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Does Soaring AI Demand Mean You Should Buy Nuclear Energy Stocks?
The Motley Foolยท 2025-06-11 10:30
Group 1: Industry Overview - Artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly impacting electric utilities due to the increasing power demands of AI-driven data centers, with electricity demand for these centers projected to quadruple by 2030 [1] - The stock prices of companies like Constellation Energy have surged, with a 634% increase since the beginning of 2022, outperforming broader market averages [1] Group 2: Investment Opportunities - Investors are exploring opportunities in nuclear energy stocks, particularly NuScale Power and Oklo, both of which have seen stock prices rise over 300% in the past year due to optimism surrounding electricity demand growth [2] - NuScale Power is focused on small modular reactors (SMRs) and is the only start-up with an SMR design approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) [3][4] Group 3: Company Analysis - NuScale Power - NuScale's SMR technology is designed to be modular and scalable, but the company faces challenges in securing customers, as evidenced by a recent project cancellation in Utah due to cost overruns [4] - The company is not expected to generate significant revenue until after 2030, making it a pre-revenue start-up with a current annual cash burn of around $100 million [5][6] Group 4: Company Analysis - Oklo - Oklo shares similarities with NuScale but utilizes a liquid metal compound for cooling and aims to recycle nuclear waste, although it has not yet received NRC approval for its reactor design [8][9] - Like NuScale, Oklo is also a pre-revenue company, with a cash burn rate of $44 million per year and only $200 million in cash reserves [10] Group 5: Market Valuation Concerns - Both NuScale and Oklo have seen stock price increases due to the narrative shift towards nuclear energy and the anticipated rise in electricity demand from AI, but neither company is expected to have operational reactors by 2030 [12] - Current market capitalizations are $7 billion for Oklo and nearly $10 billion for NuScale, despite both companies not generating any revenue or profit [13]