Why NuScale Power Stock Fell 29% in the First Half of 2026

If you've been tracking NuScale Power (NYSE: SMR), you witnessed a red-hot narrative crashing into a wall of reality over the last few months. Shares of the nuclear energy start-up crashed in the last quarter of 2025 and continued their downward slide into 2026, losing 29.2% value in the first half of the year, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

President Donald Trump aims to quadruple U.S. nuclear energy capacity to 400 gigawatts by 2050. Because building a traditional nuclear reactor takes years even as power demand has hit unprecedented levels amid the artificial intelligence (AI) data center boom, the government is also supporting small modular reactors (SMRs).

NuScale's SMR design is already approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the company has begun manufacturing its first patented 77-megawatt carbon-free modules.

The problem? NuScale hasn't built a reactor yet. As that reality set in, investors ran for the exit. Here is how the fallout unfolded.

Image source: Getty Images.

Whu NuScale Power stock derailed

In early 2026, TD Cowen analyst Marc Bianchi raised alarm bells, warning that NuScale's flagship project in Romania could be delayed until 2034.

NuScale's fourth-quarter earnings report delivered another blow: a massive $507.4 million milestone payment to ENTRA1 Energy, its exclusive commercialization partner. Under the agreement, NuScale owes ENTRA1 fees for its nuclear product developments without guaranteed revenues.

With the company's operating loss surging nearly fivefold to $690 million during the quarter, analysts slashed their price targets on NuScale stock while some disgruntled investors filed class action lawsuits, alleging misrepresentation of ENTRA1 Energy's capabilities and arrangement.

To make matters worse, NuScale's largest shareholder, Fluor, aggressively offloaded its position and exited NuScale completely by April 2026, pocketing $2.4 billion in proceeds. Watching an anchor insider walk away shattered whatever little remained of retail confidence.

NuScale's first quarter offered no relief. Revenue plummeted from $13.4 million in the prior-year period to a paltry $0.5 million as one-time licensing revenue dried up, while net losses nearly tripled to $44 million.

Is NuScalePower stock a buy before Aug. 5?

NuScale did finish Q1 with $890 million in cash and short-term investments and zero long-term debt. But cash reserves can only buy so much time when losses are mounting, and cash burn rates remain high.

Commercial deployment is still years away, with NuScale projecting first module delivery no earlier than 2031. Moreover, although ENTRA1 has been in the headlines for a big agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to deploy up to 6 GW of nuclear power with NuScale's SMR equipment, the project still lacks a long-term power purchase agreement or a finalized timeline.

NuScale will release its second-quarter numbers on Aug. 5. Expectations are muted. Until the company can transition from regulatory approvals and partnership agreements to a firm revenue-generating model, its stock will remain speculative and volatile.

Neha Chamaria has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends NuScale Power. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.