By Aditi Tiwari and Prakhar Srivastava
July 16 (Reuters) - Standard Nuclear's shares slid about 10% in their New York Stock Exchange debut on Thursday after the company slashed its offering size by about half as investors remain cautious about valuations.
The Oak Ridge, Tennessee-based company's shares opened at $13.50, below its offered price of $15 apiece, giving the nuclear fuel firm a valuation of $2.17 billion.
The market debut highlights that investors remain selective despite renewed enthusiasm
for nuclear power, fueled by surging electricity demand from artificial intelligence data centers and supportive U.S. policies.
Technology giants and utilities are increasingly seeking carbon-free, round-the-clock electricity to support the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure, driving renewed interest in nuclear energy.
"We have more demand than we have production capability. The capital that we already had on our balance sheet and this new capital, positions us to expand our production capability," Standard Nuclear CEO Kurt Terrani told Reuters in an interview.
While companies linked to the nuclear supply chain have attracted attention, investors have been cautious towards high-risk businesses.
Still, companies in the sector are expected to benefit from a series of executive orders moved by the Trump administration in May 2025, designed to speed up reactor approvals and support the nuclear fuel supply chain.
U.S. President Donald Trump aims to quadruple the country's nuclear power capacity by 2050 to meet rising electricity demand from data centers, electric vehicles and cryptocurrencies.
"This administration has been incredibly effective in policy. Beyond the United States, we see there's huge opportunities for nuclear, where you need reliable, clean, low-cost energy," Terrani said.
He said hyperscalers and data center operators "are very interested in advanced nuclear" because it makes economic sense and offers reliable power.
The debut follows those of reactor developers X-energy and Deep Fission, whose shares are also trading below their IPO prices.
Standard Nuclear processes enriched uranium feedstock into advanced nuclear fuel for reactors, including small modular reactors and microreactors.
(Reporting by Aditi Tiwari and Prakhar Srivastava in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das and Pooja Desai)
