Oklo partners with Siemens Energy to enhance nuclear power technology with advanced fission
Oklo, a California-based clean power technology company specializing in nuclear fuel recycling, has entered into a preferred supplier agreement with Germany’s Siemens Energy. This partnership is aimed at supplying power conversion systems for Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse, aligning with Oklo’s objective to efficiently market advanced fission technology.
This agreement, building on a previous memorandum of understanding, marks a significant milestone for Oklo, enhancing its ability to scale production, improve cost efficiency, and expedite deployment in response to growing customer demand.
Siemens Energy will supply power conversion and supporting systems, which are expected to bring efficiencies through economies of scale. By standardizing equipment across its powerhouses, Oklo anticipates cost savings in manufacturing, construction, operations, and maintenance. The use of shared spare parts across deployments is projected to minimize maintenance downtime, increase reliability, and enhance overall performance.
Oklo’s co-founder and CEO, Jacob DeWitte, highlighted the company’s focus on cost efficiency in engineering, leveraging fast fission technology. The technology is based on proven designs that use small, pre-fabricated, and non-pressurized components made from readily available materials and existing supply chains, further reducing costs and complexity. Oklo’s fast fission technology uses liquid metal as a coolant, allowing reactors to operate at high temperatures without pressurization, which simplifies the design and utilizes existing large-scale supply chains.
Backed by billionaire Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, Oklo is set to have its first facility operational by 2027.