Oklo Inc. (OKLO) shares are soaring 5.05% in early trading on Thursday, following the company's announcement that it has completed the pre-application readiness assessment for its Aurora powerhouse project. This marks a significant milestone in Oklo's licensing process for its first commercial nuclear facility at the Idaho National Laboratory.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) conducted the pre-application review, providing valuable observations to help Oklo finalize its application. This assessment is seen as a crucial step forward in the company's licensing and permitting work. Jacob DeWitte, Oklo's co-founder and CEO, emphasized the importance of this engagement, stating, "We view this assessment as a productive engagement tool that moves our licensing and permitting work forward."

Looking ahead, Oklo plans to submit the first phase of the Aurora-INL combined license application (COLA) later this year. The market's positive reaction to this news underscores investor confidence in Oklo's progress towards commercializing its innovative nuclear technology. The stock's strong performance today adds to its impressive year-to-date gain of over 200%, highlighting the growing interest in advanced nuclear energy solutions.