SMR, NNE, OKLO Gain After Trump's EPA Chief Lee Zeldin Touts Small Modular Reactor Buildout

• Zeldin's comments reinforced expectations that the Trump administration will continue supporting domestic nuclear development.
• President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month to overhaul the NRC and accelerate nuclear development.
• The order directs the NRC to streamline licensing, reduce regulatory barriers, and establish expedited approval pathways, while supporting a fourfold increase in U.S. nuclear capacity by 2050.

Shares of nuclear energy companies, including NuScale Power Corp. (SMR), Oklo Inc. (OKLO), and Nano Nuclear Energy Inc. (NNE), traded higher in Friday’s pre-market session after EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin touted small modular reactor development as a key component of the Trump administration's push for U.S. energy dominance.

During an interview with Fox Business on Thursday, Zeldin said he was optimistic about the future of the U.S. energy sector and pointed to nuclear power as one of several areas showing positive momentum.

“We see it on the nuclear front with new small modular reactors, new builds,” he said.

NuScale Power shares were up about 5%, while Oklo and Nano Nuclear Energy shares were up about 2% each. SMR was among the top trending tickers on Stocktwits at the time of writing.

Why Are Zeldin’s Comments Important?

Zeldin's comments reinforced expectations that the Trump administration will continue supporting domestic nuclear development, a theme that has helped drive interest in companies such as Oklo, NuScale, and Nano Nuclear.

Small modular reactors have emerged as one of Wall Street's favorite nuclear themes over the past year, driven by expectations that rising electricity demand from artificial intelligence workloads and data centers could require new sources of reliable, around-the-clock power.

Trump's Nuclear Deregulation Push

President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month to overhaul the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and accelerate the deployment of new nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors and microreactors.

The order directs the NRC to streamline licensing, reduce regulatory barriers and establish expedited approval pathways, while supporting a fourfold increase in U.S. nuclear capacity by 2050, from 100 gigawatts currently to 400 GW.

The order directs the NRC to impose fixed deadlines on licensing and approval decisions, a move aimed at accelerating nuclear project development.

How Did Retail Investors React?

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits around SMR, OKLO, and NNE trended in the ‘bullish’ territory at the time of writing.

SMR stock is down 15% year-to-date, while OKLO stock is down 9%. NNE stock is up 9% during this period. but up 26% over the past 12 months.

The VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF (NLR) is up 34% over the past 12 months, while the Global X Uranium ETF (URA) is up 52%.

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