NuScale's 200% Surge Supercharged By NRC, Oklo's Not Sitting Out

NuScale has just seen its value proposition harden, and Oklo has just seen the road ahead become smoother.

Small modular reactor (SMR) developers just got a jolt of regulatory sunshine, and Nuscale Power Corp (NASDAQ:SMR) is basking in it.

The stock’s investors have reaped over 200% gain in the past year, over 100% gain YTD.

40-Year Certification: A Lifeline For Long-Haul Nuclear Projects

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has officially extended the shelf life of nuclear reactor design certifications from 15 years to a whopping 40 years — a move that significantly derisks NuScale's long-term game plan.

NuScale is currently the only U.S. company with an NRC-certified SMR design, and that certification just got four decades of credibility. For a firm whose pitch depends on long-term infrastructure stability, this change doesn’t just reduce financing friction — it strengthens its whole investment case.

With utilities often wary of regulatory uncertainty, a 40-year design stamp smooths out one of the most turbulent parts of the nuclear build-out timeline. For NuScale, which is pushing both its original 50 MWe design and a larger 77 MWe variant, this means longer runway, faster deals, and fewer bureaucratic bottlenecks. A big win in terms of project visibility.

But NuScale's not the only one catching the tailwind.

Read Also: 3 Nuclear Stocks With Catalysts As Energy Policy, AI Push Uranium Back In Play

Oklo, NuScale And The SMR Sector Just Got A Regulatory Tailwind

Enter Oklo Inc (NYSE:OKLO), the next-generation nuclear upstart backed by Sam Altman, whose AI ambitions now share airtime with compact fission dreams. While Oklo hasn't bagged NRC design certification yet, the new rule creates a friendlier, longer-lasting regulatory framework — exactly the kind of climate startups need to court investors and de-risk development cycles.

The NRC estimates the rule could save $4 million annually over 65 years. That may not shake Wall Street by itself, but for cash-conscious early-stage developers like Oklo, it matters.

And with the NRC also floating the idea of reactor licenses stretching up to 80 years, the long-term nuclear narrative just got a lot more bullish.

The rule goes live on Sept. 15 — unless it is derailed by adverse public comments by Aug. 1. But if it sticks, this could mark a turning point for America's SMR ecosystem.

Read Next:

• ‘Not FANG. Not Magnificent Seven. Just M-N-Ms:’ Jim Cramer Floats New Tech Acronym For These Stocks That Outpaced Peers

Image: Shutterstock