New York, January 6, 2026, 18:51 EST — After-hours
Oklo Inc. shares rose about 7% to $95.60 in after-hours trading on Tuesday, pushing closer to the $100 level traders often watch. The stock traded as high as $96.82 earlier in the session, with about 20 million shares changing hands.
The move came as investors continued to price in fresh U.S. support for the nuclear fuel supply chain. The U.S. Department of Energy said it awarded $2.7 billion in task orders to American Centrifuge Operating, General Matter and Orano Federal Services to expand enrichment services for low-enriched uranium and high-assay low-enriched uranium over the next decade.
That matters for reactor developers because many next-generation designs plan to run on HALEU, a higher-enriched fuel than what most operating U.S. reactors use today. Russia is the only commercial producer of HALEU in meaningful volumes, Reuters reported, and some critics argue the material raises proliferation risks and should be capped at lower enrichment levels.
Other nuclear-linked stocks also moved higher in extended trading. NuScale Power gained about 4%, while uranium enrichment and supply names Centrus Energy and Cameco rose about 4% and 2%, respectively.
Oklo bills itself as a fission technology and nuclear fuel recycling company developing power plants to provide clean, reliable and affordable energy at scale. For investors, the DOE awards are a read-through on whether the U.S. can build out the fuel inputs that advanced reactors will need to reach deployment targets.
Regulatory progress remains the next gating item for the equity story. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it is engaged in pre-application work for Oklo’s Aurora Powerhouse and describes the proposed reactor as a liquid metal-cooled, metal-fueled fast reactor design with a maximum power level of 75 megawatts of electricity.
But the enrichment awards do not fund Oklo’s reactor construction, and financing risk still hangs over the sector. A December prospectus supplement shows Oklo entered an equity distribution agreement that allows it to sell up to $1.5 billion of Class A common stock over time — an “at-the-market” program that can pressure shares if issuance accelerates. SEC
Investors are also watching the DOE’s broader timeline for advanced nuclear deployment. In September, the agency said it selected Oklo and three other companies for a pilot program tied to advanced nuclear fuel lines and said its Reactor Pilot Program expects at least three reactors to reach criticality — a self-sustaining chain reaction — by July 4, 2026.
