According to Oklo, the preapplication engagement will identify and reconcile regulatory requirements early, enabling an efficient and effective NRC license application review through a process equivalent to a staged licensing approach with the added benefits of flexibility and customization.
He said it: “The ability to economically recycle fuel is an important attribute for developing domestic fuel supplies, and offering recycling services also presents a sizeable opportunity,” said Jacob DeWitte, cofounder and chief executive officer of Oklo, in a January 25 news release.
The company said it can recycle used fuel from other reactors as well as its own reactors. “We are taking a major step forward in bringing meaningful fuel recycling capabilities domestically that will produce cost-competitive fuel,” added DeWitte.
DOE funding: In 2022, Oklo was selected by the Department of Energy for four cost-share projects, totaling over $15 million, to commercialize advanced reactor fuel from nuclear waste. Most recently, the company was awarded a $6.1 million cost-share project in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory, Deep Isolation, and Case Western Reserve University from the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E). The project is funded under the ARPA-E Converting Used Nuclear Fuel Radioisotopes into Energy (CURIE) program.