Editor’s Note: We’ve all been known to flip-flop on occasion. As a protestor outside nuclear power plants during the 1970s, I used to chant “Hell no, we won’t glow!” The bumper sticker on my Volkswagen Beetle declared: “Split wood, not atoms.”

Yet here I am, decades later as a financial analyst, avidly recommending investments in the nuclear industry, for both moral and financial reasons.

I’m not alone in my personal conversion. Turns out nuclear power is having a moment…a cleaner, safer, smarter moment. Read on.

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From no nukes to yes nukes…

Back in the late 1970s, nuclear power was the villain of our age. Chernobyl hadn’t happened yet, but Three Mile Island was terrifying enough.

Fast forward to today. Nuclear energy, long exiled to the fringes of acceptable climate solutions, is being welcomed back into polite society. In fact, it’s becoming a centerpiece in the global push toward a decarbonized future.

Environmental groups such as the Union of Concerned Scientists and even some factions of Greenpeace have changed their tunes, acknowledging that renewables alone won’t get us to net-zero.

The numbers help tell the story. Today, nuclear energy provides about 10% of global electricity; the International Energy Agency projects that figure is on track to double over the next decade. The current output is generated by more than 400 reactors in 32 countries.

The reasons are clear: solar and wind are essential, but they’re intermittent. Nuclear offers a constant, carbon-free energy source with zero dependence on whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing.

Nuclear technology has gotten far more advanced. The nuclear renaissance is being led by a new generation of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which promise quicker construction, safer operation, and scalability.

These compact, factory-built units can power remote villages or supplement urban grids with ease. They don’t need giant concrete cooling towers that scare the neighbors.

One of the biggest players in this space is NuScale Power (NYSE: SMR). With a market cap of $2.2 billion, NuScale in 2020 became the first SMR developer to win U.S. regulatory approval.

Another is BWX Technologies (NYSE: BWXT), which builds nuclear components for the commercial and military sectors.

With a market cap of $9.8 billion, BWX designs and manufactures naval nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel; equipment for a wide range of civilian nuclear applications; and blends government stockpiles of uranium.

Then there’s X-energy, which has teamed up with Dow (NYSE: DOW) to install an Xe-100 High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) at one of Dow’s U.S. Gulf Coast sites.

Designed by X-energy, the Xe-100 is an HTGR that uses helium as a coolant and relies on small, graphite pebbles containing Tri-Structural Isotropic (TRISO) fuel particles for fission.

TRISO is a robust and highly advanced type of nuclear fuel. TRISO particles keep fission products under control even under extreme conditions, preventing meltdowns and reducing the risk of radioactive material release. This inherent safety allows for streamlined reactor designs and greatly reduced containment requirements.

Although X-energy isn’t yet publicly traded, it has attracted serious institutional money. And don’t count out Rolls-Royce Holdings (OTC: RYCEY), which is betting big on SMRs in the U.K. and Europe.

But it’s China that’s truly shifting the reactor game into high gear. Beijing is building more nuclear power plants than any other country on Earth, aiming to install over 150 new reactors by 2035. That’s more than the rest of the world has built in the past 35 years.

For a country choking on its own coal fumes, nuclear offers a clean way out, as well as a strategic edge. As China races ahead, Western democracies are scrambling to catch up.

Take a look at this infographic, compiled with the latest data (as of March 2025) from the World Nuclear Association. No country is currently committing more to a nuclear future than China:

Of course, global tensions could muddy the waters. The worsening trade war between the U.S. and China casts a shadow over nuclear technology transfers, uranium supplies, and reactor part sourcing.

Tariffs, sanctions and geopolitical paranoia don’t exactly speed up construction timelines. Still, the momentum is hard to deny, and most energy analysts agree: the nuclear genie isn’t going back in the bottle.

Consider uranium. The element that once only inspired dread is now inspiring dollar signs. Prices for uranium have soared in recent months, driven by a supply crunch and renewed demand from nuclear build-outs.

Year to date, the uranium spot price has increased by more than 50% and it’s projected to continue rising over the next decade.

The smart money is looking at Cameco (NYSE: CCJ), the Canadian mining giant (market cap: $21.4 billion) that’s uniquely positioned to benefit.

Unlike many fly-by-night operators, Cameco owns the world’s richest uranium mines, such as Cigar Lake and McArthur River, and has long-term supply contracts that give it a buffer against price volatility.

Read This Story: The Top Stock to Profit from Nuclear’s Comeback

Cameco’s balance sheet is lean, its management is seasoned, and as demand continues to outstrip supply, the share price is likely to climb even higher.

Over the past two years, Cameco’s stock price has appreciated by about 30%. The average 12-month price target for CCJ among Wall Street analysts predicts an increase of roughly 57%.

Artificial intelligence (AI) also is giving nuclear energy a boost. Not only does AI help optimize reactor efficiency and detect safety anomalies before they become issues, but it’s also a power glutton.

The energy needs of AI data centers are rising so fast that Alphabet’s (NSDQ: GOOGL) Google is now partnering with privately-held Elementl Power, a nuclear project developer and Independent Power Producer (IPP), to build advanced nuclear reactors to keep Google’s servers humming.

When the machines get smarter, they need more juice. Clean, steady nuclear energy fits the bill better than burning more coal or natural gas.

A nuclear quartet…

For investors looking to profit from this nuclear revival, there are four particularly strong bets.

First, Cameco for the raw material. Second, BWX Technologies for the infrastructure and defense exposure. Third, NuScale, the trailblazer in the SMR market. Together, these companies cover the uranium-mining-to-reactor-deployment chain.

Want diversified exposure? Consider the Global X Uranium ETF (URA), an exchange-traded fund that holds a basket of companies involved in the entire uranium ecosystem. It’s the best benchmark fund for riding the nuclear wave without having to pick individual winners.

URA has net assets of $2.6 billion; among its top five holdings are Cameco and NuScale. The expense ratio is a reasonable 0.69%.

A global megatrend…

Despite political foot-dragging in Washington—where fossil fuel nostalgia remains strong, especially among certain coal-loving presidents—the economics of nuclear power are becoming impossible to ignore.

The energy transition is happening, and the math keeps pointing to nuclear. It’s clean, scalable, and increasingly affordable. The global expansion of nuclear energy represents an investment megatrend.

Nuclear’s safety record, once a PR nightmare, has improved dramatically thanks to advanced fuel types, redundant systems, passive cooling, and real-time monitoring. Even Homer Simpson would struggle to mess it up these days.

Nuclear power may not save the planet single-handedly, but it will undoubtedly remain an important and growing part of the energy mix. Turns out, splitting atoms isn’t such a bad idea after all.

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