OKLO Stock Is Bouncing Back: Bulls Are Talking About $100 Again After This DOE Milestone

• Aurora is set to become Oklo’s first fast-fission power plant. 
• The approval comes even as the Trump administration is pushing to accelerate the expansion of nuclear energy in the U.S. 
• The administration is targeting a fourfold increase in U.S. nuclear power capacity, aiming to expand generation from about 100 gigawatts today to 400 GW by 2050.

Shares of Oklo Inc. (OKLO) were up more than 4.7% in the overnight session on Sunday, on track to reverse two weeks in the red, after the U.S. Department of Energy approved a key milestone for its Aurora powerhouse.

Last week, the company announced that the DOE had approved the Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis (PDSA) for its Aurora powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) under its Reactor Pilot Program (RPP).

“This approval represents an important milestone for Aurora-INL and helps establish a foundation for future Aurora deployments,” said Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo.

On Stocktwits, retail interest around the company jumped 157% over 24 hours as investors discussed a potential price upside following the announcement.

Oklo On Track For First Fast-Fission Power Plant

The PDSA for Oklo’s Aurora-INL project approval follows a review of the project’s safety framework, including hazard assessments, accident scenarios, and design controls, and moves the advanced reactor closer to deployment.

Aurora-INL is set to become Oklo’s first fast-fission power plant and will utilize recovered fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II. The project is progressing alongside the company’s Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility in Idaho, which secured a similar DOE approval in late 2025.

Oklo expects the program to provide valuable operational experience even as it continues pursuing regulatory licensing for future commercial reactor deployments.

Trump’s Nuclear Deregulation

The approval comes even as the Trump administration is pushing to accelerate the expansion of nuclear energy in the U.S. Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that was aimed at reforming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and speeding up approvals for advanced reactor technologies.

The directive called for a more streamlined licensing process, fewer regulatory bottlenecks, and firm timelines for permitting decisions to speed up project development. The administration is targeting a four-fold increase in U.S. nuclear power capacity, aiming to expand generation from about 100 gigawatts today to 400 GW by 2050.

US Seeks Japanese Funding For Nuclear Projects

The U.S. is also reportedly seeking Japanese funding to support a broad expansion of its nuclear power sector, as per a report from The Chosun. The Japanese government plans to allocate $65 billion to next-generation small modular reactor projects in the U.S. as part of a broader U.S. investment package agreed upon during trade talks with the Trump administration.

Initial projects are already being considered in Tennessee, with U.S. officials already beginning the licensing process for SMR development, as per the report.

As part of the deal, Japan is considering an investment of up to $25 billion in NuScale Power (SMR), and up to $40 billion in investment for small modular reactor projects jointly developed by GE Vernova Inc. (GEV) and Hitachi.

OKLO Stock: Retail Stance

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around OKLO stayed in the ‘bearish’ territory at the time of writing, even as many retail users predicted a surge in the stock’s price.

One bullish user said, “should be trading $100 based on all the macro headwinds .. definitely will be the catch up trade and AI bottleneck next to climb.”

Another user said, “If macro holds…would love to close above $70 tomorrow.”

A third user said, “thinking this will rebound hard tomorrow. Maybe +20-30% and a short squeeze back to $70-75 range.”

Shares of the company have declined more than 26% so far this year. Meanwhile, the VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF (NLR) is down about 8% in the same time, and the Global X Uranium ETF (URA) is down about 1%.

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