Got $1,000? Here Are My Favorite Nuclear Stocks to Invest in Right Now.

Experts are increasingly bullish on the potential of nuclear energy. Multiple Wall Street companies are predicting a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity for investors.

"After decades of underinvestment, a convergence of generational technological breakthroughs, intensifying geopolitical competition, and the need for clean, dense, reliable power are positioning nuclear energy for a renaissance," predicts Goldman Sachs.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs are particularly excited about relatively new forms of nuclear power, including small modular reactors, or SMRs.

"[H]yperscalers have ... helped lead investment in the commercialization of next-generation nuclear power, namely small modular reactors (SMRs) and fusion energy," the bank's analysts conclude. "These technologies, long brushed off as too far from commercialization, are now drawing significant public and private sector support."

There aren't many publicly traded companies focused exclusively on developing SMR technology. However, there may be more on the way soon.

The two most popular pure-play SMR stocks today are undoubtedly Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO) and NuScale Power (NYSE: SMR). Both have promising futures, but if you're looking for maximum growth potential, which one of these stocks is the more obvious choice?

Better SMR stock: Oklo or NuScale Power?

Both Oklo and NuScale are pursuing the development of SMRs, but each company's approach to doing so is very different.

Oklo is focused mostly on building micro-reactors directly next to or near data center infrastructure. It is the data center build-out, a result of the rapid global adoption of AI technologies, that is driving power demand growth. Designing its systems to meet the exact needs of data center operators is, therefore, a reasonable go-to-market strategy. Oklo's strategy even caught the eye of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who invested in the company early.

NuScale, on the other hand, is focused on supplying electricity to the grid through partnerships with major utilities. For example, NuScale is developing a 462-megawatts electric (MWe) SMR system in Romania. If built, it would be Europe's first commercial SMR. NuScale is also developing a 6-gigawatt SMR system in the U.S. for a major utility company. While Oklo and others are currently in the application process, NuScale is currently the only company in the U.S. approved by regulators to build an SMR facility.

Image source: Getty Images.

Here's the catch: Neither NuScale nor Oklo have ever actually built a commercial SMR system. Both companies have legitimate technologies, but application at scale remains just a theory. Whether their order books will translate into real market traction remains an open question, especially given that the SMR industry has seen massive project cancellations in the past. After a major customer canceled a NuScale project in 2024, for example, one industry report predicted that "no utility or government would invest another dime on these theoretical reactor concepts."

In short, both Oklo and NuScale remain speculative investments despite having promising growth prospects on paper. After steep corrections, both companies have market caps well under $10 billion. The combined valuation of both entities right now is close to $10 billion.

Nuclear energy, according to some analysts, will be a $10 trillion opportunity over the long term. Given the speculative nature of SMRs in general, investors may be better off including both Oklo and NuScale in their portfolios. This way, your portfolio is more exposed to SMR technology in general, rather than to a particular go-to-market approach.

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