Oklo Acquires Creative Engineers to Strengthen Sodium, Alkali-Metal Capabilities
- CEI is an industry leader in engineering with alkali metals for the nuclear industry.
- The acquisition aims to support Oklo’s liquid metal systems work and liquid metal safety training.
- CEI has generated positive free cash flow for more than five years.
Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO) ("Oklo"), an advanced nuclear technology company, today announced that it has acquired Creative Engineers, Inc. ("CEI"), an industry leader in chemical process engineering with extensive expertise in sodium and alkali-metal systems. The acquisition brings CEI’s specialized capabilities in liquid-metal systems, component development, fabrication, manufacturing, and applied R&D into Oklo’s expanding team, strengthening technical areas directly relevant to sodium handling, thermal systems, and Oklo’s sodium-cooled, Aurora powerhouse technology.
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Oklo Aurora powerhouse (Image: Oklo)
Founded in 1996, CEI has decades of experience working with sodium, sodium-potassium alloy (NaK), and lithium systems, including legacy cleanup and decommissioning-related work connected to landmark nuclear sodium programs such as the Fast Flux Test Facility, Fermi 1, and the Experimental Breeder Reactor II. CEI and Oklo have worked together for multiple years on sodium-related equipment and capabilities, including sodium loop work, flow meters, pumps, and sodium safety training.
Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse is a sodium-cooled fast reactor designed to use liquid-metal cooling, passive safety characteristics, and natural circulation to support decay heat removal after shutdown, making sodium systems expertise directly relevant to Oklo’s planned deployment pathway.
The acquisition advances Oklo’s development and deployment strategy by bringing a specialized technical partner in-house to facilitate critical-path sodium-related work for Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse deployment. CEI’s expertise is expected to support faster design iteration, improve access to specialized sodium-handling expertise, and reduce execution risk associated with specialized equipment, fabrication, testing, and training.
"CEI brings specialized sodium- and alkali-metal engineering capabilities that are directly relevant to Oklo," said Oklo co-founder and CEO Jacob DeWitte. "They have already been a strong technical partner, and bringing that expertise in-house will help accelerate our path to commercialization."
"Our team has built its reputation around solving difficult engineering challenges involving sodium and other alkali metals," said CEI President Rich VanLieshout. "Through our work with Oklo, we have developed a strong appreciation for the Aurora powerhouse design and the company’s deployment model. We are excited to join Oklo and bring our engineering, fabrication, testing, and sodium-handling experience more directly into its commercialization efforts."
CEI brings a highly specialized team of around 20 engineers, fabricators, and welders with deep experience in sodium and other alkali-metal systems to Oklo’s expanding technical and manufacturing organization. The acquisition adds a free cash flow positive business while strengthening Oklo’s ability to internalize critical engineering, fabrication, testing, and R&D capabilities that support Aurora powerhouse commercialization.
In addition to supporting Oklo's programs, CEI plans to maintain its longstanding commercial relationships across the nuclear sector, by continuing to provide specialized sodium technology, manufacturing, and engineering services.
About Oklo Inc.: Oklo Inc. is developing fast fission power plants to deliver clean, reliable, affordable energy at global scale; establishing a domestic supply chain for critical isotopes; and advancing nuclear fuel recycling to convert used nuclear fuel into clean energy. Oklo was the first to receive a site use permit from the U.S. Department of Energy for a commercial advanced fission plant, was awarded fuel from Idaho National Laboratory, and submitted the first custom combined license application for an advanced reactor to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Oklo is also developing advanced fuel recycling technologies in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. National Laboratories.
About Creative Engineers, Inc.: CEI is a specialized process development and skid fabrication company with a long background in reactive metals. The company specializes in the design, build and operation of pilot scale R&D systems. Experience covers a large range of chemistry and processes. In recent years nuclear research involving alkali metals has become a substantial part of the business and many of today’s nuclear pioneers have been customers of CEI. Metallization of high value metals has been a business driver for well over 20 years involving such materials as silicon, titanium, tantalum, hafnium, scandium, and many of the rare earth elements. CEI manufactures pumps, flow meters, pressure transmitters and other equipment associated with liquid metals. Chemicals production and sales have also been a small but growing component of CEI’s business.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes statements that express Oklo’s opinions, expectations, objectives, beliefs, plans, intentions, strategies, assumptions, forecasts or projections regarding future events or future results and therefore are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements." The words "may," "will," "could," "should," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "continue," "might," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "goal," "would," "commit," or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology, and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this press release and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the markets in which Oklo operates. Such forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this press release, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties.
As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, the actual results or performance of Oklo may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The following important risk factors could affect Oklo’s future results and cause those results or other outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements: risks related to the development and deployment of Oklo’s powerhouses, fuel fabrication and fuel recycling facilities, and radioisotope production activities; the risk that Oklo is pursuing an emerging market with no commercial project operating and regulatory uncertainties; risks related to acquisitions, divestitures, or joint ventures we may engage in; the need for financing to construct plants, which remain subject to market, financial, political, and legal conditions; risks related to an inability to raise additional capital to support our business and sustain our growth on favorable terms; the effects of competition; risks related to accessing high-assay low-enriched uranium, plutonium, and other fuels (including recycled fuels) at acceptable costs and under acceptable timelines; risks related to our supply chain; risks related to power purchase agreements; risks related to human capital; risks related to our intellectual property; risks related to cybersecurity and data privacy; changes in applicable laws or regulations, including tariffs; the outcome of any government and regulatory proceedings and investigations and inquiries; and the other factors set forth in our documents we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").
The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties of the other documents filed by Oklo from time to time with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on Oklo. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting Oklo will be those that Oklo has anticipated. Oklo undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this presentation, except as may be required by law.
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