Advanced reactor developer Oklo has been selected by the US Department of Energy for advanced negotiations under the Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program, an initiative that aims to convert about 20 tonnes of designated surplus plutonium into fuel for advanced nuclear reactors. Oklo was chosen alongside four other companies: Exodys Energy, SHINE Technologies, Standard Nuclear, and Flibe Energy.

The program, launched through a request for applications issued in October, asks participants to present detailed recycling and processing plans, including funding commitments and schedules, for using surplus plutonium from DOE inventories as reactor fuel in the United States. Oklo says the selection supports a broader fuel strategy built on multiple supply pathways while domestic enrichment and fuel infrastructure continue to scale.

Oklo is partnering with reactor developer Newcleo on the effort. Under the arrangement, Oklo would lead the utilization of the surplus material while Newcleo contributes fuel experience and potential project capital, subject to definitive agreements and US security and safeguards requirements. The companies describe the program as disposition through use: converting stored material into fuel, generating electricity, and consuming the material through fission.

Oklo co-founder and CEO Jacob DeWitte said fuel supply constraints are a key throttle on advanced reactor development and that the program creates a pathway to bring more reactors online sooner. Oklo's Aurora powerhouse, a fast neutron reactor design now under construction in Idaho, can operate on fuel made from fresh high-assay low-enriched uranium or used nuclear fuel.

Source: World Nuclear News -- https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/oklo-selected-for-us-surplus-plutonium-programme