A major energy milestone is at hand. Oklo — a company that builds small, next-gen nuclear reactors — has teamed up with Siemens Energy to supply the key equipment that helps Oklo's upcoming Aurora reactor turn heat into electricity.
Siemens will design and start ordering parts for Aurora's power conversion system, including a turbine and generator, Interesting Engineering reported.
Aurora is being built at Idaho National Laboratory and is expected to start operating in 2027. Once running, it could produce up to 75 megawatts of electricity — enough to power tens of thousands of homes and support 80 long-term jobs.
Nuclear fission — the process of splitting atoms to release energy — can generate large amounts of electricity with far less pollution than coal or gas, which is why some experts see it as a useful tool for reducing air pollution and supporting renewable energy sources. Steady nuclear power can also back up wind and solar when weather conditions vary.
However, nuclear power is not a perfect solution. Fission creates radioactive waste that must be safely stored for long periods. Cooling water can contain trace radioactive materials, including tritium. And while small modular reactors such as Aurora could be safer and more flexible, they're still relatively new.
Experts such as Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists note that newer designs may still carry uncertainties and should be carefully evaluated.
Aurora uses fast-fission technology and is designed to be compact, efficient, and highly automated. Because it uses proven industrial equipment — such as Siemens' SST-600 turbine and SGen-100A generator — Oklo says it can reduce costs and speed up development.
"We offer best-in-class solutions for reliable power supply with the highest efficiency," Siemens' Tobias Panse said.
"We believe this is a historic step forward for the advanced nuclear industry, a real-world purchase that demonstrates progress toward deployment and operation," Oklo chief product officer Alex Renner added, per IE.
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