May 23 (Reuters) - Shares of nuclear power companies closed higher on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump signed executive orders seeking to jumpstart the industry.

The orders direct the nation's independent nuclear regulatory commission to cut down on regulations and fast-track new licenses for reactors and power plants.

U.S. power consumption is estimated to reach record highs in 2025 and 2026, after stagnating for nearly two decades, as power-hungry data centers dedicated to artificial intelligence and crypto miners plug into the grid.

"Our confidence in the AI revolution data center buildout is increasing under the Trump administration, with nuclear energy ultimately playing a key role in powering data centers," Wedbush analysts said.

The orders also seek to reinvigorate uranium production and enrichment in the U.S. to help meet surging power demand.

Lightbridge surged 43%; Nano Nuclear Energy soared 30%; Uranium Energy, Oklo, Energy Fuels, and Centrus Energy jumped over 20%. NuScale Power soared 19.6%.

The Global X Uranium ETF URA.P, which invests in a broad range of uranium-linked stocks, rose more than 11.6%.

Nuclear utilities Constellation Energy CEG.O, Vistra VST.N, GE Vernova GEV.N all added more than 1.2%.

Nuclear energy has garnered renewed interest from investors and companies, as it is considered to be a cleaner source of fuel and more reliable than wind or solar energy.

The industry is also expected to benefit from Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill, which rolled back many green-energy subsidies but preserved tax credits for nuclear energy.

"We are clearly witnessing the billowing of tailwinds behind the broader nuclear industry," H.C. Wainwright analysts said.