Oklo, Uranium Energy, NuScale Stocks Surge As Trump Reportedly Gears Up To Boost Nuclear Sector

Nuclear stocks surged in extended trading on Thursday after a report said President Donald Trump would sign executive orders as soon as Friday to boost nuclear energy.

Uranium Energy (UEC) up 8.7%, Oklo (OKLO) up 12.2%, NuScale Power (SMR) up 9.8%, Energy Fuels (UUUU) jumped between 14% and 18%.

Reuters reported that a draft version of the summary of the orders said Trump will invoke the Cold War-era Defense Production Act and declare a national emergency to reduce U.S. dependence on Russia and China for enriched uranium, nuclear fuel processing, and advanced reactor components.

The report said that the summary also directs federal agencies to permit and site new nuclear facilities and the Departments of Energy and Defense to identify federal lands and facilities for nuclear deployment and streamline processes to build them.

Nuclear power represents about 18% of the total electricity generation capacity in the U.S, slightly down from over 20% in the 90s.

Trump declared an energy emergency on the first day of his second term. Due to the rising number of artificial intelligence data centers, U.S. power demand is growing at the fastest pace in decades.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has compared the AI race to the “next Manhattan Project”, a reference to the secret program that created the world’s first atomic bomb.

The report said the executive orders will also encourage the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office to use loan guarantees and direct loans to aid reactor construction.

Nuclear power has a broad bipartisan support among U.S. lawmakers. Democrats prefer it as it is virtually emissions-free, while Republicans also view it as a more reliable energy source than wind or solar.

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits for OKLO, UEC, SMR, and UUUU trended between 'bullish' and 'extremely bullish' as of the last close.

“As predicted, things are looking pretty darn good in the sector,” one Stocktwits user said. 

https://stocktwits.com/BioRich/message/615635937 

“These guys will be just as volatile as they've been since IPO,” another user said about small reactor makers, citing the long timeline before their projects come online.

The VanEck Uranium Nuclear Energy ETF(NLR) has gained 7.2% this year.

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