Oklo And Centrus Signal Progress On America’s Nuclear Fuel-Chain Bottleneck

Oklo and Centrus Energy announced they have agreed to pursue a joint venture focused on deconversion services for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) and the advancement of related fuel-cycle technologies and supply chains.

The JV would operate at Centrus’ Piketon site in Ohio, co-located with the existing enrichment facility and adjacent to Oklo’s planned 1.2 GW power campus. Centrus also recently started expansion efforts at their site and was awarded $900 million to support their HALEU project.

The language being used by company leadership to describe the goals of the JV points to their intentions of pursuing the establishment of a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus (NLIC) in Ohio.

CEO and co-founder of Oklo Jacob DeWitte stated:

“This framework supports deeper discussions with Centrus on potential pathways to expand deconversion capacity, strengthen domestic supply chains, and advance a more efficient fuel-cycle model that operates from the same location.”

The NLIC program is a push by the DOE to incentivize state governments to host the various stages of the nuclear fuel chain within their borders. States like Texas, Tennessee, and Ohio are getting the message. Other anti-nuclear waste states like New Mexico and California will continue denying their residents the extra tax revenue and high paying job opportunities…

Deconversion transforms enriched uranium hexafluoride (UF6) into forms such as uranium metal or oxide suitable for fabricating fuel assemblies in next-generation reactors. A centralized facility could eliminate the need for individual developers to establish their own deconversion capabilities.

This announcement advances a longstanding partnership. The companies first collaborated via a 2021 letter of intent and expanded ties with a 2023 memorandum of understanding that included HALEU supply from Centrus, component manufacturing, power procurement from Oklo’s plants, and plans for deconversion and fuel fabrication.

As we have been pounding the table for months now, it seems like more companies are getting serious about finally addressing the shortcomings in the American nuclear fuel chain.