3 Nuclear Stocks That Could Make Big Moves 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.

A design of Oklo's Aurora nuclear powerhouse. Image source: Oklo.

1. Oklo

Oklo (NYSE: OKLO) is an advanced nuclear company that's developing a small, fast-spectrum reactor with complementary fuel recycling capabilities.

The company's flagship powerhouse, Aurora, looks like a cross between a Nordic cathedral and an eco-friendly cabin. It's small, easy on the eyes, and can supply up to 75 megawatts of electric power -- plenty for the average data center.

These powerhouses are also designed to run on high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), a special kind of fuel that could power reactors for up to 10 years without refueling.

Oklo is still pre-revenue, and it's burning cash as it awaits regulatory approval for its Aurora design.

On a positive note, it's currently in a government program designed to accelerate the permitting process. Because of this program, the company expects to turn on its first reactor in mid-2026. That could be a huge moment for a startup whose technology is still unproven at a commercial scale.

2. Centrus Energy

If Oklo's powerhouses will run on HALEU, then that raises the question: Where does it expect to come by such a specialized fuel?

Centrus Energy (NYSEMKT: LEU) thinks it has the answer.

Indeed, as the only U.S. company licensed to produce HALEU, we might say that Centrus is the only answer for a domestic supply, which is one reason Oklo and Centrus have been partners since 2021.

That said, most of the company's revenue right now is derived from low-enriched uranium (LEU) sales, a portion of which it procures from foreign sources.

Centrus currently has a deal with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to produce HALEU through June 30, 2026. This contract has options to be extended for eight additional years, each of which could slowly make Centrus the backbone of America's domestic HALEU for the next decade.

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.

For those who don't want immense volatility, a nuclear energy exchange-traded fund (ETF) could be a safer bet.

Steven Porrello has positions in NuScale Power and Oklo. The Motley Fool recommends NuScale Power. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.