LOCKHART, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 17, 2026--
Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO) (“Oklo”), an advanced nuclear technology company, today announced the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has approved the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) for Atomic Alchemy’s Groves Isotopes Test Reactor in Texas under the DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program (RPP).
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The NSDA approval for Oklo’s wholly owned subsidiary follows the announcement of the signing of the Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) for the facility in January and is a major milestone in DOE’s RPP authorization pathway, designed to speed execution and help expand U.S. industrial capacity through a framework that supports swift, scalable deployment. With the NSDA approved, the facility moves into the next phase of project execution under DOE oversight by submitting its Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis (PDSA) for review.
“With DOE’s approval, we are making meaningful progress in the development of this isotope facility,” said Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo. “This plant will help us gather critical data, refine our processes, and apply those lessons to subsequent licensing submissions and future deployments.”
“DOE is committed to a safety-first approach that enables disciplined progress from the drawing board through deployment-ready work,” said Robert Boston, Manager of the DOE Idaho Operations Office. “The NSDA approval for this radioisotope facility advances an authorization pathway that can strengthen domestic industrial capacity and support critical radioisotope supply chains.”
DOE’s RPP authorization offers a modern framework for building and operating advanced nuclear plants and supports an accelerated path to deployment for developers. Atomic Alchemy is targeting criticality for the Groves facility by July 4, 2026.
The site is located near Lockhart in Caldwell County, Texas and is part of the planned Proto-Town Innovation Hub, a development intended to host demonstrations of new construction technologies, full-scale prototype buildings, research facilities, and advanced manufacturing projects in robotics, space, and energy.
The facility will help lay the groundwork for future commercial plants that produce isotopes in the United States that support cancer diagnosis and treatment, advanced manufacturing, scientific research, space exploration, and national security needs. Many isotopes are currently sourced from overseas suppliers or produced in aging facilities; by starting with a pilot facility, Atomic Alchemy can develop reactor operating procedures, test and characterize the performance of reactor systems, validate processes, and then aim to scale to dependable domestic production.
About Oklo Inc.: Oklo Inc. is developing fast fission power plants to deliver clean, reliable, affordable energy at global scale; establishing a domestic supply chain for critical isotopes; and advancing nuclear fuel recycling to convert used nuclear fuel into clean energy. Oklo was the first to receive a site use permit from the U.S. Department of Energy for a commercial advanced fission plant, was awarded fuel from Idaho National Laboratory, and submitted the first custom combined license application for an advanced reactor to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Oklo is also developing advanced fuel recycling technologies in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. National Laboratories.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes statements that express Oklo’s opinions, expectations, objectives, beliefs, plans, intentions, strategies, assumptions, forecasts or projections regarding future events or future results and therefore are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements.” The words “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “continue,” “might,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “goal,” “would,” “commit,” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology, and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this press release and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the markets in which Oklo operates. Such forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this press release, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties.
As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, the actual results or performance of Oklo may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The following important risk factors could affect Oklo’s future results and cause those results or other outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements: risks related to the development and deployment of Oklo’s powerhouses, fuel fabrication and fuel recycling facilities, and radioisotope production activities; the risk that Oklo is pursuing an emerging market with no commercial project operating and regulatory uncertainties; risks related to acquisitions, divestitures, or joint ventures we may engage in; the need for financing to construct plants, which remain subject to market, financial, political, and legal conditions; risks related to an inability to raise additional capital to support our business and sustain our growth on favorable terms; the effects of competition; risks related to accessing high-assay low-enriched uranium, plutonium, and other fuels (including recycled fuels) at acceptable costs and under acceptable timelines; risks related to our supply chain; risks related to power purchase agreements; risks related to human capital; risks related to our intellectual property; risks related to cybersecurity and data privacy; changes in applicable laws or regulations, including tariffs; the outcome of any government and regulatory proceedings and investigations and inquiries; and the other factors set forth in our documents we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties of the other documents filed by Oklo from time to time with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on Oklo. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting Oklo will be those that Oklo has anticipated. Oklo undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this presentation, except as may be required by law.
Groves Isotopes Test Reactor (Image: Hillside Architecture)
