Oklo announced Thursday it will build and operate a $1.68 billion nuclear fuel recycling facility that could employ 800 people at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee.
The fuel facility is the first phase of an advanced fuel center supporting recycling and fuel fabrication, according to Oklo’s Thursday press release.
The facility will be used to recycle nuclear waste into fuel for advanced reactors, such as Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse, to establish an energy supply.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) touted the nuclear project announcement in a post on the X social media platform. “We created the Nuclear Energy Fund to strengthen & expand our state’s nuclear ecosystem & we’re proud to partner with Oklo as we innovate for the future.”
According to the Santa Clara, Calif.-based advanced nuclear company, it has already completed a licensing project plan for the fuel recycling facility with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Oklo said it is now in the pre-application engagement phase with the independent agency’s staff.
In July, Oklo also completed its pre-application readiness assessment for phase 1 of the combined license application for its first commercial Aurora powerhouse. The Oak Ridge facility is expected to begin producing metal fuel for Aurora powerhouses by the early 2030s, following regulatory review and approvals, Oklo said.
There are more than 94,000 metric tons of nuclear fuel stored at power plant sites around the United States. Oklo said the energy that can be unlocked from the used fuel through recycling is equal to around 1.3 trillion barrels of oil.
During President Donald Trump’s first term, Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy assistant secretary Rita Baranwal often spoke of the idea of the United States revisiting fuel recycling.