Oklo Breaks Ground on First Aurora Powerhouse

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IDAHO FALLS, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 22, 2025--

Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO) (“Oklo”), an advanced nuclear technology company, today holds a groundbreaking ceremony at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for its first Aurora powerhouse, the Aurora-INL. The event will feature opening remarks from Oklo co-founder and CEO Jacob DeWitte and INL Director John Wagner, keynote remarks from U.S. Environmental Protections Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, and brief remarks from officials including Idaho Governor Bradley Little, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and James Risch, U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson, Idaho Lieutenant Governor Scott Bedke, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Commissioner Bradley Crowell, U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Michael Goff and Robert Boston, and Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper.

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Oklo Aurora powerhouse (Image: Oklo)

Oklo is participating in the DOE’s newly established Reactor Pilot Program, a pathway created in response to executive orders signed in May 2025 to accelerate advanced nuclear deployment and to modernize nuclear licensing. Aurora-INL is one of three projects awarded to Oklo under the program, with two awarded directly to Oklo and one awarded to its subsidiary, Atomic Alchemy.

“Oklo Inc.'s Aurora powerhouse will deliver clean, affordable, and reliable American energy to power a new generation of intelligence manufacturing across the country,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “As advancements in artificial intelligence drive up electricity demands, projects like this are critical to ensuring the United States can meet that need and remain at the forefront of the global AI arms race. I am honored to be attending today's groundbreaking in order to witness firsthand the innovation and increased energy production we’re seeing under President Donald J. Trump’s American Energy Dominance Agenda.”

The Aurora-INL is a sodium-cooled fast reactor that uses metal fuel and builds on the design and operating heritage of the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II), which ran in Idaho from 1964 to 1994. Oklo was awarded fuel recovered from EBR-II by the DOE in 2019 and has completed two of four steps for DOE authorization to fabricate its initial core at the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility (A3F) at INL.

“This opportunity positions us to build our first plant more quickly,” said Jacob DeWitte, CEO and co-founder of Oklo. “We have been working with the Department of Energy and the Idaho National Laboratory since 2019 to bring this plant into existence, and this marks a new chapter of building. We are excited for this, and for many more to come.”

“DOE is excited by the opportunity to work with reactor developers, such as Oklo, to capitalize on this moment of broad support for new nuclear generation and bring the Reactor Pilot Program into reality,” said Robert Boston, manager of the DOE Idaho Operations Office.

Kiewit Nuclear Solutions Co., a subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation, one of North America’s largest construction and engineering organizations, will serve as lead constructor supporting the design, procurement, and construction of the powerhouse under a Master Services Agreement announced in July 2025. Oklo expects to leverage Kiewit’s extensive expertise in delivering large-scale industrial projects on accelerated schedules with reduced costs, while maintaining high standards of safety and quality.

The project is expected to create approximately 370 jobs during construction and 70–80 long-term, highly skilled roles to operate the powerhouse and A3F.

“INL has always been where nuclear innovation becomes reality,” said INL Director John Wagner. “Today’s groundbreaking with Oklo continues that legacy, bringing advanced reactor technology from the laboratory to commercial deployment right here in Idaho.”

About Oklo Inc.: Oklo Inc. is developing fast fission power plants to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable energy at scale, establishing a domestic supply chain for critical radioisotopes, and advancing nuclear fuel recycling to convert nuclear waste 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 “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” 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 deployment of Oklo’s powerhouses; the risk that Oklo is pursuing an emerging market, with no commercial project operating, regulatory uncertainties; the potential need for financing to construct plants, market, financial, political and legal conditions; the effects of competition; risks related to the availability of fuel, including high-assay low-enriched uranium (“HALEU”), plutonium, and recycled fuels; changes in applicable laws or regulations; and the outcome of any government and regulatory proceedings and investigations and inquiries.

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 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release and in any document incorporated by reference 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, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

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CONTACT: Media and Investor Contact for Oklo:

Bonita Chester, Head of Communications and Media [email protected]

Investor Contact:

Sam Doane, Director of Investor Relations [email protected]

KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA IDAHO

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY SECURITY UTILITIES PUBLIC POLICY/GOVERNMENT SOFTWARE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY ENERGY NUCLEAR HARDWARE PUBLIC POLICY

SOURCE: Oklo Inc.

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PUB: 09/22/2025 06:00 AM/DISC: 09/22/2025 06:01 AM

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