Oklo takes a step toward commercialization with regulatory wins
Oklo Inc. (OKLO) said on Tuesday that its wholly owned subsidiary Atomic Alchemy has been granted a materials license by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that will allow it to handle, process and distribute isotopes.
This is a key step that allows Atomic Alchemy to begin initial commercial sales from its Idaho Radiochemistry Laboratory. The isotope materials are used in medicine, research, advanced manufacturing and national security, according to Oklo.
The license was granted to Atomic Alchemy after an onsite inspection and review by the NRC of its Idaho facility.
The licensing “authorizes the company to receive, possess, use, store, and conduct chemical and/or mechanical processing, repackaging, manufacturing, and distribution activities” with a limited number of radioactive materials.
It also allows for the "possession, use, and storage of sealed sources of Co-60 and Am-241 for instrument and shield calibration and testing."
“By recovering and processing material such as disused radium sources, currently managed as waste, Atomic Alchemy expects to create a valuable feedstock to support medical isotope production, including targeted alpha therapy supply chains,” Oklo said in a press release.
Distribution activities for the isotopes will be limited to recipients authorized by the NRC.
“Demand for critical isotopes is rising, but US supply remains limited,” Oklo CEO and co-founder Jacob DeWitte said in a statement. “This work helps create a more resilient and dependable domestic supply chain of isotopes and supports the transition from early operations to durable, commercial isotope production in the United States.”
Oklo gets design approval for reactor
The Trump administration has made accelerating the deployment of nuclear energy a priority for the United States, especially as the proliferation of AI data centers in the country will demand massive energy loads.
President Trump signed a sweeping set of executive orders last May, including one directive for “total and complete reform” of the NRC. Under the new mandate, the NRC must issue reactor license decisions within 18 months.
Oklo, which is building small modular reactors (SMRs), has been one of the key beneficiaries of the government's push to ramp up domestic nuclear energy production, with its stock surging more than 116% over the past year.
The company was the only publicly traded company named by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to President Trump’s Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program in August.
The program’s goal is to have at least three test reactors up and running at national laboratories in the US by July 4, which is America’s annual Independence Day holiday.
The DOE is led by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who used to sit on Oklo’s board before joining the Trump administration.
In addition to the materials license granted to Atomic Alchemy, Oklo also said on Tuesday that it had signed an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with the DOE to support the design, construction and operation of its first reactor, called the Aurora powerhouse, at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
The DOE Idaho Operations Office also approved the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) for the fast-fission power plant.
This reactor is being built as part of the government's pilot program for nuclear reactors.
Oklo said that the NSDA "is the first step under DOE’s RPP authorization licensing pathway, which has the potential to unlock U.S. industrial capacity by establishing an accelerated framework that enables quick and scalable generation capacity."
Texas Securities Capital analyst Nate Pendleton reiterated a Buy rating on Oklo and said in a client note on Tuesday that the two regulatory approvals by the DOE are "important milestones on the company's path to building Aurora-INL and establishing a synergistic radioisotope business."