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Groves Isotope Test Reactor facility in Lockhart, Texas. Oklo said Groves reached first criticality at 9:19 p.m. ET Aug. 5 under DOE authorization through the Reactor Pilot Program, becoming the first reactor under the program to achieve criticality on private land. Courtesy: Oklo Inc.

Oklo’s Groves Becomes Fifth DOE Pilot Reactor to Reach Criticality, First on Private Land

Oklo’s Groves Isotope Test Reactor in Lockhart, Texas, has become the fifth reactor to achieve criticality under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Reactor Pilot Program (RPP), and the first under the program to do so on private land. The low-power test reactor reached criticality at 9:19 p.m. ET Aug. 5, achieving a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear […]

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Sept. 28 - 30, 2026 • Washington, DC
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