LEMONT, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oklo Inc. co-hosted the U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm at Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne), where she toured state-of-the-art experimental liquid metal and fuel recycling facilities. Oklo and Argonne are currently partnered on four DOE awards through the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN), Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF), ARPA-E OPEN, and ARPA-E ONWARDS. The projects will support the commercialization and licensing of advanced fission technologies, as well as the deployment of fuel recycling to enable a safe, sustainable, and economically competitive domestic fuel supply chain.
“Oklo, Argonne and the Department of Energy are committed to accelerating the deployment of advanced fission to support decarbonization and energy security,” said Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo. “Next generation fast reactors enable new economic paradigms in power generation, supported by recycling used fuel. Argonne scientists and engineers are world leaders in fast reactor and fuel recycling technologies. We are proud to partner with DOE and Argonne to deploy fast reactors and fuel recycling capabilities to support the fuel supply chain for the next generation of fission power plants,” added DeWitte.
Three of the four projects that Oklo is working on with Argonne are focused on recycling technology development. One project was funded through the TCF program, established to mature promising energy technologies with the potential for high impact. Two projects were funded through ARPA-E, which advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies, and all three recycling projects are taking place at the Pilot-Scale Electro Refiner Lab. GAIN also awarded Oklo a voucher for experimental liquid metal thermal hydraulic work at Argonne’s new Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) facility.
In total, Oklo has participated in seven DOE funded projects with Argonne National Lab. These public-private partnerships are vital for bringing clean energy technologies to market. Strengthened by the commitment of DOE’s partnerships, Oklo’s leading work in commercializing advanced fission and fuel recycling technologies will advance the deployment of clean, affordable, and reliable energy to help meet our nation’s decarbonization goals and improve our energy security.
About Oklo Inc.: Oklo Inc. (Oklo) is a California-based company developing advanced fission power plants to provide emission-free, reliable, and affordable energy. Oklo received a Site Use Permit from the U.S Department of Energy, has performed successful fabrication of fuel prototypes, was awarded fuel material from Idaho National Laboratory, developed the first advanced fission combined license application accepted and docketed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and is developing waste-to-energy fuel recycling technology in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and several national laboratories.
