In a major milestone for modular nuclear power on the way to the mainstream, the US Department of the Air Force has issued a Notice of Intent to Award (NOITA) to Oklo that may lead to the construction and operation of a military reactor in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Small nuclear reactors yielding less than 50 MW that can be mass produced in factories and shipped to where needed have very much been in the news in recent years. They promise a new way to provide heat and electricity that is cheaper than current nuclear power plants, being faster to build, easily scalable, and inherently safer.