{"id":290990,"date":"2023-12-12T12:11:18","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T11:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=290990"},"modified":"2023-12-12T12:11:21","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T11:11:21","slug":"more-smr-woes-oklo-air-force-cancellation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=290990","title":{"rendered":"More SMR Woes: Oklo-Air Force Cancellation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Kennedy Maize — December 12, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) has seen a major contract in jeopardy, casting more doubt on the prospects for the highly-touted future of small modular nuclear reactors. The online news service\u00a0Alaska Beacon reports<\/a>\u00a0that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has\u00a0revoked an August Air Force preliminary decision<\/a>\u00a0to install an experimental Oklo micro reactor at Eielson Air Force near Fairbanks.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Artist impression of Oklo plant design<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Defense Department logistics arm refused repeated requests for details and clarification of the cancellation of the Oklo project. The chance to build a small nuclear power plant at the Alaskan location drew interest from SMR vendors Oklo, BWXT, Westinghouse, NuScale Power, and Rolls Royce, among many interested energy industry parties at a meeting last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Alaska Beacon, Seattle-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp<\/a>., a new entrant in the SMR market, which has worked with DOD and NASA on space nuclear power systems made a \u201cprefiling notice of protest\u201d with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims when the Air Force picked the Oklo project. Untra Safe wants to offer 3.5-15 MW \u201cmodular micro reactors\u201d for remote terrestrial uses, the same market better-known Oklo is targeting, A company official acknowledged the filing but said Ultra Safe had not yet made a formal protest. The court told The Quad Report that such filings are not public documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The online Alaska newsletter Northern Journal reported<\/a> that the DLA action was pursuant to a DLA acquisition regulation<\/a> that specifies, \u201cFor acquisitions with an estimated value of $100 million or more, contracting officers should conduct discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contract protest came on the heels of the collapse of SMR developer NuScale Power\u2019s major contract<\/a> for six reactors in Idaho serving cities across the Western U.S.. A recent analysis from Iceberg Research<\/a> raised the possibility of a NuScale bankruptcy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oklo\u2019s possible loss of the Air Force deal could upset the plans of Santa Clara (CA)\u2013based Oklo to go public next year through a \u201cspecial purpose acquisition company,\u201d AltC Acquisition Corp., led by controversial artificial intelligence entrepreneur Sam Altman, who is also the main investor in Oklo and the company\u2019s CEO. Oklo announced the SPAC transaction last July, saying it expects to raise $500 million<\/a> and be listed on the New York Stock Exchange as OKLO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oklo, which began life in 2013 proposing tiny reactors in the 1-2 MWe range, has upscaled its reactor design to 15-100 MW, according<\/a> to POWER magazine. Using basic 1960\u2019s technology demonstrated by the Atomic Energy Commission\u2019s Experimental Breeder Reactor \u2013 II<\/a>, Oklo\u2019s \u201cAurora\u201d machine uses fast (unmoderated) neutrons for the fission reaction, and an unspecified liquid metal coolant (most likely either sodium or the sodium-potassium alloy NAK). The metallic zirconium-uranium fuel would consist of high assay, low enriched uranium (HALEU), with an enrichment level of 19%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oklo has a 2019 deal with the Energy Department\u2019s Idaho National Laboratory for a demonstration at a site near Idaho Falls, with operation planned for 2026-202. In March 2020, Oklo submitted an application<\/a> to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a combined construction and operation license, the first for a non-light water advanced reactor. The NRC in January rejected the application, and Oklo is working on a new license submission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other SNR News<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rival Ultra Safe is pushing a high temperature gas reactor design that uses TRISO ceramic HALEU fuel pellets up to 19% enrichment in a silicon carbide matrix, graphite moderator, and a helium coolant. According to the company<\/a>, the plant would consist of both the nuclear plant to generate much higher temperatures than conventional light-water reactors with molten salt thermal storage, and a separate plant to convert the heat into electric power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen demand rises, hot molten salt is used to generate steam and power an electrical turbine.\u201d The molten salt can store 660\u2070 C reactor heat for up to 10 hours \u201cand can be supplemented with hydrogen burners.\u201d That arrangement allows the plant to provide both electricity and process heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rockville, Md.-based X-Energy<\/a>\u2019s $1.8 billion SPAC merger with Ares Acquisition Corp. crashed at the end of October<\/a>. The announcement came on the day X-Energy shareholders were scheduled to vote on the deal. X-Energy attributed the collapse of the deal to \u201cchallenging market conditions, peer-company trading performance, and a balancing of the benefits and drawbacks of becoming a publicly traded company under current circumstances.\u201d The company is touting a 100-MW HTGR reactor design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy Maize blogs at The Quad Report, from which this post was adapted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The post\u00a0More SMR Woes: Oklo-Air Force Cancellation<\/a>\u00a0appeared first on\u00a0Master Resource<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Another small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) has seen a major contract in jeopardy, casting more doubt on the prospects for the highly-touted future of small modular nuclear reactors. The online news service\u00a0Alaska Beacon reports\u00a0that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has\u00a0revoked an August Air Force preliminary decision\u00a0to install an experimental Oklo micro reactor at Eielson Air Force near Fairbanks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":290994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Another small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) has seen a major contract in jeopardy, casting more doubt on the prospects for the highly-touted future of small modular nuclear reactors. The online news service\u00a0Alaska Beacon reports\u00a0that the Defense Logistics","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691825253,691825252,691825250],"class_list":{"0":"post-290990","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-eielson-air-force","9":"tag-experimental-oklo-micro-reactor","10":"tag-small-modular-nuclear-reactor-smr","12":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/00smr.jpg?fit=1215%2C917&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1dHo","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":373579,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=373579","url_meta":{"origin":290990,"position":0},"title":"Biden Lives! Nuclear Power Welfare from U.S. Department of Energy","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/04\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cWhat\u2019s lacking are the products \u2013 the SMRs. It\u2019s not the government\u2019s job to pick winners and losers in the race to develop the products. That\u2019s how free markets are supposed to work.\u201d","rel":"","context":"In \"Biden Administration\"","block_context":{"text":"Biden Administration","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=biden-administration"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":390867,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=390867","url_meta":{"origin":290990,"position":1},"title":"Small modular reactors are a game-changer for Africa and the world","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"26\/07\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"For South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, where electricity deficits stifle growth, small modular reactors (SMRs) offer a promising solution.","rel":"","context":"In \"Electricity Crisis\"","block_context":{"text":"Electricity Crisis","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=electricity-crisis"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":377686,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=377686","url_meta":{"origin":290990,"position":2},"title":"The Rise of the First SMR in the US: A New Chapter in Pragmatic Energy Innovation","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/05\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A quiet energy revolution is underway in the heart of West Texas. Abilene, a small town on the edge of the Permian Basin\u2014America\u2019s largest oil-producing region\u2014is now home to the first Small Modular Reactor (SMR) under construction in the United States. In a moment laced with irony and historical significance,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"molten salt technology\"","block_context":{"text":"molten salt technology","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=molten-salt-technology"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":351318,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=351318","url_meta":{"origin":290990,"position":3},"title":"FERCing the nuclear-powered data center","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"15\/11\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"On Monday, November 4 \u2014 the day before Election Day \u2013 many\u00a0nuclear power stocks\u00a0were in the dumps. The sharp declines in their stock value had almost nothing to do with the federal election \u2014 but everything to do with federal bureaucrats and, quite possibly, the influence of utilities Exelon and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"American Electric Power\"","block_context":{"text":"American Electric Power","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=american-electric-power"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0homepage-hero-voygr.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0homepage-hero-voygr.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0homepage-hero-voygr.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0homepage-hero-voygr.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0homepage-hero-voygr.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":368819,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=368819","url_meta":{"origin":290990,"position":4},"title":"Small Modular Reactors will benefit developing economies.","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/03\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, with 8 billion humans on this planet, only the few wealthy countries are extracting natural resources to bolster their economies and provide prosperous lives for their citizens.","rel":"","context":"In \"clean electricity\"","block_context":{"text":"clean electricity","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=clean-electricity"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0brewbart_a_small_modular_nuclear_reactor_photorealistic_4k_d90a9ee9-cf1b-4130-b190-e6f200a50699.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":360990,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=360990","url_meta":{"origin":290990,"position":5},"title":"Unshackling Nuclear Energy: The Case Against the NRC\u2019s Overreach","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/01\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In the high-stakes world of energy production, nuclear power remains one of the most promising technologies for meeting global demand while minimizing emissions. Yet, as Christopher Koopman and Eli Dourado explain in their\u00a0Wall Street Journal piece, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has become a regulatory quagmire stifling innovation. The recent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Atomic Energy Act\"","block_context":{"text":"Atomic Energy Act","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=atomic-energy-act"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0NRC-Modernization-Featured-Image.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0NRC-Modernization-Featured-Image.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0NRC-Modernization-Featured-Image.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0NRC-Modernization-Featured-Image.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0NRC-Modernization-Featured-Image.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=290990"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":290995,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290990\/revisions\/290995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/290994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=290990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=290990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=290990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}