NEW YORK, January 6, 2026, 09:56 (EST)
- Oklo shares jumped about 15% on Monday on heavier-than-usual trading volume.
- The U.S. Energy Department awarded $2.7 billion in orders to expand uranium enrichment, including HALEU fuel used in advanced reactors.
- A House Energy subcommittee is set to hold a Jan. 7 hearing on nuclear licensing and deployment.
Oklo Inc shares rose about 15% on Monday as nuclear-energy stocks rallied on fresh U.S. policy moves to support reactor fuel and oversight. The stock traded as high as $90.85 and was up 14.9% at $89.41 in midday trading, with about 19.7 million shares changing hands, MarketBeat data showed. Wall Street analysts tracked by MarketBeat rate the stock Hold, with an average price target of $102.87.
Lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Energy subcommittee said they will start a review of the industry, with a hearing aimed at licensing and deployment. The panel called it “a chance to discuss the current state of our nuclear industry,” as the Trump administration presses for faster build-outs to meet rising power demand, Finviz reported. Finviz
The Energy Department on Monday said it was awarding orders worth $2.7 billion to American Centrifuge Operating, General Matter and Orano Federal Services to expand domestic uranium enrichment over the next decade. The contracts cover both low-enriched uranium and HALEU — fuel enriched between 5% and 20% that many advanced reactors plan to use — and are meant to cut U.S. reliance on Russia, currently the only commercial producer of HALEU. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the awards show the administration is “committed to restoring a secure domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.” Reuters
Oklo’s jump tracked gains in other nuclear-linked stocks, including NuScale Power and Nano Nuclear Energy, TipRanks reported. Oklo is developing small modular reactors, or SMRs — smaller nuclear plants designed to be built in factories and assembled on site — and relies on HALEU for its planned Aurora Powerhouse microreactor. The company has yet to secure regulatory approval for its first 75-megawatt unit, and commercial operations are not expected until late 2027 or early 2028, TipRanks said.
But the sector’s policy tailwind does not remove execution risk for Oklo, which is still burning cash and must clear licensing, construction and fuel-supply hurdles before it can sell power. A Form 4 filing showed Chief Executive Jacob DeWitte sold 840,000 shares on Dec. 22 under a 10b5-1 trading plan adopted in March, a reminder that insider sales can weigh on sentiment.
Investors will get another policy readout on Wednesday, when the Energy subcommittee holds a hearing titled “American Energy Dominance: Dawn of the New Nuclear Era.” Witnesses include Nuclear Energy Institute CEO Maria Korsnick, Southern Company executive John Williams, Idaho National Laboratory director John Wagner and Nuclear Innovation Alliance CEO Judi Greenwald, according to the committee’s Democratic staff. Democrats, Energy and Commerce Committee
