5 Best Nuclear Energy Stocks and ETFs to Buy Now

This week, the World Bank’s president told staff that the global development lender is lifting a moratorium on financing nuclear power.

The ban was officially put in place in 2013, two years after a reactor disaster in Japan soured the world’s appetite for nuclear power, but the World Bank hadn’t funded nuclear power since the late 1950s.

“For the first time in decades, the World Bank Group will begin to reenter the nuclear energy space,” World Bank President Ajay Banga said in a June 11 email seen by U.S. News & World Report.

He said the World Bank will work with the International Atomic Energy Agency to support efforts to extend the life of existing reactors and accelerate the potential of small modular reactors.

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The shift in policy is a continuation of a renewal in global interest in nuclear power amid a push to lower carbon emissions, increase energy independence as a national security priority and meet increasing electricity demand from data centers, especially given the boom in energy-gobbling artificial intelligence.

To fill that demand with baseload power that can generate electricity when wind and solar farms can’t, grid developers can turn to battery storage, which is expensive and in its infancy; natural gas, which is cleaner than coal but still a carbon-emitting fossil fuel; and nuclear reactors. Hydro power and geothermal plants are also possible, but unlike the other options, they are constrained by geography.

“The future looks promising for the nuclear energy sector: it is primarily driven by a growing demand for reliable and clean energy sources, particularly from mushrooming data centers, as well as from growing government support,” says Igor Isaev, head of brokerage Mind Money’s analytics center.

In his memo to staff, the World Bank president noted that electricity demand in developing nations is forecast to more than double by 2035, and meeting that will require yearly investment in generation, grids and storage of roughly $630 billion, up from $280 billion now.

Part of that will come from nuclear, as the U.S. and other nations have set a goal of tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050.

“It can be called an industry’s renaissance, which is driven by data centers,” says John Murillo, chief business officer of B2Broker, a global fintech provider for financial institutions. “Hyperscalers like Microsoft, Google and Amazon are negotiating multidecade off-take contracts to lock in nuclear power, which underwrites long-term demand.”

And it’s not just the World Bank that will be investing in nuclear power. Here’s a look at five top nuclear stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for retail-level investors to consider:

— Lightbridge Corp. (ticker: LTBR)

— Constellation Energy Corp. (CEG)

— Centrus Energy Corp. (LEU)

— VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF (NLR)

— Range Nuclear Renaissance ETF (NUKZ)

Lightbridge Corp. (LTBR)

This nuclear fuel technology company says nuclear power facilities can use its design to reduce operating costs and waste, as well as improve safety and performance.

The company is well placed to cater to the increasing demand for reliable energy from data centers and broader industries eager to decarbonize, Isaev says.

Murillo also likes this company.

“Lightbridge could appear as a royalty-like play on next-gen intellectual property — small modular reactors, advanced fuels, cooling systems,” he says. “Lightbridge is also one of the few viable bets on next-generation fuel innovation.”

Constellation Energy Corp. (CEG)

For years, electricity demand in the U.S. has been relatively stable, but that has changed as data centers demand more power for complex AI computation. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Alphabet Inc.’s (GOOG, GOOGL) Google, Meta Platforms Inc. (META) and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) want nuclear power for data centers.

With the biggest fleet of nuclear plants in the U.S., Constellation would be an obvious choice as a source for Big Tech to turn to for its nuclear energy needs.

Indeed, this month Meta announced a 20-year nuclear agreement with Constellation. And Microsoft has agreed to purchase energy from a Constellation-revived unit at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.

“Constellation is now a cornerstone utility for BigTech’s long-term power procurement,” Murillo says. “If earlier it was about decarbonization, now it’s about securing AI-era electricity at scale.”

[Read: 6 Best Renewable Energy Stocks to Buy]

Centrus Energy Corp. (LEU)

Current large reactors use low-enriched uranium to produce electricity. Advanced reactors and more than half of the designs for small modular reactors in development use a more concentrated form of uranium called high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU), according to the World Nuclear Association.

Centrus is the only company in the U.S. with a license to make HALEU, and it has been producing small quantities.

With this license and manufacturing experience, Centrus is well positioned to make the fuel for a growing number of advanced reactors, small modular reactors and micro reactors. HALEU can also be used in conventional reactors.

“Centrus Energy is a global player in nuclear fuel and services, focusing on expanding domestic nuclear fuel programs and enhancing energy security,” Isaev says. “With their strategic positioning in nuclear fuel production and a clear commitment to supporting both U.S. domestic and international nuclear energy goals, Centrus Energy has a promising outlook ahead.”

VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF (NLR)

Investors who want to spread out the risk with a more diversified investment than single stocks can consider ETFs, which trade under a single ticker symbol but contain a basket of equities.

“If you’re an investor seeking to diversify your risk with a more horizontal approach to the industry’s potential, you may want to consider one of the few uranium ETFs,” Isaev says.

This ETF invests in uranium mining companies; companies that build, engineer and maintain nuclear power facilities and reactors; companies involved in the production of electricity from nuclear sources; and companies that provide equipment, technology or services to the nuclear power industry.

This fund has an expense ratio of 0.56%, or $56 per year for every $10,000 invested.

Range Nuclear Renaissance ETF (NUKZ)

Like the VanEck ETF, this fund is diversified along the nuclear supply chain, giving investors exposure to companies involved in advanced reactors, utilities, construction, services and fuel.

Both of these funds include utility companies, which can give them a defensive tinge. Utilities are unlikely to outperform growth stocks during times of economic expansion and stock market optimism. But when the tide turns and economic uncertainty increases, utilities can act as a portfolio cushion because houses and businesses need electricity year-round, regardless of economic conditions.

Murillo points to the fund’s outperformance, as NUKZ is up about 61% over the past year. NUKZ has an expense ratio of 0.85%.

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5 Best Nuclear Energy Stocks and ETFs to Buy Now originally appeared on usnews.com

Update 06/13/25: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.