ML26020A209
| ML26020A209 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 99902095 |
| Issue date: | 01/26/2026 |
| From: | David Williams NRC/NRR/DANU/UAL1 |
| To: | |
| References | |
| EPID L-2026-LRM-0011 | |
| Download: ML26020A209 (0) | |
Text
PLAN FOR AN OBSERVATION AUDIT OF THE DOE AUTHORIZATION ACTIVITIES FOR THE OKLO POWERHOUSE AT THE IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY SITE (EPID NO. L-2026-LRM-0011)
Applicant:
Oklo, Inc.
Applicant Address:
3190 Coronado Dr.
Santa Clara, CA 95054 Plant Name(s) and Unit(s):
Oklo Aurora INL Powerhouse Project No.:
99902095
Background
By \
letter dated January 21, 2026 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML26021A199), Oklo, Inc. requested that the NRC staff conduct an audit to observe Oklos products and interactions pertaining to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) authorization activities for Oklos Aurora Powerhouse in Blackfoot, Idaho on the site of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
In August 2025, Oklos Aurora Powerhouse on the INL site was selected for the DOE Reactor Pilot Program. Oklo submitted a Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) and a Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis (PDSA) to DOE. Following construction of the facility, Oklo will submit the Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) reflecting the as-built condition of the facility and incorporating all changes from construction and fabrication. As described in the letter, following the DOE authorization, Oklo plans to submit a license application to the NRC for the Aurora Powerhouse on the INL site. Additionally, Oklo also potentially will submit topical reports on topics within the scope of the DOE observations. Gaining awareness of the DOE submittals and supporting information through an electronic reading room (eRR) will allow NRC staff to provide feedback to Oklo on the application documents and effectively leverage that information in future license application reviews.
This audit plan is consistent with the NRCs process discussed in Expectations for NRC Staff Involvement with Prospective NRC License Applicants Planning to Refer to DOE and DOW Authorizations Processes (ML25322A208).
Purpose The purpose of this audit is for the NRC staff to gain a better understanding of the anticipated Oklo Aurora license application by providing an opportunity to view the documents submitted to DOE, the questions and responses developed as part of the DOE review, and the results of DOEs review of the NSDA, PDSA, DSA, and supporting documentation. The NRC staff will seek to understand the assumptions and aspects of the application that were reviewed by DOE to effectively leverage that information in future license application reviews.
Basis The basis for the audit is the regulations in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)
Parts 50 and 52 pertinent to the NRC staffs review of a power reactor license application.
Scope This audit will focus on information provided by Oklo in the eRR and during meetings and interactions between Oklo and DOE. This audit will provide the NRC staff with information related to the DOE review of the Aurora Powerhouse. Specific objectives and topics to be discussed will be identified in subsequent correspondence, such as email.
Information and Other Material Necessary for the Audit The staff anticipates that Oklo will provide the NSDA, PDSA, DSA, the Code of Record, and additional supporting material, as applicable. The NRC staff may request that Oklo make additional materials available on the eRR to support the staffs understanding of the material.
Team Assignments Donna Williams, Senior (Sr.) Project Manager, Audit Lead Matthew Hiser, Sr. Project Manager, Lead Technical Reviewer Alex Siwy, Sr. Nuclear Engineer, Technical Reviewer Katie Wagner, Project Manager, Audit Support Additional audit team members will be added, as needed.
Logistics Entrance Meeting: January 26, 2026 Exit Meeting: To be determined.
The audit will follow the guidance in the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulations (NRR) Office Instruction LIC-111, Revision 1, Regulatory Audits (ML19226A274). The NRC staff plan to observe DOE review activities in person at INL or in a virtual format, using Microsoft Teams or other similar platform. For the in-person observations, the topics and schedule will be provided to NRC staff, and mutually agreeable dates between the NRC and Oklo will be established for NRC staff to travel to the observation meeting site. The audit will begin January 26, 2026, and are anticipated to continue throughout the DOE review of Oklos application, with activities occurring intermittently during that period. Interim status report(s) on activities being observed may be provided to Oklo. Changes to the audit period will be mutually agreed to by NRC and Oklo.
To improve the efficiency of the audit, Oklo and the NRC staff discussed the use of the eRR, established by Oklo, that would allow the NRC staff read-only access to the technical
information provided by Oklo. Use of the eRR is acceptable provided that Oklo establishes measures to limit access to specific NRC staff (e.g., based on NRC email addresses or the use of passwords which will only be assigned to the NRC staff directly involved in the audit on a need-to-know basis), and to make the documents view-only (i.e., prevent NRC staff from saving, copying, downloading, or printing any documents). The conditions associated with the eRR must be maintained throughout the audit process. The NRC audit project managers will provide Oklo with the names of the NRC staff audit team that will require access to the eRR.
Special Requests None.
Deliverables The NRC will issue interim audit reports following each phase of the DOE review. At the completion of the audit, the audit team will issue an audit summary within 90 days after the exit meeting but will strive for a shorter duration. The audit reports will be declared and entered as an official agency record in ADAMS and be made available for public viewing, with redactions for proprietary/sensitive information as appropriate.
If you have questions about this audit, please contact me at 301-415-1322 or by via email at Donna.williams@nrc.gov with any questions related to the conduct of the audit.
Date: January 26, 2026 Sincerely, Donna Williams, Senior Project Manager Advanced Reactor Licensing Branch 1 Division of Advanced Reactors and Non-Power Production and Utilization Facilities Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Project No.: 99902095
Enclosure:
cc: Oklo Powerhouse via GovDelivery
ML26020A209 OFFICE NRR/DANU/UAL1:PM NRR/DANU/UAL1:BC NAME DWilliams JBorromeo DATE 1/22/26 1/26/26