Oklo cleared a key regulatory step Thursday as the U.S. Department of Energy approved the Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis for its Aurora powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory. The stock climbed 5.4% in premarket trading to $56.92 on the news.
The approval came from the DOE’s Idaho Operations Office and covers the preliminary safety basis for Aurora-INL, including hazard analysis, accident analysis, safety controls, and design commitments.
CEO Jacob DeWitte called it “an important milestone for Aurora-INL” and said it “helps establish a foundation for future Aurora deployments.”
The clearance is part of the DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program, which provides an authorization framework for building and operating advanced nuclear projects under federal oversight.
Oklo was selected for the program in 2025 alongside nearly a dozen other companies. The program is on a tight timeline, with a goal of having at least three test reactors running at U.S. national laboratories by early July.
Earlier this week, the DOE confirmed that a design from rival Antares Nuclear will be the first reactor to go critical ahead of the July 4 deadline — a point worth watching given the competitive nature of the pilot.
Aurora-INL will be Oklo’s first fast fission power plant. It runs on recovered fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II, a reactor shut down in 1994 after a government policy shift and congressional defunding.
Oklo was granted access to that recovered fuel through a competitive DOE process launched in 2019, the same year the company received a site-use permit at Idaho National Laboratory.
The Aurora powerhouse is being built alongside Oklo’s Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility, also at Idaho National Laboratory. That facility received its own DOE safety approval back in December 2025, making it the first approved under the DOE’s Fuel Line Pilot Program.
Oklo is also exploring the use of plutonium as a temporary bridge fuel while U.S. supply chains for high-assay low-enriched uranium are developed.
On June 4, Oklo closed its acquisition of ARMEC, a precision manufacturing and mechanical engineering firm based in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The deal added around 40 engineers and technical staff to Oklo’s team.
The company also held its 2026 annual stockholder meeting, where three Class II directors were elected to serve through 2029.
Despite Thursday’s premarket gain, the stock has had a rough stretch. OKLO traded at $54.02 ahead of the news, down nearly 48% over the past six months, with a market cap of approximately $9.4 billion.
Analyst sentiment is mixed. UBS recently cut its price target to $55 while keeping a Neutral rating, pointing to capital requirements and execution risks. Wedbush maintained its Outperform rating and $110 price target, citing Oklo’s business model as a competitive advantage.
Four analysts have revised their earnings estimates upward for the coming period, according to InvestingPro data.
Oklo continues to pursue NRC licensing to support future commercial operations beyond the DOE pilot framework.
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