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U.S. DOE Approves PDSA for OKLO’s Aurora Powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory
DOE approves PDSA for Oklo's Aurora powerhouse at INL, a major regulatory milestone for its advanced nuclear reactor deployment.
- DOE approved the PDSA for Aurora-INL, a major regulatory milestone under the Reactor Pilot Program.
- Aurora-INL will be Oklo's first planned fast fission power plant, advancing its commercial licensing and deployment.
- Secured access to recovered fuel from EBR-II, supporting the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility (A3F).
Press Release notes below.
Oklo announced that the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Idaho Operations Office has approved the Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis (PDSA) for Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) under DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program (RPP).
The PDSA is a major step under DOE’s RPP authorization pathway and represents a detailed review of the preliminary safety basis for Aurora-INL, including the project’s hazard analysis, accident analysis, safety controls, and design commitments. The approval advances Aurora-INL through a framework designed to unlock U.S. industrial capacity by enabling an accelerated deployment of scalable generation capacity under rigorous federal oversight.
“This approval represents an important milestone for Aurora-INL and helps establish a foundation for future Aurora deployments,” said Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo. “Aurora-INL is helping show how advanced reactors can move through real safety review, real construction, and ultimately into commercial licensing.”
Aurora-INL will be the first of Oklo’s planned fast fission power plants and has been granted access to recovered fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) following a competitive DOE process launched in 2019, the same year Oklo received a site-use permit at INL for the Aurora powerhouse.
Aurora-INL is advancing alongside Oklo’s broader work in Idaho, including the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility (A3F) where it will be fabricating the initial fuel assemblies for Aurora-INL from EBR-II fuel. DOE’s Idaho Operations Office approved A3F’s PDSA in December 2025, making A3F the first facility to be approved under DOE’s Fuel Line Pilot Program.
DOE’s RPP provides a modern authorization framework for building and operating advanced nuclear projects under DOE oversight. Through the program, Oklo expects to gain early deployment and operating experience with Aurora-INL, while continuing to pursue U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing to support future commercial operations.
Big progress for $OKLO
Evidently second time is the charm:
wait so how does the PDSA actually work
It goes OTA -> PDSA -> DSA and then official start-up approval to reach criticality, PDSA is usually the longest step in the process.
The PDSA is the documentation allowing work to continue toward licensing. If you're asking how the reactor works, check the Wikipedia link.