Centrus to Fuel Oklo's Reactors Starting 2029

Oklo and Centrus signed a June 18 deal to supply HALEU fuel for up to five Aurora reactors starting 2029.

30 Jun 2026

A small reactor needs fuel long before it needs to switch on. On June 18th Oklo, a nuclear startup, signed a letter of intent with Centrus Energy to supply high-assay low-enriched uranium, known as HALEU, for up to five of its Aurora reactors. Deliveries are due to start in 2029, feeding a planned 1.2 GW power campus in southern Ohio.

The deal addresses a problem that has dogged advanced nuclear development for years. HALEU is the specialised fuel these reactors require, but America makes almost none of it domestically. Supply, not technology, has been the binding constraint.

Centrus's boss, Amir Vexler, called the agreement a turning point. "Today's announcement is an important step toward ensuring reliable HALEU supply for next generation reactors and represents a crucial milestone as we work to restore America's ability to enrich uranium at scale," he said.

For Oklo, locking in fuel years ahead of commercial operation removes a source of doubt that investors had flagged repeatedly. Fuel availability has long been treated as the gating risk for advanced reactors, more than reactor design itself. That a multi-year supply agreement now exists, well before any plant is built, suggests the industry's bottleneck is loosening faster than expected.

The timing is not accidental. Demand for clean, reliable power has surged alongside the data centre boom, and developers are under pressure to show they can actually get fuel, not just permits. Oklo's Ohio site sits squarely in that demand corridor. A confirmed supply pathway makes its commercial pitch considerably more credible, and rivals will be watching closely for similar deals.

None of this guarantees success. Letters of intent are not binding contracts, and three years is a long runway during which enrichment capacity, financing, or regulatory approval could still falter. But with domestic enrichment now being rebuilt in earnest, the advanced nuclear sector looks to be edging from promise toward something closer to delivery.