A company that recycles nuclear fuel envisions reactors small enough to sit in a forest clearing and even serve as community hubs in remote area, says Joe Salas in New Atlas. Oklo says its Aurora “microreactors” are capable of a “small output at 1.5 MW - enough to power around 1,000 homes.” That’s peanuts compared with a traditional reactor, but Aurora “has no moving parts and can cool itself and shut down without human intervention.” It’s designed to run continuously for 20 years, after which the entire core can be removed and “replaced with another sealed core containing the next batch of recycled nuclear fuel.” It produces no nuclear waste - and in fact reduces waste by recycling material from other plants. Oklo hopes to have a reactor operating in Idaho in 2027, though regulatory approval could rake longer.
Catching up on my reading from #TheWeek, my fave (and only) magazine. These micro no-waste nuclear reactors sound too good to be true! Truly clean energy? We can only hope.