Key Points * Oklo aims to bring its first powerhouse online by mid-2026. * Centrus Energy is the only U.S. company licensed to produce HALEU and could see a DOE contract extended in 2026. * Romania's RoPower will make a crucial decision for NuScale in 2026.
Nuclear energy is back.
After decades of stagnation, nuclear power has emerged as a viable clean energy source. It was the world's second-largest low carbon source of electricity in 2024, and its generation capacity is expected to quadruple in the U.S. by 2050.
Given the immense potential for nuclear energy, several companies have been making moves lately to build out their technology and arsenals. But if you're looking for those on the bleeding edge of a new reality, these three nuclear stocks could make some big moves in 2026. [...]
3. NuScale Power
Like Oklo, NuScale (NYSE: SMR) is designing small modular reactors (SMRs). Unlike Oklo, however, NuScale already has design approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) -- the first and only SMR designed to have done so.
That first-mover advantage has helped the company kick up production. Right now, it's performing front-end engineering work for the Romanian energy company RoPower in preparation for Romania's first SMR power plant.
After this work is finished in mid-2026, RoPower will decide whether to move forward with full construction of the plant using NuScale's SMR technology. If it does -- and it could say "no" -- it could mark NuScale's first commercial deployment.
Of course, like Oklo (and Centrus for that matter), NuScale's technology remains unproven at a commercial scale. As such, expect it to be volatile as it figures out how to turn its designs into real revenue-generating reactors.
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