Conventional reactors use only 5% of their fuel. Oklo's technology recycles the remaining 95%, transforming the nation's nuclear "waste"—a massive liability—into an energy asset with more potential energy than Saudi Arabia's oil reserves.

The process of nuclear fission is a form of alchemy, transforming uranium into a wide array of other elements. Recycling facilities can separate and harvest these materials, turning "nuclear waste" into one of the world's richest sources of valuable and critical minerals.

Contrary to popular imagery, spent nuclear fuel is a solid that is initially stored in deep pools of water. Water is such an effective radiation shield that trained divers can safely swim in the pools for maintenance. This highlights the managed safety of nuclear waste.

The biggest bottlenecks for the nuclear sector aren't just reactor design. The industry needs a competitive, free market for nuclear fuel and enrichment, along with a centralized national repository for waste. Solving these systemic issues is a prerequisite for startups and the broader industry to thrive.

Standard once-through nuclear reactors burn only roughly 5% of their uranium fuel, treating the remaining 95% as waste. Transitioning to fast-spectrum reactors that recycle used nuclear fuel can extract 60 to 100 times more energy, expanding known uranium reserves from roughly 120 years to 12,000 years of civilization-scale power.

Public perception of nuclear power is skewed by highly visible but rare disasters. A data-driven risk analysis reveals it is one of the safest energy sources. Fossil fuels, through constant air pollution, cause millions of deaths annually, making them orders of magnitude more dangerous.

Public fear of nuclear waste is a significant barrier to adoption, yet it's largely a perception issue. Technologically, 'spent' fuel rods contain 95% of their original energy potential, primarily as U-238. Breeder reactors can utilize this 'waste' as fuel, dramatically expanding energy supply and reducing the final waste volume to a fraction of its current size.

TerraPower's advanced nuclear reactor design can use depleted uranium—currently treated as waste—as fuel. The amount of this material already stored in a single U.S. facility is sufficient to meet the entire planet's energy needs, carbon-free, for hundreds of years.

Using liquid metals instead of water as a coolant is far more efficient at transferring heat, allowing for a more compact reactor core. They also don't boil like water, eliminating the need for high-pressure systems and massive, costly containment structures.