Oklo has a plan to make tiny nuclear reactors that run off nuclear waste
The face of nuclear energy is changing, and one of the companies working to redefine what nuclear energy looks like is Oklo. The 22-person Silicon Valley start-up has a plan to build mini-nuclear reactors, powered by the waste of conventional nuclear reactors and housed in aesthetically pleasing A-frame structures.
"Microreactors are an exciting innovation that completely flips the technology story for nuclear energy," Alex Gilbert, a project manager for nuclear power think tank the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, told CNBC.
Historically, nuclear energy producers aimed to be competitive with "economies of scale," meaning they save money by being massive, Gilbert said. That strategy, however, often results in construction projects being mired in delays and cost overruns, like the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia, where estimates for the project have ballooned from $14 billion to an estimated $27 billion or more.
"Microreactors promise to turn this paradigm on its head by approaching cost competitiveness through technological learning," Gilbert said.
