Oklo files emergency FERC complaint after PJM removes its undisclosed Virginia power project from interconnection queue

Oklo filed an emergency complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last Friday, alleging that PJM Interconnection unjustifiably removed one of its generation projects from the grid operator’s Cycle 01 interconnection queue. The filing asks FERC to direct PJM to reinstate the application with its original queue position.

The project itself was a surprise. Until now, Oklo had made no public mention of a potential development in Virginia — one combining 150 MW of advanced nuclear generation, 300 MW of fuel cells, and 300 MW of natural gas capacity, with planned interconnection points near Richmond.

Oklo asks FERC to reinstate Virginia project in PJM queue

Oklo’s emergency request centers on its removal from PJM’s Cycle 01 interconnection queue — a process the grid operator only reopened in April 2025 after years of backlog and process reform. Losing that queue position isn’t a minor setback. Cycle 01 was the first full interconnection cycle since 2022, making it the first real opportunity in four years for new generation projects to formally apply.

If Oklo deploys its Aurora reactors at their maximum rated capacity of 50 MWe each, the 150 MW nuclear component would require three Aurora powerhouses on site.

The Virginia project — combining 150 MW of advanced nuclear, 300 MW of fuel cells, and 300 MW of natural gas — hadn’t been publicly disclosed before the filing. Oklo spokesperson Bonita Chester confirmed it’s “an early-stage potential generation project,” carefully adding that the complaint “should not be understood as a deployment announcement, final investment decision, or commitment to a particular generation configuration.” This is about holding a place in line, not announcing a plant.

Oklo is asking FERC to direct PJM to reinstate the application with its original queue position intact.

Communication breakdown at the root of the dispute

According to Oklo’s complaint, the removal didn’t follow any back-and-forth process. It came after six weeks of silence. Oklo says it sent meeting requests and status confirmation emails to PJM that went unanswered — then, with no prior warning that the project was at risk, PJM issued a withdrawal notice.

Oklo contends it had already addressed every deficiency PJM formally flagged. From the company’s perspective, the withdrawal came out of nowhere.

The complaint goes further, arguing that PJM misapplied its own guidelines to what Oklo describes as a “unique multi-technology facility.” Even if PJM’s reading of those rules was technically correct, Oklo argues any remaining issues were minor technicalities — ones it could have “easily and rapidly cured” had it received proper notice that the project was in jeopardy.

Mixed technology configuration adds interconnection complexity

Part of what makes this project unusual is its fuel mix. The Virginia project pairs synchronous generation units (nuclear and natural gas) with inverter-based units (fuel cells). These two technology types require different grid infrastructure, and PJM’s existing rules weren’t designed with that kind of hybrid configuration in mind. That mismatch created real procedural friction, and Oklo argues in its complaint that the complexity contributed directly to the confusion over how PJM’s guidelines applied.

The project’s two planned interconnection points — Possum Point and Ladysmith substations — sit just north of Richmond. If Oklo deploys its Aurora reactors at their maximum rated capacity of 50 MWe each, the 150 MW nuclear component would require three Aurora powerhouses on site.

Oklo’s broader development status and regulatory context

Oklo has been building out its development pipeline on several fronts simultaneously. The company broke ground on its first Aurora powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory in September 2025. By June 2026, the Department of Energy approved a preliminary design safety agreement for that project — the third of five milestones required to earn full DOE authorization under the Reactor Pilot Program.

Last month, Oklo achieved criticality with a separate reactor called Groves in Texas, also under DOE authorization. That’s a meaningful technical milestone, even though it’s a different project from the Aurora powerhouse or the Virginia development.

On the regulatory side, Oklo is currently in preapplication activities with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a new Aurora design, with the NRC actively auditing Oklo’s DOE work on the project. Oklo’s earlier attempt to license a 1.5-MWe Aurora design ended in 2022 when the NRC denied the application without prejudice.

Getting power onto the grid is its own challenge, entirely separate from building and licensing a reactor. Earlier this year, Constellation faced a similar situation — it had to seek a FERC waiver to speed up the grid connection of its restarted Crane nuclear plant within PJM. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission – Docket No. EL26-___-000 approved that waiver. Without it, Constellation warned, the plant could have sat ready to generate for up to three years while waiting in queue.

Whether FERC will side with Oklo as it did with Constellation remains to be seen.

The filing isn’t a commitment to build

Oklo’s FERC complaint puts a previously unknown Virginia project on the public record for the first time. The project — a 750 MW mixed-technology facility combining nuclear, fuel cell, and natural gas generation — is still early-stage, and Oklo has been explicit that the filing isn’t a commitment to build.

The core dispute is procedural: Oklo says PJM removed it from the Cycle 01 queue after weeks of unanswered communications and without adequate notice, having already resolved the flagged deficiencies. PJM, in Oklo’s telling, misapplied its own rules to an unconventional project type.

The stakes are real. Cycle 01 was PJM’s first full interconnection cycle in four years, and losing that queue position could significantly delay the project’s timeline. Chester said Oklo “will share additional details if and when the project reaches the appropriation stage” — meaning you probably won’t hear much more until a concrete decision is made.

Kelly Lippke

Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.