US-based nuclear power and fuel recycling company Oklo has been issued a Notice of Intent to Award (NOITA) by the US Defense Logistics Agency Energy (DLA Energy), on behalf of the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and the Department of Defense, to deploy its Aurora powerhouse at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. The project serves as the DAF’s microreactor pilot to enhance energy resilience and reliability for critical national security infrastructure. It was part of the Air Force’s micro-reactor pilot programme initiated in response to the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorisation Act, which required DOD to identify potential military locations to site, construct, and operate a microreactor.
Oklo is developing the Aurora microreactor, which uses heat pipes to transport heat from the reactor core to a supercritical carbon dioxide power conversion system to generate electricity. It will use high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel. Oklo says the reactor builds on the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) and space reactor legacy. Oklo initially marketed a 1.5 MWe microreactor version of the Aurora, but has now expanded its capacity offerings from 15 MWe to 100 MWe.
DLA had previously issued a NOITA to Oklo in August 2023 but rescinded it in September, citing a need for “further consideration” of its obligations under a specific military contracting regulation, according to a memo sent to Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp (USNC), which was a competing bidder for the contract. However, USNC went bankrupt in 2024. Oklo, meanwhile, was the first to receive a site use permit from the Department of Energy for a commercial advanced fission plant, was awarded fuel material from Idaho National Laboratory, and submitted the first custom combined licence application for an advanced reactor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Under the terms of the new agreement, Oklo will design, construct, own, and operate the power plant, delivering both electricity and heat to the DAF’s preferred installation, Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, under a 30-year long-term power purchase agreement.
“This Notice of Intent to Award reflects continued confidence in Oklo’s ability to deliver clean and secure energy solutions for mission-critical infrastructure,” said Co-Founder and CEO Jacob DeWitte. “We are honoured to support national defence resilience objectives while demonstrating the value of US-pioneered fast reactor technology.”
