Oklo CEO Says Recent Developments Surrounding Nuclear Could Move Company Timelines Forward

Oklo Inc OKLO co-founder and CEO Jacob DeWitte suggested Tuesday that timelines for the company could potentially be accelerated following multiple executive orders from President Donald Trump aimed at supporting the domestic nuclear industry.

What Happened: Tuesday on CNBC’s “Money Movers,” DeWitte expressed optimism about the company’s ability to meet its projected timelines for its nuclear power facilities. He even suggested that regulatory support could allow the company to complete its goals faster than previously expected.

“Having the president sign four very significant executive orders shows a pretty big commitment of moving forward, you know, sort of these policy ideas and environment to make it so that nuclear is really going to be inevitable here in the near future,” DeWitte said.

Trump signed executive orders last week to accelerate advanced nuclear technologies in the U.S. The orders remove regulatory barriers and allow for the rebuilding of a secure domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.

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Oklo also announced a deal on Tuesday with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power to collaborate on the development and global deployment of Oklo’s advanced nuclear technology. DeWitte told CNBC that the company has a phenomenal track record of being able to deliver on time and on budget.

The Oklo CEO said the deal is going to be “accelerative” for the company both domestically and abroad. Oklo has laid out timelines for deployment of its first nuclear plant in late 2027 or early 2028, but the executive orders combined with the company’s new collaboration could speed up those timelines.

He told CNBC that the recent flurry of news on the nuclear front has created an environment “that makes it possible to think even more boldly than what we’re aiming for.”

“We’ll see, the executive orders obviously are fresh. That opens the door to do things a little bit differently and in new ways perhaps, so we’re evaluating those and those impacts, but it’s possible there could be some things that either help firm up those timelines or even move them forward, which would be pretty amazing,” DeWitte said.

Nuclear power development has faced significant delays as safety concerns arose following major incidents at global reactor sites, but the need for more power has become increasingly evident as new technologies like AI rapidly increase energy demands.

“All of that is going to require a significant frankly nuclear footprint in the country and people see that increasingly. Also people are getting more and more comfortable with the technology,” DeWitte said.

Oklo said earlier this month that it's nearing submission of the Oklo Fuel Foundry LPP to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is the next step in the licensing process for the company’s commercial fuel fabrication facility. Oklo also recently announced completion of borehole drilling for site characterization work at the Idaho National Laboratory site, the location for the company's first planned Aurora Powerhouse. 

OKLO Price Action: Oklo shares jumped 23% on Friday following the nuclear-related executive orders. Shares continued to move higher Tuesday morning on the deal with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, and then surged to session highs as DeWitte talked timelines on CNBC. Oklo stock was up 7.69% at $52.65 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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Photo: courtesy of Oklo.