Nuclear stocks jumped after the House passed the Ratepayers Protection Act, which aims to shift responsibility for paying for power upgrades from consumers to tech and data center companies, on Wednesday.

  • AI companies face growing scrutiny over the scale of their energy requirements and the broader consequences of rapid AI development.
  • The bill sent nuclear power and nuclear-related stocks higher on Tuesday as these companies can provide an alternative to grid power for AI data centers.
  • Interest in small modular reactors and other advanced nuclear technologies may also accelerate as potential dedicated power sources for future AI data centers. 

Shares of U.S. nuclear stocks jumped higher at the close on Thursday after the House passed the Ratepayers Protection Act a day earlier. The act aims to shift the responsibility from consumers to tech and data center companies to pay for power upgrades required to operate new large data centers.

Oklo Inc. (OKLO) shares jumped more than 11% at close, while NuScale Power Corp. (SMR) gained nearly 9%. 

Meanwhile, Nano Nuclear Energy Inc. (NNE) stock surged 8.5%, Centrus Energy Corp. (LEU) stock rose nearly 8%, and X-Energy Inc. (XE) closed 12% higher on the news. 

What The Ratepayers Protection Act Means

Primarily, the Ratepayers Protection Act would shift the burden of rapidly rising electricity demand from consumers to the large, energy-intensive data centers driving it. 

On Wednesday, the House passed the bill 417-3, which establishes a federal framework for state utility regulators to ensure data centers pay for the power generation, transmission, and grid upgrades needed to serve them.

The legislation comes as AI companies face growing scrutiny over the scale of their energy requirements and the broader consequences of rapid AI development.

“America needs the infrastructure to lead the world in AI and outcompete Communist China, but we cannot have that growth at the expense of hardworking families, farmers, seniors, and small businesses,” Sen. Gabe Evans (R-Colo) said in a statement after the vote. 

The Implication For Nuclear Stocks

The bill sent nuclear power and nuclear-related stocks higher on Tuesday because these companies can provide an alternative to grid power for AI data centers that need large amounts of reliable, round-the-clock electricity.

As data centers must bear more of the cost burden, they could pursue long-term power contracts or direct arrangements with dedicated power generation companies. Interest in small modular reactors (SMRs) and other advanced nuclear technologies may also accelerate as potential dedicated power sources for future AI data centers. 

For instance, Oklo already has a multi-year agreement with Meta Platforms (META) to develop and deliver power for Meta’s data centers in Ohio, particularly its AI infrastructure, with an initial power generation target by 2030 and a gradual ramp-up to the full 1.2 GW capacity by 2034. 

Retail Stance On OKLO, SMR, NNE, LEU, XE Stocks

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around OKLO stock was ‘neutral’ at the time of writing. 

One bullish user said, “$OKLO (three rocket emojis) the House just passed a bill forcing data centers to fund their own power infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, retail sentiment for SMR stock dropped from ‘bullish’ to ‘bearish’ over 24 hours. Sentiment around NNE stock, LEU stock and XE stock were all ‘bullish’ at the time of writing. 

One user said, “$OKLO $SMR $NNE $XE  Shares are up after a House vote on the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would require large data centers to pay for their own power generation & grid upgrades. This policy could increase demand for dedicated SMR's. Benefiting these companies.”

Another user said, “$OKLO $XE $LEU $SMR $NNE I don't think many of you realize just how BIG this is. This will make a major impact.”

OKLO stock is down about 49% so far in 2026, while SMR stock has lost more than 44% of its value. NNE stock is down more than 38%, LEU stock is down 45%, and XE stock is down about 44% in the same period. 

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