It’s a curious thing, isn’t it, how our thirst for… well, everything… keeps growing? Especially electricity. The International Energy Agency, those folks who spend a lot of time thinking about such things, predict that artificial intelligence – that rapidly expanding realm of digital cleverness – will effectively double its electricity consumption in the next few years. Double! That’s a lot of watts. And while there’s a flurry of ideas about how to satisfy this burgeoning appetite – wind farms, solar arrays, hoping really hard – one solution keeps popping up, and it’s rather intriguing: the small modular reactor, or SMR.
Now, don’t let the ‘nuclear’ part frighten you unduly. These aren’t the enormous, intimidating power plants of yesteryear. Think of them as scaled-down versions, compact and, in theory, more manageable. They work on the same principle – splitting atoms, harnessing the energy – but on a smaller scale, requiring less land, fewer resources, and, crucially, potentially powering those data centers that are the engines of our increasingly digital lives. Several companies are tinkering with this idea, but two in particular – NuScale Power Corporation (SMR 6.18%) and Oklo (OKLO 1.16%) – are worth a closer look, even if they are, shall we say, a bit… speculative at this stage.
Neither of these is a sure bet, mind you. Investing in them is a bit like backing a promising inventor with a workshop full of intriguing contraptions. But the potential payoff, if things go right, could be substantial. So, if you have a bit of capital you’re willing to risk on a long-term gamble, which one should you choose?
Liquid Metal & Long Shots
Let’s start with Oklo. Their technology is, frankly, fascinating. They’re developing a reactor called Aurora, which uses liquid sodium as a coolant. Now, most reactors use water, which is perfectly serviceable, but liquid sodium has some interesting advantages. It doesn’t slow down the neutrons, which are crucial for the reaction, and it can handle higher temperatures more safely. The best part? It could potentially reduce nuclear waste by a whopping 90%. That’s a significant improvement. It’s like finding a way to make your recycling bin 90% more efficient. Remarkable!
However, and it’s a rather large ‘however’, Oklo isn’t generating any revenue. None. Zip. Nada. They’ve secured a contract to build a reactor at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, which is encouraging, but that’s still years away from contributing to the bottom line. Estimates suggest we won’t see any revenue until 2027, or perhaps even 2028. That’s a long wait, and in the world of investing, time is often of the essence.
It’s a bold strategy, and I admire the ambition, but it makes Oklo a particularly speculative investment. Which brings us to NuScale.
The Nu Kid on the Block
NuScale’s approach is a bit more… conventional, if you can call miniaturizing a nuclear reactor ‘conventional’. They’re building a smaller, water-cooled reactor that can be manufactured in a factory and assembled on-site. Think of it as a pre-fabricated nuclear power plant. It’s less technologically dazzling than Oklo’s liquid sodium design, perhaps, but it’s arguably more practical.
More importantly, NuScale has secured some significant contracts. They’re working with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to deploy 6 gigawatts of SMR capacity – the largest SMR deployment program in U.S. history. That’s a substantial commitment, and it provides a degree of certainty that Oklo currently lacks. They’re also collaborating with Fluor on a project in Romania, which generated $7.8 million in revenue in the most recent quarter. Revenue! A beautiful thing to see.
Financially, NuScale is in a stronger position. They have $753.8 million in cash, cash equivalents, and investments. Oklo, while holding a larger total of $1.18 billion, isn’t generating any revenue to bolster its coffers. It’s a crucial difference. Cash is king, as they say, and NuScale has a more substantial treasury.
So, while Oklo’s technology is intriguing, and the potential rewards could be significant, NuScale appears to be the more prudent investment. It has a stronger financial position, secured contracts, and a clear path to revenue. It’s not a guaranteed success, of course – nothing ever is – but it seems like the less speculative option. If you’re inclined to take a long-term gamble on small modular reactors, NuScale is the one to watch.
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2026-02-24 07:12