Oklo Stock Rises 5% After NRC Approves Aurora Criteria

oklo stock rose 5% at 11:22 a.m. ET after the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the Principal Design Criteria topical report for the Aurora powerhouse. Shares had earlier risen 8% on the approval, which gives the company a clearer regulatory path but does not end the licensing process.

Aurora Design Criteria Approved

The approval covers the Principal Design Criteria for the Aurora powerhouse, the small modular reactor Oklo is developing in Idaho. Oklo said the document “establishes a regulatory framework that defines the fundamental safety, reliability, and performance requirements to guide future reactor licensing and design activities,” which puts a formal structure around how the reactor can move through later review stages.

The timing fits a policy shift that began in May 2025, when President Trump issued executive orders intended, among other things, to provide an easier route for the approval of advanced nuclear energy projects. For Oklo, that backdrop helps explain why this NRC step drew immediate attention from traders watching whether the company can keep its reactor program on track.

Meta Platforms Project in Ohio

Oklo is also working with Meta Platforms on a 1.2 gigawatt nuclear power project in Ohio to support Meta’s data centers in the region. The partnership gives the approval added weight because it sits alongside a larger commercial buildout, not just a single reactor design file. If Oklo can keep advancing the Aurora program, the company gains a more credible path to serving industrial power demand tied to data-center growth.

5% is still not the same as permission to operate. Oklo still needs additional regulatory approvals before commercial operations can begin, and that is the friction point beneath the stock move. The company’s bear case rests on whether it can secure those approvals for its advanced nuclear reactors, so this NRC action narrows one obstacle without removing the rest.