Latest News

US Department of Energy selects Oklo and three other projects for nuclear fuel lines

The U.S. Department of Energy announced on Tuesday that it had selected Sam Altman's nuclear technology company Oklo as well as Terrestrial Energy TRISO X and Valar Atomics to be part of its new pilot project for advanced nuclear fuellines.

The announcement is part of efforts by the Trump Administration to improve domestic supply chains of nuclear fuel, and to support the DOE Reactor Pilot Program which expects at least three reactors to reach criticality before July 4, 2026.

After decades of stagnation in the U.S., nuclear power is on the rise again. This is due to the surge in electricity demand for energy-hungry computer centers as well as electrifications of manufacturing and transportation industries.

In May, President Donald Trump signed executive orders to reform the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), an independent agency. The aim was to accelerate nuclear reactor permits and reform this independent agency. The orders permit the Energy Department, without NRC approval, to approve the test reactors.

The DOE announced in August that it had selected 11 projects as part of a pilot project to build high-tech nuclear test reactors. At least three of these reactors are expected to be operational within a year.

The DOE Reactor Program initially selected Oklo, Terrestrial Energy, and Valar Atomics. Tuesday's announcement expanded access to advanced fuel needed to test and deploy their designs.

The DOE stated that each company would be responsible for the costs of designing, manufacturing and constructing their test reactors, as well as operating them. (Reporting and editing by Alan Barona in Bengaluru, Katha Kalia)

(source: Reuters)