Demo / PilotOther / Unclassified
Groves Isotopes Facility
📍 Idaho Falls, TX (Butte County Co.)Developer: Oklo Inc. / Atomic AlchemyVendor / Tech: Oklo Inc.
Capacity
—
Expected Operation
2026
Reactor Type
Aurora (fast reactor)
Regulatory Status
Reached criticality 2026-08-05 at 9:19 p.m. ET — fifth DOE-authorized reactor criticality and the first on private land.
Details
Primary Use
Radioisotope production
Fuel Type
HALEU
Construction Start
2026
Research detail · verified 2026-10-10
Stage
Test reactor running
Commercial power
No (test, research, military or demonstration)
Stated construction jobs
Construction 'supported more than 200 full-time jobs' via 20+ contractors, mostly Texas-based, with $20M+ local investment (stated by Oklo, Texas Q&A fact sheet)
Key dates
2025-08-12 Atomic Alchemy selected for DOE Reactor Pilot Program; 2026-07-01 DOE approved DSA (Power Magazine; ANS 2026-07-02 said 'this week'); 2026-08-05 criticality (announced 2026-08-06); 229 days of site construction (Power Magazine)
Workforce
Oklo says Groves is meant to validate procedures and train its operating workforce for future commercial isotope facilities; operating programs developed in-house.
Not verified / conflicts
Criticality date: Oklo/Power Magazine/DOE give Wednesday 2026-08-05 evening; ANS article headline date is 2026-08-06 (announcement). Thermal rating of Groves not stated clearly: ANS 2026-07-02 listed it as 15 MWt, but Oklo's Q&A says Groves is not the VIPR (15 MWt) design; capacity left descriptive. Oklo's planned multi-reactor isotope foundry (up to four VIPR units) has no confirmed site in sources I opened.
Sources
- https://www.energy.gov/node/4859704
- https://www.powermag.com/oklos-groves-becomes-fifth-doe-pilot-reactor-to-reach-criticality-first-on-private-land/
- https://www.ans.org/news/article-8277/oklos-isotope-test-reactor-achieves-criticality/
- https://post-register.com/?p=33362
- https://s203.q4cdn.com/103172959/files/doc_downloads/2026/05/Oklo-Texas-Q-A.pdf
- https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/doe-announces-first-selections-for-pilot-reactor-programme
- https://www.energy.gov/node/4852259
- https://www.ans.org/news/article-8178/the-deadline-arrives-checking-in-on-the-reactor-pilot-program/
About
Isotope production facility.
Key Organizations
Developer
Oklo Inc. / Atomic Alchemy
Power Purchase Agreements1 PPA
Isotope customers
announcedPrivate Funding
Oklo (acquired Atomic Alchemy Feb 2025 for $25M)
Equity
—
announced
Federal Funding
DOE
DOE Funding ·
DOE Reactor Pilot Program
—
awarded
State Policy Context
View nuclear-related legislation and energy stats for Texas