US advanced reactor company Oklo announced that the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Idaho Operations Office has approved the preliminary documented safety analysis (PDSA) for Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

The PDSA is a major step under DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program authorisation pathway and represents a detailed review of the preliminary safety basis for the Aurora-INL plant, including the project’s hazard analysis, accident analysis, safety controls and design commitments.

Oklo said the approval advances Aurora-INL through a federal process designed to unlock US industrial capacity by enabling an accelerated deployment of scalable generation capacity under rigorous federal oversight.