Oklo (OKLO 4.43%) stock jumped 4% through 1:20 p.m. ET Thursday after the small nuclear reactor-builder announced it has completed its Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) "pre-application readiness assessment" for the first part of a combined license application (COLA) to build its "Aurora powerhouse" at Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
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What does this mean?
Translated into English, this means Oklo is one step closer to building a small modular reactor at INL. More precisely, it's one step closer to being able to apply for permission to build said reactor. (Whether NRC deems the application worthy of approval remains to be seen.)
Put this way, it's less of a needle-mover for the stock, but as Oklo CEO Jacob DeWitte explained, it does indicate that NRC thinks Oklo is on track to file an application with a decent chance of getting it approved.
The next step for Oklo along this journey to approval (now underway for nearly a decade) will be to submit its COLA application, and that should happen later this year.
Is Oklo stock a buy?
Oklo's still a long way away from becoming a viable business, although it's 10 years closer than when it started. Long term, the company intends to build reactors in-house, place them on sites near its customers, then operate the reactors and supply power, charging for electricity much in the same way an ordinary electric utility does.
If all goes as planned, the company's first reactor will go online in 2027, and the company will begin generating revenue that year. Oklo won't turn profitable until 2030, however, according to analysts. Whether the stock is a "buy" at its current $10 billion market cap depends very much on how much profit it will generate that year, and in all the years to come.
