Trump's EPA chief Lee Zeldin publicly endorsed a buildout of small modular reactors (SMRs) as the cornerstone of US AI infrastructure power.

Shares of nuclear energy companies, including NuScale Power Corp. (SMR), Oklo Inc. (OKLO), and Nano Nuclear Energy Inc. (NNE), traded higher in Friday's pre-market session after EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin touted small modular reactor development as a key component of the Trump administration's push for U.S. energy dominance.

During an interview with Fox Business on Thursday, Zeldin expressed optimism about the future of the U.S. energy sector and highlighted nuclear power as one of several areas showing positive momentum. "We see it on the nuclear front with new small modular reactors, new builds," he said.

NuScale Power shares were up approximately 5%, while Oklo and Nano Nuclear Energy shares each gained about 2%. SMR was among the top trending tickers on Stocktwits at the time of reporting.

Zeldin's comments reinforced expectations that the Trump administration will continue supporting domestic nuclear development, a theme that has driven interest in companies such as Oklo, NuScale, and Nano Nuclear. Small modular reactors have emerged as one of Wall Street's favorite nuclear themes over the past year, driven by expectations that rising electricity demand from artificial intelligence workloads and data centers will require new sources of reliable, continuous power.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month to overhaul the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and accelerate deployment of new nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors and microreactors. The order directs the NRC to streamline licensing, reduce regulatory barriers, and establish expedited approval pathways, while supporting a fourfold increase in U.S. nuclear capacity by 2050—from 100 gigawatts currently to 400 GW. The order also imposes fixed deadlines on licensing and approval decisions to accelerate nuclear project development.

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits around SMR, OKLO, and NNE trended bullish at the time of writing. Year-to-date, SMR stock is down 15% and OKLO stock is down 9%, while NNE stock is up 9%—though up 26% over the past 12 months. The VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF (NLR) is up 34% over the past 12 months, while the Global X Uranium ETF (URA) is up 52%.