US nuclear company Oklo has begun construction on its first Aurora reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The project is part of the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Reactor Pilot Program, established following Executive Orders signed by US President Donald Trump in May 2025 to accelerate advanced nuclear deployment. Aurora-INL is one of three projects awarded to Oklo.
The sodium-cooled fast reactor uses metal fuel and draws on the design and operational experience of the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II), which ran in Idaho from 1964 to 1994. In 2019, the DOE awarded Oklo fuel recovered from EBR-II. The company has completed two of four steps required to fabricate its initial core at the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility (A3F) at INL.
US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said, “Projects like this are critical to meeting rising electricity demand and maintaining US leadership in advanced energy technologies.” Oklo CEO Jacob DeWitte added, “This marks a new chapter in building our first plant, building on years of collaboration with DOE and INL.”
Kiewit Nuclear Solutions will serve as lead constructor, supporting design, procurement, and construction. The project is expected to create around 370 construction jobs and 70–80 permanent skilled positions.
Officials highlighted the project’s significance. DOE Idaho Operations Manager Robert Boston said it reflects broad support for new nuclear generation, while INL Director John Wagner noted it continues the lab’s legacy of moving nuclear innovation from research to commercial deployment.
Oklo was the first company to receive a DOE site use permit for a commercial advanced fission plant and submitted the first custom combined license application for an advanced reactor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The US has not operated a fast neutron reactor since EBR-II shut down, and only Russia currently operates commercial liquid-metal fast reactors. Oklo aims to bring Aurora online before the end of the decade.
