The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission today announced it has turned down Oklo Power’s application for a combined construction and operating license for its tiny (1.5-MWe) Aurora fast reactor on federal land in Idaho. The agency said Oklo has not been able to produce “information on several key topics….”
The NRC said its application denial was “without prejudice” and the developers are free to reapply.
Said Andrea Veil, director of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, “Since Oklo submitted its application almost 22 months ago, our engagement with the company has included multiple information requests, audits and public meetings. “Oklo’s application continues to contain significant information gaps in its description of Aurora’s potential accidents as well as its classification of safety systems and components. These gaps prevent further review activities. We are prepared to re-engage with Oklo if they submit a revised application that provides the information we need for a thorough and timely review.”
Oklo’s proposed reactor, to be build on land at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory site, has generated a lot of buzz for several years, as it is a radical departure from conventional nuclear power approaches. It would use high-assay, low-enriched (HALEU) fuel, and was the first to apply to the NRC under its “advanced reactor” design program.
Earlier this week, POWER magazine reported, “Oklo last year announced a cost-share arrangement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), partnering with the DOE and Argonne National Laboratory to advance electrorefining technologies to produce fuel for advanced reactors. The technology would help reduce fuel costs for advanced reactor designs, and reduce waste by turning used fuel into advanced reactor fuel.”
Oklo has 30 days following publication of NRC’s action in the Federal Register to request a hearing on the decision, which could also involve “parties or entities who might be affected by the decision….”
–Kennedy Maize
(kenmaize@gmail.com)