On November 11, 2025, Oklo announced that the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho Operations Office granted the company a Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) for its Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility (A3F) at Idaho National Laboratory. The NSDA is the first agreement issued under the DOE Fuel Line Pilot Projects and was approved in just under two weeks, giving Oklo the authority to fabricate fuel for its Aurora‑INL reactor.
The NSDA authorizes Oklo to produce the advanced fuel that will power the Aurora‑INL reactor, a key component of the DOE Reactor Pilot Program. By securing this approval, Oklo removes a major regulatory hurdle in the fuel‑fabrication chain, allowing the company to move from design to construction and ultimately to commercial operation of its build‑own‑operate model.
This milestone accelerates Oklo’s licensing and commercialization timeline and is expected to lower fuel costs through its recycling technology. The approval also signals progress toward the national goal of deploying advanced nuclear reactors under the executive order “Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security,” positioning Oklo as a critical partner in U.S. energy security and industrial capacity expansion.
Oklo remains a pre‑revenue, capital‑intensive company. In the third quarter of 2024 the company reported a net loss of $9.96 million, while the second quarter of 2025 saw a larger loss of $24.7 million. The company’s third‑quarter 2025 earnings will be released after market close; analysts expect an EPS loss of $0.13 and no revenue, reflecting the company’s current development stage and high cash burn.
CEO Jacob DeWitte said, “This approval marks clear progress toward demonstrating how we can repurpose used nuclear fuel to power the next generation of clean energy reactors.” He added, “Advanced fuel fabrication and recycling technologies represent a significant unlock for our business, addressing fuel‑supply challenges while transforming fuel economics and creating new revenue opportunities.”
The NSDA approval is part of a broader DOE effort to accelerate domestic fuel‑fabrication capabilities and strengthen the U.S. nuclear supply chain. Oklo’s earlier access to fuel material through a 2019 DOE competitive process, which granted a site‑use permit at INL and fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor‑II, laid the groundwork for this achievement. The approval aligns with the executive order’s focus on national security and positions Oklo to play a leading role in the next wave of advanced nuclear deployment.
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