Oklo Inc, a company backed by Fortune 500 and global companies like TESLA and Google, envisions a world where the nuclear power plant becomes a tourist destination instead of something that gives us a sense of dread. It strives to transform the way we perceive nuclear energy through the Aurora reactor sites.
The sites serve as vibrant community hubs situated in remote areas where electricity is scarce. Unlike traditional nuclear power plants, they come in an unconventional “nuke-like” structure devoid of massive cooling towers. Instead, they come in an A-frame structure fabricated and manufactured offsite for fast on-site installation.
They look like fancy ski lounges made self-sufficient using built-in solar panels. The Aurora reactor sites will occupy a small footprint yet they can power over 1000 homes thanks to its next-gen fission powerhouse that produces abundant, affordable, and clean energy.
It can produce 15 MW of electrical power that’s scalable to 50 MWe. It’s also able to operate for a decade or longer before it needs refueling. These power plants utilize high-assay low-enriched uranium-235 fuel in a one-of-a-kind reactor. This means it uses high-energy neutrons to take care of the nuclear chain reaction.
Moreover, nuclear fission produces heat transferred to secondary systems through heat exchangers. This heat can insulate nearby buildings, pastures, and greenhouses. The beauty with Oklo’s Aurora reactor sites is that they are safe and can run on recycled waste.
They produce almost zero greenhouse gas emissions and zero nuclear waste. Likewise, they feature zero moving parts and have a sealed core. The core is easy to remove and replace with another sealed core to hold the next batch of recycled nuclear fuel. They also boast the ability to cool and shut itself down without the need for human intervention.
Images courtesy of Oklo Inc.
