Aurora nuclear reactor

Aurora Powerhouse
GenerationIV
Reactor conceptSodium-cooled fast reactor
StatusUnder construction
LocationIdaho National Laboratory
Main parameters of the reactor core
Fuel (fissile material)HALEU metallic fuel
Fuel stateSolid
Neutron energy spectrumFast
Primary coolantLiquid sodium
Reactor usage
Primary useElectricity and fuel recycling
Power (electric)75 MWe

The Aurora Powerhouse is a small modular reactor design proposed by Oklo Inc. Its first unit is under construction at Idaho National Laboratory under the auspices of the United States Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program.

First proposal

The first proposed reactor to use the Aurora Powerhouse name was a fast-neutron microreactor with heat pipe cooling similar to the NASA Kilopower reactor.[1] It was to provide 1.4 MWe and operate at extremely low burnup, allowing it to operate for its entire 20 year lifetime without refueling.[2]: 254  It was to use heat pipe cooling and a supercritical carbon dioxide power conversion system.[2]: 214  According to Oklo, the reactor would have had a "large negative temperature reactivity coefficient", lack pumps and valves, use heat pipes for heat removal, have no nuclear refueling intervals and associated core exposure, and have its core buried underground.[3] In presenting its safety design to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Oklo quoted a study of the EBR-II, which is a different reactor technology, as being "inherently protected without requiring emergency power, safety systems, or operator intervention".[3]

The reactor would have been fueled by recycled high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel originally fabricated for EBR-II,[4][1][5] and if completed, would have become "the first fuel-recycling commercial reactor in the United States".[6] The DOE's Idaho National Laboratory (INL) said it would provide 10 tons of HALEU for the test reactor which corresponded to most of the available supply.[7] Reprocessing would have occurred at INL's Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) and possibly also the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC), neither of which were operational facilities as of early 2020.[8] Oklo received a site use permit from the Department of Energy in 2019, and submitted its application for a combined license to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 2020.

On January 6, 2022, the NRC denied Oklo's combined license application due to lack of information regarding several key topics for the Aurora reactor.[9]

Second proposal

The second reactor to use the Aurora Powerhouse name is a different design based on the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II). This design is a pool-type sodium-cooled fast reactor,[10]: 6  producing a power output of 75 MWe.[11] The first unit, Aurora-INL, will use the same site use permit as the original proposal and broke ground on September 22, 2025.[12][13]

It will use the same metallic HALEU fuel originally fabricated for EBR-II.[13] This fuel is planned to be fabricated at Oklo's Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility, which is under construction at INL as of 2026.[13] As a part of the Reactor Pilot Program, the Aurora-INL is to be licensed under the DOE rather than the NRC.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Sonal Patel (February 20, 2020), "Exclusive: Why Oklo's Demonstration of HALEU Could Be Groundbreaking for New Nuclear", Power (magazine), Rockville, Maryland: Wright's Media
  2. ^ a b "Part II: Final Safety Analysis Report" (PDF). Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
  3. ^ a b Oklo Inc. (December 17, 2019). "Safety case and external hazards" (PDF) – via NRC website.
  4. ^ Daniel Oberhaus (February 27, 2020), "Recycled Nuclear Waste Will Power a New Reactor", Wired
  5. ^ "US Idaho Lab to provide Oklo micro-reactor with access to HALEU fuel", Nuclear Engineering International, NS Media Group Ltd, 25 February 2020
  6. ^ Nathanael Johnson (February 20, 2020), "The power plant of the future could run on nuclear waste", Grist
  7. ^ INL selects Oklo Inc. for opportunity to demonstrate reuse of fuel material (press release), Idaho National Laboratory, February 19, 2020
  8. ^ Environmental Assessment Completed for Use of DOE-Owned High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium Stored at Idaho National Laboratory (press release), Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy, January 17, 2019
  9. ^ "NRC Denies Oklo Combined License Application for Lack of Information" (PDF). Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
  10. ^ "Principal Design Criteria for the Aurora Powerhouse" (PDF). Nuclear Regulatory Commission. August 2025. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
  11. ^ "Oklo Aurora Powerhouse". Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
  12. ^ "Oklo Inc. - Technology". Oklo Inc. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
  13. ^ a b c "Oklo Breaks Ground on First Aurora Powerhouse". Oklo Inc. 2025-09-22. Retrieved 2026-01-24.

Further reading

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