Why Nuclear Energy Stocks Could Be the Smartest AI Play

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October 24, 2024
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12 minutes read

When it comes to making money in the stock market, I’ve found that one of the best approaches is to invest in problem-solving businesses. After all, companies that figure out how to solve a widespread problem can generate sustainable demand, revenues, and profits. And that should all lead to higher stock prices.

By that logic, it may be time to check out energy stocks.

As recent years have made clear, electric grids across the world are already being strained by increasing energy demands. And thanks to the rise of AI, the world may soon face a massive energy crisis.

That’s because AI applications require far more energy than traditional incumbents. For example, a typical ChatGPT search uses 10X more power than a traditional Google search.

So, as the world shifts from legacy to AI computer applications across all sectors and industries, the world’s energy demands will increase dramatically.

Indeed, Goldman Sachs estimates that, thanks to AI, data center power demand will grow 160% by 2030. Morgan Stanley is calling for a near 5X increase in generative AI power demand over the next three years. And Wells Fargo projects AI power demand will surge 8,050% between 2024 and 2030.

Energy demand is likely to skyrocket over the coming years.

That’s a huge problem because the global energy supply is already limited. Therefore, whoever provides a solution – and produces the energy necessary to power the AI Boom – could generate huge demand, revenues, and profits in the coming years.

Such problem-solving companies could be the next batch of AI stock winners.

And in that world, I like nuclear energy stocks the best.

Follow me here…

Nuclear Energy: A Surprisingly Safe Power Source

Once upon a time, nuclear energy was hailed as the best power source in the world.

That was years ago, before a few headline disasters – like that of Fukushima in 2011, Chernobyl in 1986, and Three Mile Island in 1979 – reminded the world that nuclear power plants can, indeed, be very dangerous.

But that was then… and this is now.

The Fukushima meltdown happened almost 15 years ago. Chernobyl’s disaster took place about 40 years ago. And the Three Mile Island accident was almost 50 years ago now.

Believe it or not, a lot has changed in all that time.

Nuclear power technology has improved dramatically over the last few decades. The industry has developed new fuels more resistant to radiation, corrosion, and higher temperatures as well as advanced instrumentation to monitor every system and process.

This sector’s technology has meaningfully improved.

In fact, recent studies show that, based on real-world usage data, nuclear power plants are significantly safer than traditional fossil fuel plants, like coal, oil, and natural gas.

When it comes to coal, the death rate from both accidents and air pollution is about 24.6 deaths per terawatt-hour of electricity produced. (For reference, 1 terawatt-hour is the annual electricity consumption of about 150,000 people.)

The death rate for oil is about 18.4 deaths per terawatt-hour. Natural gas – about 2.8 deaths.

And nuclear power is responsible for just 0.03 deaths.

So, it seems the predispositions people have about nuclear energy actually run entirely counter to the hard data that engineers have collected on this matter.

Nuclear energy is objectively safer than most other energy sources. That’s just what the numbers say. After all, there is a reason that it used to be hailed as the best energy source in the world.

The Cheapest, Cleanest, and Most Efficient Energy By Far

You can quantify how good an energy source is by its so-called “capacity” or “efficiency factor.”

Specifically, what percentage of the time is a certain type of power plant actually producing maximum power? That’s what the capacity factor for any energy source is.

As it happens, nuclear energy’s capacity factor is 93%. That means nuclear plants produce maximum power about 93% of the time.

You know what the capacity factor of a natural gas plant is? Less than 60%.

Nuclear power plants are more than 50% more efficient than natural gas power plants at actually producing power. And that’s pretty much the closest competition nuclear power plants have…

Because the capacity factor for a coal plant is about 40%. For a wind farm, it’s about 35%. And for a solar array, it’s about 25%.

Nuclear is, by far, the most efficient energy source in the world.

It’s also the cheapest.

It costs an estimated $71 to generate one megawatt-hour of nuclear energy. Coal costs about $93 per megawatt-hour, about 30% more than nuclear. Natural gas will run you over $100 per megawatt-hour, about 50% more than nuclear. Wind and solar costs about double that of nuclear power.

So… nuclear offers one of the safest, most efficient, and cheapest energy sources in the world…

Oh, and it’s really clean, too.

It’s estimated that nuclear energy emits less than 200 tons of carbon dioxide per gigawatt-hour of production. That is, of course, far less than coal (over 800 tons), oil (over 500 tons), and natural gas (over 300 tons).

In our view, nuclear power is like the Michael Jordan of energy. It has it all. The coach just has to put it in the game and let it play.

That, my friends, is finally happening.

Big Money Is Betting on Nuclear Energy

Microsoft (MSFT) – one of the world’s largest and most important companies – just tapped utility provider Constellation Energy (CEG) to restart the dormant Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania.

As part of the deal, the two will restart the plant. And for the next 20 years, Microsoft will buy all the plant’s energy to help power its AI data centers.

Clearly, not only does Microsoft fundamentally believe nuclear energy is safe, it also believes nuclear energy production is critical to help support the AI Boom.

It’s put nuclear energy “in the game,” so to speak.

And it’s not alone.

Alphabet (GOOGL) has announced intentions to start buying nuclear energy to power its AI data centers. Same with Amazon (AMZN).

Meanwhile, 14 major Wall Street banks – including Goldman Sachs (GS), Morgan Stanley (MS), and Bank of America (BAC) – recently announced that they would collectively support an effort to triple the world’s nuclear energy capacity by 2050.

The Final Word

This isn’t just a Wall Street phenomenon, either. Governments around the globe are also heavily investing in a nuclear-powered future.

The U.S. government has made a $1.5 billion conditional loan commitment to help restart the 800-MW Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan.

Japan – home to the most recent major nuclear disaster at Fukushima – is restarting its nuclear reactors after shunning them just a decade ago.

India is seeking nearly $30 billion in private funding to expand nuclear energy production and wants to build 20 new reactors by 2032.

Sweden aims to spend about $40 billion to create two nuclear reactors by 2035.

France is prioritizing nuclear energy in its new energy initiatives and wants to build six new reactors there.

The same thing is happening in the United Kingdom, where it hopes to build as many as eight nuclear reactors to boost nuclear energy production to 25% of total energy production by 2050 (from 15% today).

Hungary and the Czech Republic are both currently building a pair of new nuclear reactors. And, better late than never, Poland is building its first-ever nuclear power plant at this very moment, too.

Clearly, the Nuclear Energy Renaissance is on!

This is a huge investment theme that could produce a lot of big-time stock market winners. Indeed, several nuclear energy stocks have already rallied more than 100% since early September.

We don’t think they’re done yet. Instead, it feels like this “nuclear party” is just getting started.

That’s why we are hyperfocused on this sector in our research services.

Learn more about some of the most promising picks in this space now.

_{On the date of publication, Luke Lango did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.}

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