$OKLO Announces D.O.E. Approval of the Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) for the Groves Isotope Test Reactor in Texas

$OKLO's Groves Isotope Test Reactor received DOE approval for its Documented Safety Analysis. This is the final safety basis approval that follows the earlier Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA, approved March 2026) and Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis (PDSA). With the DSA now approved, the project shifts from the documentation/design-construction phase into DOE’s final pre-startup activities: readiness review, startup approval, fuel loading, and first criticality. Oklo is targeting July 2026 for first criticality. CEO Jacob DeWitte highlighted that Groves is the first advanced reactor project to receive DSA approval on privately owned land. The Groves facility is essentially a pilot project focused on domestic isotope production for medical (cancer diagnostics/treatment), industrial, research, space, and national security uses. It aims to reduce reliance on overseas or aging sources while generating operational data to support future commercial reactors.