Oklo Inc., an advanced nuclear technology company, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony at Idaho National Laboratory for its first Aurora powerhouse, the Aurora-INL.
Oklo is participating in the DOE’s newly established Reactor Pilot Program, a pathway created in response to executive orders signed in May 2025 to accelerate advanced nuclear deployment and to modernize nuclear licensing.
Aurora-INL is one of three projects awarded to Oklo under the program, with two awarded directly to Oklo and one awarded to its subsidiary, Atomic Alchemy.
The Aurora-INL is a sodium-cooled fast reactor that uses metal fuel and builds on the design and operating heritage of the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II), which ran in Idaho from 1964 to 1994.
Oklo was awarded fuel recovered from EBR-II by the DOE in 2019 and has completed two of four steps for DOE authorization to fabricate its initial core at the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility (A3F) at INL.
“This opportunity positions us to build our first plant more quickly,” said Jacob DeWitte, CEO and co-founder of Oklo. “We have been working with the Department of Energy and the Idaho National Laboratory since 2019 to bring this plant into existence, and this marks a new chapter of building. We are excited for this, and for many more to come.”
“DOE is excited by the opportunity to work with reactor developers, such as Oklo, to capitalize on this moment of broad support for new nuclear generation and bring the Reactor Pilot Program into reality,” said Robert Boston, manager of the DOE Idaho Operations Office.
Kiewit Nuclear Solutions Co., a subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation, one of North America’s largest construction and engineering organizations, will serve as lead constructor supporting the design, procurement, and construction of the powerhouse under a Master Services Agreement announced in July 2025.
Oklo expects to leverage Kiewit’s extensive expertise in delivering large-scale industrial projects on accelerated schedules with reduced costs, while maintaining high standards of safety and quality.
