Interview with Everett Redmond
“Europe needs firm clean power alongside renewables, and it needs it in places where grids are constrained and industrial loads are growing.”
Everett Redmond, Ph. D. – Senior Director Federal Affairs at Oklo Inc.
1. Could you briefly explain what Oklo does and what your role is in the energy transition?
Oklo is developing advanced nuclear powerhouses designed to deliver clean, reliable power at scale. Our model is to build, own, and operate plants and sell electricity, so customers get firm, 24/7 clean power without needing to become nuclear developers or operators. We’re also advancing fuel fabrication and recycling to scale with deployment. In the energy transition, our role is to add new clean generation that supports electrification and industrial competitiveness, especially in fast growing sectors such as the data center market.
2. Why is Oklo supporting this conference on SMRs and supply chains?
This is a very exciting time for advanced nuclear and we are thrilled to be sponsoring this conference. Conferences like this bring together the people who turn plans into hardware, including component manufacturers, EPCs, regulators, and utilities. We’re here to help align expectations and accelerate practical pathways to deployment. We’re also building transatlantic partnerships that strengthen industrial capacity, like our work with Siemens Energy on the conventional power island and with Blykalla and newcleo to accelerate industrialization and supplier readiness across advanced reactor programs.
3. What opportunities do you see for SMRs in the European energy mix?
Europe needs firm clean power alongside renewables, and it needs it in places where grids are constrained and industrial loads are growing. Advanced nuclear can support energy security, replace retiring coal and gas capacity, and provide steam for industry or district heating, while reducing customers’ exposure to fuel-price volatility.
4. In your opinion, what is a key issue within the SMR supply chain that is still receiving too little attention?
The key issue is fuel and fuel-cycle readiness and especially how you build credible fuel supply over time. There is a great deal of discussion on reactors, turbines and hardware, which is appropriate. However, the front-end of the fuel cycle, enriched uranium production capacity specifically, is key to advanced nuclear roll out. The capability to produce high-assay low enriched uranium (enriched up to 20% U-235) is needed as soon as possible. Fuel supply must be eliminated as a bottleneck to deployment.
5. Could you tell us more about Oklo’s Aurora Powerhouse project and how it aligns with the themes and aims of the Conference?
Aurora is Oklo’s 75 MWe liquid sodium-cooled fast reactor powerhouse designed for repeatable deployment. A benefit of this size is that it pairs well with many datacenter and industrial users and enables the buildout of electricity capacity in conjunction with the buildout of the datacenter/industrial project. Our first commercial project—Aurora-INL in Idaho—is under construction, targeting late 2027 to early 2028 operation. What aligns it with this conference is the emphasis on delivery: industrializing a design, qualifying suppliers, securing long-lead components, and building a supply chain that can support fleets, not just one-off projects. That’s the path to scale, and it’s where we’re focused.