging its vertically integrated approach of product deployment.
"This collaboration strengthens U.S. leadership in advanced nuclear and demonstrates how Oklo's model of deploying fast reactors can also accelerate learning," said Jacob DeWitte, Oklo co-founder and CEO. "We're building our first plant as a fully capable commercial product; we're also building it to learn faster, optimize faster, and keep driving down costs for future deployments."
Under the MOU, Oklo and INL will collaborate on irradiation of advanced nuclear fuels and materials during Aurora-INL's operating life which could be examined at INL to better understand how fuel and materials perform in a fast- spectrum reactor environment. The resulting data would help advance U.S. fast reactor capabilities and nuclear fuel manufacturing.
"This will be a great example of how the assets of a national laboratory can be leveraged by private industry in order to accelerate technology development," Ronald Crone, Associate Director of the Materials and Fuels Complex at INL, said.
The collaboration was prompted by ongoing work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) longstanding Advanced Fuels Campaign (AFC) as well as a recent project supported under the DOE's Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) which helped Oklo and INL test design and logistical strategies that can be incorporated into Oklo's Aurora Powerhouse for irradiation and subsequent analysis.
Oklo broke ground on Aurora-INL on September 22, 2025, as part of the DOE's new Reactor Pilot Program which was created in response to executive orders aimed at accelerating advanced nuclear deployment and modernizing licensing frameworks.
About Idaho National Laboratory: Battelle Energy Alliance manages INL for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy. INL is the nation's center for nuclear energy research and development, and also performs research in each of DOE's strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and the environment. For more information, visit www.inl.gov. Follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
About Oklo Inc.: Oklo Inc. is developing fast fission power plants to deliver clean, reliable, affordable energy at scale, establishing a domestic supply chain for critical radioisotopes, and advancing nuclear fuel recycling to convert nuclear waste 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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