Key Takeaways

• Nuclear energy stocks soared Wednesday after the largest electrical grid operator in the U.S. said prices at its power market auction increased ninefold year-over-year.

• Constellation Energy, which operates the largest collection of nuclear plants in the country, saw its shares jump more than 12%, while Vistra shares gained nearly 15%.

• Both companies are expected to report second-quarter earnings next week.

Shares of nuclear energy stocks soared Wednesday after the largest electrical grid operator in the U.S. said prices at its power market auction increased ninefold year-over-year.

PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission organization (RTO) that operates the electrical grid across 13 states in the Northeast, said Tuesday that 2025-2026 prices for power plants were at $262.92 per megawatt-day, compared to $28.92 a year ago. Just over a fifth of the energy mix will come from nuclear energy.

Constellation Energy (CEG), which operates the largest collection of nuclear plants in the country, saw its shares jump more than 12% Wednesday following the news, while shares of rival Vistra (VST) rose nearly 15%.

With Wednesday's gains, shares of Constellation have surged more than 62% since the start of the year, while Vistra shares have doubled over the same period. Both companies are expected to report second-quarter earnings results next week.

Data Centers Help Drive Up Electricity Demand

The rise in prices comes as plants retire and demand for electricity surges, in part thanks to data centers to support artificial intelligence (AI).

Yesterday, chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) reported data center revenue more than doubled to a quarterly record high as demand surged for chips to power data centers supporting AI.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) projected earlier this year that electricity consumption from data centers, AI, and the cryptocurrency sector could double by 2026.

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