Contract Awards
Kiewit Tapped to Build Commercial Nuclear Microreactor at DOE Site
Developer Oklo aims to show 75-MW facility as flexible energy power source, with deployment expected by early 2028, it said.
Kiewit is EPC contractor for Oklo's 75-MW Aurora nuclear microreactor at U.S. Energy Dept.’s Idaho National Laboratory site designed by Gensler, which developer Oklo aims to scale to power data centers.
Image courtesy of Oklo
Nuclear technology developer Oklo has selected Kiewit Nuclear Solutions as engineering, construction and procurement contractor for its estimated 75-MW Aurora microreactor at the U.S. Energy Dept.’s Idaho National Laboratory, which will host the first commercial operation of the advanced nuclear facility. The firm intends to use its technology to power data centers, among other applications.
The contractor selection was announced earlier this month shortly before the Trump administration unveiled its new “action plan” to expedite construction of data centers and related energy infrastructure to boost U.S. dominance in artificial intelligence.
Project pre-construction is set to begin this year, with commercial operation expected by early 2028, said Santa Clara, Calif.-based Oklo, which did not disclose Kiewit's contract value under a master services agreement, nor note the facility cost or any plans for a current or future colocated data center at the Idaho site.
Previously, Oklo said it has incrementally expanded Aurora's power capacity to 50 MW and then to its current level to support demand from large data center customers “without adding any notable technical, design or regulatory complexities.” The reactor has a fast-neutron design with a liquid metal coolant of supercritical carbon dioxide and can operate using enriched uranium or more economical recycled waste fuel, according to the firm. Oklo is working with the Idaho lab to reuse waste fuel in safe storage since an experimental breeder reactor shut down in 1994.
The move to increase Aurora's power capacity was “very much a customer-informed design decision” based on “where we see … the data center architectures progressing,” Oklo founder and CEO Jacob DeWitte said on a recent company results call. But linked reactors can also be deployed for more supply flexibility, the firm said.
Before taking his current role as U.S. Energy Secretary, Chris Wright was an Oklo board member as chairman of a key company investor, Liberty Energy, which has a $10-million stake.
DeWitte said Oklo has completed key pre-construction milestones at the Idaho site, including site characterization. “Advanced reactors will largely be able to be constructed differently than legacy [nuclear] plants, and a key pathway to realizing the economic benefits associated with that is to modernize how we design, procure, and build these plants,” he said. “This is a critical step in helping us build efficiently and deliver clean energy on a meaningful timeline.".
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Kiewit, DeWitte said, “brings the execution strength and project delivery experience that are essential.”
The Aurora facility's modular architecture has been designed in collaboration with architectural giant Gensler to fit into more environments, Oklo said.
Readiness Assessment
The microreactor is now progressing through a readiness assessment by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, with Oklo's stated intent to submit it for full construction and operation approval late this year. The agency has already agreed to review the project's “Product-Based Operator Licensing Framework,” which outlines what Oklo said is a new operator licensing approach for the power facility. “By combining all aspects of design, construction and operation into one application, we’re streamlining the path to deployment,” said DeWitte,
The U.S. Defense Dept.'s Defense Logistics Agency also issued Oklo this month a “notice of intent” for award of a contract to deploy the Aurora microreactor at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, 26 miles south of Fairbanks, under a long-term power purchase agreement to provide what is described as “continuous, resilient energy that can operate independently from the grid.” DOD said the notice designates Oklo as the “apparent successful offeror.” The award was halted in 2023 and re-procured due to a bid protest from another vendor, said media reports.
Oklo was one of eight nuclear power developers chosen for DOD's Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations program, which aims to deploy microreactor nuclear plants at U.S. Air Force and Army bases. Others selected include Antares Nuclear, BWXT Advanced Technologies, General Atomics, Kairos Power, Radiant Industries, Westinghouse Government Services and X-Energy.
Oklo became publicly traded in May 2024 through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company owned by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who is the nuclear developer's chairman. The firm completed in June a public offering that raised about $400 million, it said, and announced two new power supply alliances—one with investor Liberty Energy, which provides it access to natural gas power plants for data center use until the nuclear plant operates, and another with data center cooling technology firm Vertiv.
Oklo has gained market attention with its estimated $10.2-billion valuation boosted by Altman and other investors, but it is not set to generate revenue until after the Idaho reactor is deployed, said Motley Fool technology stock analyst Leo Sun.
