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Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Why Oklo Stock Bumped Higher This Week
The American nuclear industry was the focus of much attention this week, and as a result, there was significant action in Oklo (NYSE: OKLO) stock. The reactor developer's shares notched a more than 5% gain over the week, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Trump goes nuclear This week's momentum behind Oklo and other nuclear stocks was stirred by none other than President Trump, when he signed an executive order (EO) last Friday aimed at supporting the industry. Among other measures, the EO allows for the testing of reactors at Department of Energy laboratories, and construction of nuclear power facilities on public land. "We are restoring a strong American nuclear industrial base, rebuilding a secure and sovereign domestic nuclear fuel supply chain, and leading the world toward a future fueled by American nuclear energy," the White House quoted Trump as saying. Oklo also received a boost from outside our borders; on Tuesday, the company announced it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a project in Asia. Under its terms, the American company and peer Korea Hydro & Power will collaborate on developing an Oklo facility in Idaho. Additionally, the two are to cooperate on various aspects of early-stage projects. Part of a powerful trio Finally, Oklo received something of a stamp of approval from an industry analyst. Jed Dorsheimer of William Blair initiated coverage of a small clutch of nuclear stocks, specifically Oklo, BWX Technologies, and Centrus Energy. The pundit tagged all three as buys; according to reports, he was particularly taken with Oklo's vertically integrated business model. Should you invest $1,000 in Oklo right now? Before you buy stock in Oklo, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Oklo wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $638,985!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $853,108!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is978% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to171%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump orders overhaul of Nuclear Regulatory Commission, speed process for new reactors
May 24 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump signed four executive orders to overhaul the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and hasten the process and deployment of new nuclear power reactors in the United States. They allow agencies to build reactors on federally owned land, revamp the NRC, create new timelines for construction permits, and expand domestic uranium production and enrichment capabilities. Trump on Friday signed the orders called: Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy, Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security and Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base. Nuclear executives joined Trump, including Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez, who leads the largest operator of nuclear plants in the U.S. Constellation wants to restart operations at Three Mile Island, aiming to bring the Unit 1 reactor back online in 2028. The Unit 2 reactor at Three Mile Island was the site of a partial meltdown in 1979. "We're wasting too much time on permitting and we're answering silly questions, not the important ones," the Constellation CEO said. The agency is also reviewing whether to restart the mothballed Palisades plant in Michigan. Dominguez said nuclear energy is best-suited to support artificial intelligence data center needs with consistent, around-the-clock service. Between 1954 and 1978, the United States authorized construction of 133 civilian nuclear reactors at 81 power plants. Since 1978, the NRC has authorized a fraction of that number, and only two reactors have entered into commercial operation. "Instead of efficiently promoting safe, abundant nuclear energy, the NRC has instead tried to insulate Americans from the most remote risks without appropriate regard for the severe domestic and geopolitical costs of such risk aversion," according to one of the executive orders. Former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who now heads the Nuclear Threat Initiative and Energy Futures Initiative, said the moves could increase safety or security risks. "Reorganizing and reducing the independence of the NRC could lead to the hasty deployment of advanced reactors with safety and security flaws," Moniz, a nuclear physicist who served under President Barack Obama, said. NRC overhaul The 50-year-old independent NRC regulates nuclear reactors. The new executive order dictates reductions in force "though certain functions may increase in size consistent with the policies in this order, including those devoted to new reactor licensing." The NRC shall also create a team of at least 20 officials to draft the new regulations. The order will not remove or replace any of the five commissioners who lead the body, according to the White House. The NRC will work with the Department of Government Efficiency, the Office of Management and Budget, and other executive departments and agencies on the reorganization, according to the White House. The public hearings process at the agency also will be streamlined, the executive order said. New reactors Trump's orders also create a regulatory method for the departments of Energy and Defense to build nuclear reactors on federal land, the administration official said. The commission will be required to decide on nuclear reactor licenses within 18 months and, within 60 days, the secretary of energy is expected to issue guidance on what counts as a qualified test reactor. The order says that qualified test reactors can be safely operational at Department-owned or Department-controlled facilities within two years. "Federal Government has effectively throttled the domestic deployment of advanced reactors, ceding the initiative to foreign nations in building this critical technology," the order reads. "Our proud history of innovation has succumbed to overregulated complacency." Two new reactors that recently came online at Plant Vogtle near Augusta, Ga., took seven years longer than planned to build and came in $18 billion over budget. The secretary of state is also expected to "aggressively pursue" at least 20 new agreements by the close of the 120th Congress "to enable the United States nuclear industry to access new markets in partner countries." "We're also talking about the big plants -- the very, very big, the biggest," Trump said at the signing. "We're going to be doing them also." Other changes Another of the orders Trump signed seeks to fully leverage federally owned uranium and plutonium resources declared excess to defense needs. Trump also wants a pilot program for reactor construction and operation outside the National Laboratories. Within 240 days, the agencies are expected to develop management of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste, and deployment of advanced fuel cycle capabilities "to establish a safe, secure, and sustainable long-term fuel cycle," according to the order. Additionally, the order directs the Department of Education to work toward increasing participation in nuclear energy-related apprenticeships and career and technical education programs.
Fox News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump unleashes US nuclear renaissance with bold executive orders
In his famed 1953 "Atoms for Peace" speech, President Eisenhower proclaimed that "the United States knows that peaceful power from atomic energy is no dream of the future." That dream was soon realized, as America built more than one hundred reactors over the next twenty-five years. But today, the promise of nuclear energy and innovation does indeed seem like a dream of the future. Through a series of executive orders signed this week, President Trump is taking action to usher in an American nuclear renaissance. For the first time in many years, America has a path forward for quickly and safely testing advanced nuclear reactor designs, constructing new nuclear reactors at scale, and building a strong domestic nuclear industrial base. Our stagnation was not for a lack of ingenuity or desire to innovate among America's great scientists and technologists. By the end of the 1970s, dozens of nuclear reactors were planned or under construction. In the past 30 years, however, only three commercial nuclear reactors have been built, and many more have been shuttered. We know America can accomplish great feats in nuclear energy, so what happened? In the wake of the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, public opinion began to sour on nuclear energy, and the effects of a decade of new federal bureaucracies began to set in. Overly burdensome regulations stifled our ability to even test, let alone deploy, new nuclear technologies. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) set the gold standard for safety regulation when it was established in 1975, but it soon transformed into a lead curtain for innovation. Onerous environmental requirements and long, uncertain regulatory timelines have killed industry's willingness to fund new technologies. Similarly, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Energy's (DOE) National Labs—which once led the world in the development and demonstration of advanced nuclear technologies—shuttered nuclear development programs, shifting focus to other priorities. All but three of fifty-two reactors at Idaho National Laboratory have been decommissioned, and it has been almost half a century since the Army Nuclear Power Program was shut down. These decisions eroded our domestic nuclear supply chain, undermined our national security, and left us having to relearn what we once pioneered. President Trump wisely recognizes that the time is ripe for an American nuclear renaissance and is acting to deliver on the promise of nuclear energy for the American people. Across the country, American entrepreneurs and engineers are launching a new generation of nuclear companies featuring innovative reactor designs and scalable manufacturing techniques that can make nuclear safe, efficient, and economic. The Trump Administration will clear their path by dismantling outdated barriers that previous administrations had put up in their way. Today, nuclear power plants provide approximately 19% of the electricity generated in the United States, more than solar and wind combined. That is reliable and affordable electricity for the American people, and it could and should be even more. Today, nuclear power plants provide approximately 19% of the electricity generated in the United States, more than solar and wind combined. That is reliable and affordable electricity for the American people, and it could and should be even more. The Trump Administration is setting the goal of expanding American nuclear energy capacity from 100 GW today to 400 GW by 2050. This week's executive actions will help us reach that goal in four ways. First, we are going to fully leverage our DOE national laboratories to increase the speed with which we test new nuclear reactor designs. There is a big difference between a paper reactor and a practical reactor. The only way to bridge that gap—understanding the challenges that must be surmounted to bring reactors to the market, and building public trust in their deployment—is to test and evaluate demonstration reactors. Second, for our national and economic security, we are going to leverage the Departments of Defense and Energy to build nuclear reactors on federally owned land. This will support critical national security needs which require reliable, high-density power sources that are invulnerable to external threats or grid failures. Third, to lower regulatory burdens and shorten licensing timelines, we are asking the NRC to undergo broad cultural change and regulatory reform, requiring a decision on a reactor license to be issued within 18 months. This will reduce regulatory uncertainty while maintaining nuclear safety. We will also reconsider the use of radiation limits that are not science based, impossible to achieve, and do not increase the safety of the American people. Fourth, we will be supporting our domestic nuclear industrial base across the nuclear fuel cycle. The President has called for industry to start mining and enriching uranium in America again, as well as an expansion of domestic uranium conversion capacity as well as enrichment capabilities to meet projected civilian and defense reactor needs. When President Eisenhower spoke about nuclear potential over 70 years ago, he expressed no doubt that the world's best scientists and engineers, if empowered to "test and develop their ideas," could turn nuclear energy into a "universal, efficient, and economic" source of power. In 2025, we have only to believe in American technologists, and give them the chance to build, to turn nuclear power into energy dominance and national security for all.
E&E News
23-05-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Trump orders dramatic speedup of US nuclear development
President Donald Trump on Friday directed his administration to launch fast-track development of new nuclear power plants, ordering the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to complete licensing of new reactor designs within 18 months and the Department of Energy to speed up reactor testing and start building on federally owned land over the next three years. 'President Trump is taking truly historic action to usher in the American nuclear renaissance,' White House science adviser Michael Kratsios said Friday in a briefing for reporters. One of four executive orders signed by Trump assigns DOE and the Defense Department to oversee construction of new reactors 'to power and operate critical defense facilities' and to power data centers and artificial intelligence programs. Advertisement According to a White House official who briefed reporters, the two departments apparently would oversee development of these projects without reliance on regulatory reviews by the NRC, previously known as the Atomic Energy Commission, which has overseen nuclear reactor development since just after World War II. 'The NRC will not have a … direct role in that,' the official said. Texts of the executive orders were not immediately available Friday. Drafts that circulated recently indicated that important NRC regulatory decisions on design safety would likely be reviewed by the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). The administration's assertion of policy oversight of nuclear power is part of the upheaval in the federal bureaucracy Trump has launched. The administration will undertake a 'substantial reorganization' of the NRC, according to the official, who could not be identified by name. 'There will be turnover and changes in roles. Total reduction in staff is undetermined at this point,' the official said. The demotion of the NRC has alarmed some former commissioners and energy experts. 'This is the detailed, agency-specific effort to override the historic independent agency construct,' Stephen Burns, who was chair of the NRC during the Obama administration, said in an interview with E&E News earlier this month, based on review of the draft orders. Many of the actions to speed up reactor licensing in the draft orders are already underway, following congressional enactment of the ADVANCE Act last year, he said. Burns questioned the necessity and justification of what he called White House micromanagement. 'Everybody should be worried about that, especially because we depend on nuclear power plants for about 20 percent of our electricity across this country,' Emily Hammond, a former DOE deputy general counsel and current George Washington University law professor, said in response to the draft orders viewed by E&E News. 'That's an important segment of low-carbon electricity, and if it's not safe, that's a huge gap to fill,' Hammond said. Kratsios, in remarks Friday, placed the blame for the decline of nuclear power development on regulatory and political roadblocks. 'America's great innovators and entrepreneurs have run into brick walls when it comes to nuclear technology,' he said. But the two full-sized Vogtle nuclear reactors now operated by Georgia Power, the only new plants completed in a generation, suffered enormous construction costs overruns and ran years behind schedule. However, a cluster of energy and technology companies have been developing designs for small modular reactors (SMRs) with strong bipartisan congressional support and financial backing from the Biden administration's DOE. The SMR developers hope that their plants, once established commercially, could be built in factories and at a lower construction cost. The modular strategy permits multiple smaller reactors to be linked together to deliver tailored power levels to utilities or data centers.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Nuclear Stocks Rally As Trump Plans To Boost Industry
Shares of Constellation Energy, Oklo and other nuclear power companies surged following a report that President Donald Trump planned to sign executive orders boosting the nuclear industry as soon as Friday, with an ease in regulations that would streamline construction of new reactors. An earlier report suggested the Trump administration would streamline a process for new nuclear ... More reactors. Constellation Energy, the largest nuclear operator in the U.S., rose by 3% by Friday afternoon, while shares of uranium mining firms Uranium Energy (23%), Energy Fuels (17%), Cameco Corp. (9.5%) and Centrus Energy (22%) also spiked in value. Shares of Oklo, the advanced reactor company backed by Sam Altman, jumped 25%, with gains across nuclear tech, including Nano Nuclear Energy (29%) and NuScale Power (16%) Other nuclear companies like Vistra (1.9%) and GE Vernova (1.5%) had their shares increase Friday, while the Global X Uranium ETF, which trades among several uranium-backed stocks, jumped more than 10%. The nuclear industry is expected to benefit from a budget bill approved in the House on Thursday. The legislation, referred to by Trump as his 'one big beautiful bill' and heavily opposed by Democrats, includes provisions that would reduce spending on Medicaid by nearly $700 billion and reduce spending for a national food assistance program, among others. Tax cuts are central to the bill, however, and feature more than $5 trillion in cuts, while about two-thirds of Americans would pay less in taxes by 2027. The bill also plans to cut tax credits for clean energy manufacturing by 2031, though tax credits for nuclear energy are preserved. Each of the three market indexes fell Friday, with losses across the Dow Jones Industrial Average (down 0.6%), the S&P 500 (0.7%) and the tech-heavy Nasdaq (0.9%). A broader market selloff was led by Apple, after Trump warned on Truth Social the company faced tariffs of at least 25% if the company failed to shift iPhone production to the U.S. Other stocks like Nvidia (1%), Qualcomm (2%) and Micron (2%) also fell, as Trump said trade negotiations with the European Union are 'going nowhere' and pushed for a 50% tariff on the block. Reuters reported Thursday, citing four sources familiar with the plans, that Trump was expected to sign an executive order Friday to invoke the Defense Production Act, which would declare a national emergency over U.S. dependence on Russia and China for enriched uranium, nuclear fuel processing and reactor inputs. Trump's other orders would also ease the regulatory process on approving new reactors and strengthening fuel supply chains, according to a draft summary obtained by Reuters. Trump declared an emergency on energy shortly after his inauguration, arguing the U.S. has the 'potential to use its unrealized energy resources domestically.' The Energy Information Administration reported earlier this month the U.S. power output is expected to reach new record highs in 2025 and 2026 amid an increased demand from AI data centers, cryptocurrency and as more homes and businesses use more electricity. Trump To Sign Orders To Boost Nuclear Power As Soon As Friday (Reuters)
