Operated by Oklo, Groves-1 reached first criticality in August within a year of breaking ground and can now execute unrestricted research, testing, and operational training. The facility is actively evaluating components such as control rod drive mechanisms for the planned Aurora commercial design and the Groves-2 Forge pilot. In October, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission established a final rule allowing developers to leverage demonstration data gathered from these Department of Energy programs for commercial licensing.
Key points
Executive orders issued in May 2025 mandate that at least three prototype reactors achiev…: Executive orders issued in May 2025 mandate that at least three prototype reactors achieve criticality by July 4, 2026.
The Department of Energy approved the project under the Atomic Energy Act without initial…: The Department of Energy approved the project under the Atomic Energy Act without initial standard commercial regulatory reviews.
Benchmarking and test data collected from Groves-1 can be utilized to support future comm…: Benchmarking and test data collected from Groves-1 can be utilized to support future commercial licensing applications with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
The test reactor, near Lockhart in Caldwell County, Texas reached first criticality in August, less than a year after groundbreaking. It is one of 11 advanced reactor projects selected by the US Department of Energy (DOE) in August 2025 for the Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, a programme aiming to expedite the testing of advanced reactor designs under a DOE authorisation pathway.
The DOE has now cleared the final operations hold point for the reactor - also known as Groves-1 - allowing the facility to advance into its research, testing, and training phase. This will help Oklo prepare the teams and systems needed to support the efficient delivery and operation of future nuclear projects, the company said. Operating experience from Groves-1 will directly inform Groves-2 Forge, Oklo's planned isotope production and processing pilot facility, which is part of the DOE's Nuclear Energy Launch Pad initiative to promote the rapid development and implementation of advanced nuclear technologies by private industry.
With Groves-1 now cleared for unrestricted operations, Oklo said it will test its capabilities relevant to future isotope reactors and the company's…
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