--- title: "Startup Wants to Build Tiny Nuclear Reactors That Run Off Nuclear Waste" description: "Startup Oklo wants to build tiny nuclear reactors that run off nuclear waste. Read why experts are excited by the concept of microreactors." date: "2021-06-30" modified: "2021-07-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/startup-nuclear-reactors-nuclear-waste" categories: - "Energy" - "Nuclear Fusion" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Nuclear Energy" - "nuclear fission" - "nuclear power" - "nuclear reactors" - "the digest" --- # Startup Wants to Build Tiny Nuclear Reactors That Run Off Nuclear Waste ![]() *\Image: Oklo\* ## Off-Site Microreactors A Silicon Valley-based startup called Oklo wants to build tiny nuclear reactors that can run off spent fuel from much bigger, conventional nuclear reactors, [*CNBC* reports](). Experts are excited by the concept of microreactors because nuclear facilities have historically relied on economies of scale — a paradigm this tech could reverse. "Microreactors promise to turn this paradigm on its head by approaching cost competitiveness through technological learning," Alex Gilbert from the nuclear power think tank Nuclear Innovation Alliance, told *CNBC*. ## Reusing Nuclear Fuel Oklo's "fast reactor" plant uses energy from already-spent nuclear reactor fuel, technology that has been around since the 1950s, according to *CNBC*. The startup designed sleek A-frame buildings to house the reactors. The plants are designed to be operated autonomously. Oklo envisions its customers including utility companies, industrial sites, and college campuses. Oklo is planning to reuse spent reactor fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor II, a reactor operated by the Argonne National Laboratory at the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho between 1964 and 1994. "The reuse of materials has been long an option to better utilize natural resources, uranium in this case, as well as decreasing the amount of used fuel that must be ultimately disposed," Jess Gehin, associate laboratory director of the Nuclear Science and Technology Directorate at the Idaho National Laboratory, told *CNBC*. "This is a common practice in some countries like France but not in the US, as economics do not favor this path," she added. **READ MORE:** [Oklo has a plan to make tiny nuclear reactors that run off nuclear waste]() \[*CNBC*\] **More on nuclear power:** *[Scientists Fear New Disaster at Chernobyl Meltdown Site]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()