Caroline DeWitte

@Oklo COO/cofounder. MIT/Oklahoma engineer. We’re working on clean power plants and recycling nuclear waste with advanced fission.

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

So like just to be clear, if you're worried about nuclear waste, you literally *want* fast reactors asap. That is the one way to consume the waste and reduce the lifetime it needs to be stored.

(And btw they make clean electricity, in case you're also worried about environment.)

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

@umair_shahzad94 Well put

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is for people (esp engineers/nuclear nerds) to focus on things like the technology, but the real timeline, scale, and cost decisions are SO driven by decisions on the "boring" stuff people might be tempted to think of as fungible - QA, procurement, procedure.

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

@randy_dins Yes, this. So many companies are hopefully getting beyond just design and more towards these broader focuses. The RPP surely helped with that by encouraging actual builds

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

Travel with toddlers is an amazing way to find out that home was the vacation all along 😅

But we had a couple good lake days over the holiday weekend 🇺🇸

Happy belated 250th Independence Day everyone!

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

@daniipreneur Pro!

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

Instead of going critical in an existing space, or with existing government-owned fuel, Oklo constructed a full facility from greenfield with commercially procured fuel in less than a year!

The DSA is essentially like the COLA, it means that you are approved for operation. A big deal! DOE has a substantive "readiness" step after DSA and prior to startup.

Thank you to DOE and other members of this administration who created this program to get nuclear construction and operation going.

[Oklo @oklo]

BIG NEWS: Oklo's Groves isotope test reactor has cleared @ENERGY's final major safety approval.

With the Documented Safety Analysis approved, Groves now enters the final phase before startup, including DOE's readiness review, fuel loading, and criticality in July.

Less than a year after breaking ground, Groves is demonstrating that advanced reactors can be built on privately owned land with commercially sourced fuel, equipment, and systems. As the first project to reach this milestone under DOE's Reactor Pilot Program, it provides a blueprint for future commercial deployment.

Read more:
https://t.co/TJJX1UYjVd

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

@CSPopoff Thank youuu

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

@Adidas84Aris Actually that's less clear now, with the way DOE authorization has now been reformatted, and especially related to commercial isotope production. Stay tuned. In short though, this facility as a test facility may stay under DOE authorization.

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

@W_TRADINGCENTER We actually did set up a mini visitor center there in Texas! Access is probably obviously restricted but tours are possible. :) thanks!

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

@stephenross89 You're exactly right! That's the idea... thank you!

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

I agree. It may not be obvious how this affects scale on the power side but exercising the muscles on procurement, on operational procedures, operator training, on quality assurance, construction in general, EHS procedures, facility commissioning experience, etc, etc, are basically all extensible to the power side (not just the isotope reactor) and were done with incredible speed which impacted the whole company and we expect to be a step change in our capabilities for scale across the business units.

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

@PatrickJWolf 🥳 thank you!

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

Love it ♥️ On the isotope side we are starting to figure out how beneficial it is to have big central facilities coupled with production/processing vs a bunch of smaller ones located closer to end use (like big cancer facilities). Since some isotopes only have half lives on the order of hours, location really matters!

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

@josignus Wooo! Thanks

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

@AtomicAstrid Thank you!

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

Good question! This is purposefully different as a test for the isotope reactor. They are designed much differently than the power reactor- designed to be a different fuel in a pool of water, have these targets that are frequently placed in and removed in order to make isotopes. By contrast the goal on the power side is to keep the reactor all closed up and operating with the highest uptime! Our leading power reactor design is a different fuel in liquid sodium.

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

@OverReactor1776 @ENERGY @NRCgov @DOGE @NASA Woah Seth congrats! There aren't words for all you've done. Hope you enjoy a rest well deserved.

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

@mimikiwigaru I think i can just say we are still working toward that date-- more soon.

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

We've long had access to fuel material for our foak, thanks to our 2016 mou with doe, but this partnership, plutonium, and recycling make Oklo far and away positioned for scale.

We've always said it would be a failure if we just built one plant. swinging through the ball!

[Oklo @oklo]

Fuel availability remains one of the biggest constraints facing advanced nuclear.

Today, Oklo and @Centrus_Energy signed a Letter of Intent for the supply of domestically sourced HALEU to support Oklo’s planned Aurora powerhouse deployment and 1.2 GW Clean Energy Campus in southern Ohio. The agreement would provide enough HALEU to support multiple years of reactor cores, covering up to five Aurora powerhouses.

The agreement helps connect fuel supply, power generation, customer demand, and project execution in one region.

Fuel. Power. Demand. Execution.

That’s how advanced nuclear gets built.

More: https://t.co/NPOb8u4uoz

[Caroline DeWitte @caorilne]

A key here to know is that recycled materials and plutonium do not require enrichment, and we are working to scale those quickly while we are also working to secure haleu.

Also, obviously separate from aurora but the isotope reactors do not require haleu, and we've secured good supply there.