Here's the denial letter to Oklo directly from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission:
https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2135/ML21357A034.pdf
All Oklo application documents linked to from this top level page: https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/col/aurora-oklo.ht...
While searching World Nuclear News for background about Oklo I ran into this story:
"Oklo to power bitcoin mining machines"
https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Oklo-to-power-Bi...
This is dubious on a couple of levels. Micro-reactors like Oklo (1.5 megawatt electrical output per unit, compared to 1000+ megawatts for Generation III reactors currently being built) would be hard pressed to produce electricity suitable for an industry that seeks globally-cheapest prices. Announcing a "20-year commercial partnership" to supply 100 units to a mining firm, before they've built a single unit, is optimistic to the point of recklessness.
The Oklo founders [1], Caroline Cochran and Jacob DeWitte, have no industrial experience, according to their LinkedIn profiles. They met at MIT while TA'ing and went straight from graduate school to founding Oklo.
I just don't think that Oklo knows what they are doing.
[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/28/oklo-planning-nuclear-micro-...
https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2135/ML21357A034.pdf
All Oklo application documents linked to from this top level page: https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/col/aurora-oklo.ht...
While searching World Nuclear News for background about Oklo I ran into this story:
"Oklo to power bitcoin mining machines"
https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Oklo-to-power-Bi...
This is dubious on a couple of levels. Micro-reactors like Oklo (1.5 megawatt electrical output per unit, compared to 1000+ megawatts for Generation III reactors currently being built) would be hard pressed to produce electricity suitable for an industry that seeks globally-cheapest prices. Announcing a "20-year commercial partnership" to supply 100 units to a mining firm, before they've built a single unit, is optimistic to the point of recklessness.
The Oklo founders [1], Caroline Cochran and Jacob DeWitte, have no industrial experience, according to their LinkedIn profiles. They met at MIT while TA'ing and went straight from graduate school to founding Oklo.
I just don't think that Oklo knows what they are doing.
[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/28/oklo-planning-nuclear-micro-...