OKLO signs massive new nuclear deal, but not in Minnesota

The headline from CNBC should be eye-catching:

Oklo targets 12 gigawatts of new nuclear power through agreement with data center operator

Oklo, a start-up company looking to develop small-scale nuclear power plants, running on recycled fuel, saw its stock price jump nearly 20 percent this morning on the news, before falling back.

The deal would have Oklo supply 12 gigawatts (with a “g”) to data center operator Switch.

How much power is a gigawatt? The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) hosts a webpage to answer that exact question. Among the 8 comparisons offered by DOE, perhaps the most useful in this context: a gigawatt is equal to 1/2 of a Hoover Dam.

So, the OKLO/Switch deal represents six Hoover Dams to be delivered between now and the year 2044. This one deal alone would place OKLO as one of America’s largest electric utilities.

2044 is a long way off. Oklo’s press release includes the word “non-binding” (twice) and doesn’t indicate where these new plants will be built.

But I can tell you where they won’t be built: Minnesota. As I never tire of repeating, Minnesota State Statute 216B.243 subd. 3b prohibits the construction of new nuclear power plants in Minnesota. The repeal of that provision should be a priority in the 2025 legislature.

2025 could be the beginning of a new Golden Age for America. If we let it.