leu-20231231
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023
Commission file number 1-14287
Centrus Energy Corp.
(State of incorporation) (IRS Employer Identification No.)
6901 Rockledge Drive, Suite 800, Bethesda, Maryland20817
(301)564-3200
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.10 per share LEU NYSE American
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐.No☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐.No☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Accelerated filer ☒ Emerging growth company ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No☒
The aggregate market value of Common Stock held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the Common Stock was last sold as reported on the New York Stock Exchange as of June 30, 2023, was $411.7 million. As of February 1, 2024, there were 14,956,434 shares of the registrant’s Class A Common Stock, par value $0.10 per share, and 719,200 shares of the registrant’s Class B Common Stock, par value $0.10 per share, outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the definitive proxy statement for the 2024 annual meeting of shareholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of fiscal year 2023 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
PART I
Item 1. Business 10
Item 1A. Risk Factors 27
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 45
Item 1C. Cybersecurity 46
Item 2. Properties 46
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 47
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 47
PART II
Item 6. [Reserved] 50
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk 76
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 77
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 77
Item 9B. Other Information 78
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 78
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 79
Item 11. Executive Compensation 79
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 79
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 80
Exhibit Index 81
Signatures 90
Consolidated Financial Statements 91
Glossary of Certain Terms and Abbreviations
Centrus Energy Corp. and Related Entities
Board Centrus Energy Corp.’s Board of Directors
Centrus Centrus Energy Corp.
Enrichment Corp. United States Enrichment Corporation
Oak Ridge Technology and Manufacturing Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Piketon Production facility in Piketon, Ohio
Other Terms and Abbreviations
2014 Plan The Company’s 2014 Equity Incentive Plan
2019 Plan The Company’s 2019 Executive Incentive Plan
5B Cylinders Storage cylinders for HALEU UF6 produced by the cascade
Annual Meeting The Company’s annual meeting of shareholders
ARDP DOE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program
ATM At the Market
Atomic Energy Act Atomic Energy Act of 1954
Centrifuge IP Centrifuge Technology Intellectual Property
Class A Common Stock Class A common stock, $0.10 par value per share
Class B Common Stock Class B common stock, $0.10 par value per share
CNEIC China Nuclear Energy Industry Corporation
COBC Centrus’ Code of Business Conduct
Code Internal Revenue Code of 1986
Common Stock Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock
COVID-19 2019 Novel Coronavirus
D&D Decontamination & Decommissioning
DOC U.S. Department of Commerce
DOE U.S. Department of Energy
EU European Union
Exchange Act Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
FAR U.S. Government’s Federal Acquisition Regulations
HALEU High Assay Low-Enriched Uranium
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HALEU Operation Contract HALEU production contract with DOE signed in 2022
IEA International Energy Agency
IT Information Technology
ITC U.S. International Trade Commission
MB Group Mr. Morris Bawabeh, Kulayba LLC and M&D Bawabeh Foundation, Inc.
Natural Uranium Raw material needed to produce LEU and HALEU
NAV Net asset value
NOL Net Operating Loss
NRC U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
NRV Net realizable value
NUBIL Net unrealized built-in loss
Orano Orano Cycle
Order Book LEU Segment order book of sales under contract
Power MOU Memorandum of understanding between the DOE and USEC-Government
RFP Request for Proposal
Rosatom Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation
RSA 1992 Russian Suspension Agreement, as amended
SARs Stock appreciation rights
SEC U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission
SWU Separative work unit
TENEX Russian government-owned entity TENEX, Joint-Stock Company
TENEX Supply Contract Agreement with TENEX through 2028
TRISO Tri-Structural Isotopic fuel manufacturing process
U.S. GAAP Generally accepted accounting principles in the United States
U3O8 Uranium oxide, aka “yellowcake”
UF6 Uranium hexafluoride
USW United Steelworkers Local 689-5 union
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WNA World Nuclear Association
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This Annual Report on Form 10-K of Centrus (the “Company,” “we” or “us”) contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would” or “may” and other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and represent management’s current views and assumptions with respect to future events and operational, economic and financial performance. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control.
The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made by us include those factors discussed herein, including those factors discussed in (a) Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors, (b) Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, (c) Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data: Note 17, Commitments and Contingencies, and (d) other factors discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this Report. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly release any revision to its forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K unless required by law.
For Centrus, particular risks and uncertainties (hereinafter “risks”) that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following and which are, and may be, exacerbated by any worsening of the global business and economic environment include but are not limited to the following:
Risks related to the war in Ukraine primarily include:
•risks related to the war in Ukraine and geopolitical conflicts and the imposition of sanctions or other measures by (i) the U.S. or foreign governments and institutions, (ii) organizations (including the United Nations or other international organizations), or (iii) entities (including private entities or persons), that could directly or indirectly impact our ability to obtain, deliver, transport, or sell LEU or the SWU and natural uranium hexafluoride components of LEU delivered to us under the TENEX Supply Contract or make related payments or deliveries of natural uranium hexafluoride to TENEX;
•risks related to proposed legislation to ban imports of Russian LEU into the United States or similar bills become law and the potential inability to secure a waiver or other exception from the ban in a timely manner or at all in order to allow us to continue importing Russian LEU under the TENEX Supply Contract;
•risks related to the refusal or inability of TENEX to deliver LEU to us if, among other reasons, (i) U.S. or foreign government sanctions are imposed on LEU from Russia or on TENEX, (ii) for any reason, TENEX is unable or unwilling to deliver LEU, receive payments, receive the return of natural uranium hexafluoride, or conduct other activities related to the TENEX Supply Contract; or (iii) TENEX elects, or is directed (including by its owner or the Russian government), to limit or stop transactions with us or with the United States or other countries; and
•risks related to disputes with third parties, including contractual counterparties, that could result if we are unable to receive timely deliveries of LEU under the TENEX Supply Contract.
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Risks related to economic and industry factors primarily include:
•risks related to whether or when government funding or demand for HALEU for government or commercial uses will materialize and at what level;
•risks regarding funding for continuation and deployment of the American Centrifuge technology;
•risks related to (i) our ability to perform and absorb costs under the HALEU Operation Contract, (ii) our ability to obtain new contracts and funding to be able to continue operations and (iii) our ability to obtain and/or perform under other agreements;
•risks that (i) we may not obtain the full benefit of the HALEU Operation Contract and may not be able or allowed to operate the HALEU enrichment facility to produce HALEU after the completion of the HALEU Operation Contract or (ii) the HALEU enrichment facility may not be available to us as a future source of supply;
•risks related to our dependence on others, such as TENEX, under the TENEX Supply Contract, Orano under the Orano Supply Agreement and other suppliers (including, but not limited to, transporters) who provide us the goods and services we need to conduct our business;
•risks related to natural and other disasters, including the continued impact of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, on the nuclear industry and on our business, results of operations and prospects;
•risks related to financial difficulties experienced by customers or suppliers, including possible bankruptcies, insolvencies, or any other situation, event or occurrence that affect the ability of others to pay for our products or services in a timely manner or at all;
•risks related to pandemics, endemics, and other health crises;
•risks related to the impact and potential extended duration of a supply/demand imbalance in the market for LEU;
•risks related to our ability to sell or deliver the LEU we procure pursuant to our purchase obligations under our supply agreements and the impacts of sanctions or limitations on imports of such LEU, including those imposed under the RSA, international trade legislation and other international trade restrictions;
•risks related to existing or new trade barriers and to contract terms that limit our ability to procure LEU for, or deliver LEU to customers;
•risks related to pricing trends and demand in the uranium and enrichment markets and their impact on our profitability;
•risks related to the movement and timing of customer orders;
•risks related to the fact that we face significant competition from major LEU producers who may be less cost sensitive or are wholly or partially government-owned;
•risks that our ability to compete in foreign markets may be limited for various reasons;
•risks related to the fact that our revenue is largely dependent on our largest customers; and
•risks related to our sales Order Book, including uncertainty concerning customer actions under current contracts and in future contracting due to market conditions, global events or other factors including our lack of current production capability.
Risks related to operational factors primarily include:
•risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to commercially deploy competitive enrichment technology;
•risks related to the potential for demobilization or termination of the HALEU Operation Contract;
•risks that we will not be able to timely complete the work that we are obligated to perform;
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•risks related to the government’s inability to satisfy its obligations, including supplying government furnished equipment necessary for us to produce and deliver HALEU under the HALEU Operation Contract and processing security clearance applications due to a government shutdown or other reasons;
•risks related to our ability to obtain the government’s approval to extend the term of, or the scope of permitted activities under, our lease in Piketon, Ohio;
•risk related to cybersecurity incidents that may impact our business operations;
•risks related to our ability to perform fixed-price and cost-share contracts such as the HALEU Operation Contract, including the risk that costs that we must bear could be higher than expected and the risk related to complying with stringent government contractual requirements; and,
•risks related to a government shutdown that could result in program cancellations, disruptions and/or stop work orders and could limit the U.S. government’s ability to make timely payments, and our ability to perform our U.S. government contracts and successfully compete for our work.
Risks related to financial factors primarily include:
•risks related to our significant long-term liabilities, including material unfunded defined benefit pension plan obligations and postretirement health and life benefit obligations;
•risks related to our 8.25% Notes maturing in February 2027;
•risks of revenue and operating results fluctuating significantly from quarter to quarter, and in some cases, year to year;
•risks related to the impact of financial market conditions on our business, liquidity, prospects, pension assets and insurance facilities;
•risks related to the Company’s capital concentration;
•risks related to the value of our intangible assets related to the sales Order Book and customer relationships;
•risks related to the limited trading markets in our securities;
•risks related to decisions made by our Class B Common Stock stockholders regarding their investment in the Company, including decisions based upon factors that are unrelated to the Company’s performance;
•risks that a small number of holders of our Class A Common Stock (whose interests may not be aligned with other holders of our Class A Common Stock), may exert significant influence over the direction of the Company and may be motivated by interests that are not aligned with the Company’s other Class A stockholders;
•risks related to (i) the use of our NOL carryforwards and NUBILs to offset future taxable income and the use of the Rights Agreement (as defined herein) to prevent an “ownership change” as defined in Section 382 of the IRC and (ii) our ability to generate taxable income to utilize all or a portion of the NOLs prior to the expiration thereof and NUBILs; and
•risks related to failures or security breaches of our information technology systems.
Risks related to general factors primarily include:
•risks related to our ability to attract and retain key personnel;
•risks related to actions, including reviews or audits, that may be taken by the U.S. government, the Russian government, or other governments that could affect our ability to perform under our contractual obligations or the ability of our sources of supply to perform under their contractual obligations to us;
•risks related to our ability to perform and receive timely payment under our agreements with the DOE or other government agencies, including risks related to the ongoing funding by the government and potential audits;
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•risks related to changes or termination of our agreements with the U.S. government or other counterparties, or the exercise of contract remedies by such counterparties;
•risks related to the competitive environment for our products and services;
•risks related to changes in the nuclear energy industry;
•risks related to the competitive bidding process associated with obtaining contracts, including government contracts;
•risks that we will be unable to obtain new business opportunities or achieve market acceptance of our products and services or that products or services provided by others will render our products or services obsolete or noncompetitive; and
•risks related to potential strategic transactions that could be difficult to implement, that could disrupt our business or that could change our business profile significantly.
Risks related to legal and compliance factors primarily include:
•risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings and other contingencies (including lawsuits and government investigations or audits);
•risks related to the impact of government regulation and policies, including by the DOE and the NRC;
•risks of accidents during the transportation, handling, or processing of toxic hazardous or radioactive material that may pose a health risk to humans or animals, cause property or environmental damage, or result in precautionary evacuations, and lead to claims against the Company;
•risks associated with claims and litigation arising from past activities at sites we currently operate or past activities at sites that we no longer operate, including the Paducah, Kentucky, and Portsmouth, Ohio, GDPs; and
•other risks discussed in this and our other filings with the SEC.
For a more detailed discussion of these risks and others that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in our forward-looking statements, please see (a) Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors, (b) Part II, Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, (c) Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data: Note 17, Commitments and Contingencies, and (d) other factors discussed in our filings with the SEC. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results.
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PART I
Item 1.Business
Overview
Centrus Energy Corp., a Delaware corporation, is a trusted supplier of nuclear fuel components and services for the nuclear power industry, which provides a reliable source of carbon-free energy. References to “Centrus”, the “Company”, “our”, or “we” include Centrus Energy Corp. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries as well as the predecessor to Centrus, unless the context otherwise indicates. We were incorporated in 1998 as part of the privatization of the U.S. government’s uranium enrichment enterprise.
Centrus operates two business segments: (a) LEU, which supplies various components of nuclear fuel to commercial customers from our global network of suppliers, and (b) Technical Solutions, which provides advanced engineering, design, and manufacturing services to government and private sector customers and is deploying uranium enrichment and other capabilities necessary for production of advanced nuclear fuel to power existing and next-generation reactors around the world.
Our LEU segment provides most of the Company’s revenue and involves the sale of enriched uranium, the fissile component of nuclear fuel, primarily to utilities that operate commercial nuclear power plants. The majority of these sales are for the enrichment component of LEU, which is measured in SWU. Centrus also sells natural uranium hexafluoride (the raw material needed to produce LEU) and occasionally sells uranium concentrates, uranium conversion, or LEU with the natural uranium hexafluoride and SWU components combined into one sale.
LEU is a critical component in the production of nuclear fuel for reactors that produce electricity. We supply LEU and its components to both domestic and international utilities for use in nuclear reactors worldwide. We provide LEU from multiple sources, including our inventory, medium- and long-term supply contracts, and spot purchases. As a long-term supplier of LEU to our customers, our objective is to provide value through the reliability and diversity of our supply sources.
Our global Order Book includes long-term sales contracts with major utilities through 2030. We have secured cost-competitive supplies of SWU under long-term contracts through the end of this decade designed to allow us to fill our existing customer orders and make new sales. A market-related price reset provision in the TENEX Supply Contract, which is our largest supply contract, occurred in 2018 and took effect at the beginning of 2019 – when market prices for SWU were near historic lows – which has significantly lowered our cost of sales and contributed to improved margins since 2019.
Under a contract with the DOE, our Technical Solutions segment is deploying uranium enrichment and other capabilities necessary for production of advanced nuclear fuel to meet the evolving needs of the global nuclear industry and the U.S. government. We also are leveraging our unique technical expertise, operational experience, and specialized facilities to expand and diversify our business beyond uranium enrichment, offering new services to existing and new customers in complementary markets.
Our Technical Solutions segment is dedicated to the restoration of America’s domestic uranium enrichment capability in order for us to play a critical role in meeting U.S. national security and energy security requirements and advancing America’s nonproliferation, energy, and climate objectives. Our Technical Solutions segment also is focused on repairing broken and vulnerable supply chains, providing clean energy jobs, and supporting the communities in which we operate. Our goal is to deliver major components of the next-generation nuclear fuels that will power the future of nuclear energy as it provides reliable carbon-free power around the world.
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The United States has not had domestic uranium enrichment capability suitable to meet U.S. national security requirements since the Paducah GDP shut down in 2013. DOE continues to draw down its finite stockpile of Cold War-era enriched uranium but is expected to need a new source of U.S.-origin enrichment in the future. Longstanding U.S. policy and binding nonproliferation agreements prohibit the use of foreign-origin enrichment technology for U.S. national security missions. Our AC100M centrifuge currently is the only deployment-ready U.S. uranium enrichment technology that can meet these national security requirements.
Centrus is pioneering U.S. production of HALEU, enabling the deployment of a new generation of HALEU-fueled reactors to meet the world’s growing need for carbon-free power. On October 11, 2023, the Company announced that it began enrichment operations at its HALEU production facility in Piketon, Ohio under its contract with DOE. HALEU is a high-performance nuclear fuel component which will be required by a number of advanced reactor and fuel designs that are now under development for commercial and government uses. While existing reactors typically operate on LEU with the U235 concentration below 5%, HALEU is further enriched so that the U235 concentration is between 5% and 20%. The higher U235 concentration offers a number of potential advantages, which may include better fuel utilization, improved performance, fewer refueling outages, simpler reactor designs, reduced waste volumes, and greater nonproliferation resistance.
The lack of HALEU supply is widely viewed as a major obstacle to the successful commercialization of these new reactors. For example, in surveys of advanced reactor developers conducted by the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council in 2020 and 2021, respondents indicated that the number one issue that “keeps you up at night” was access to HALEU. As the only company with a license from the NRC actively enriching up to 20% U235 assay HALEUand that is operating a small scaled HALEU production facility, Centrus is uniquely positioned to fill a critical gap in the supply chain and facilitate the deployment of these promising next-generation reactors.
The war in Ukraine has contributed to a significant increase in market prices for enrichment and (along with proposed legislation to limit imports of LEU from Russia) has prompted calls for public and private investment in new, domestic uranium enrichment capacity not only for HALEU production but also for LEU production to support the existing fleet of reactors. As a result, Centrus is exploring the opportunity to deploy LEU enrichment alongside HALEU enrichment to meet a range of commercial and U.S. government requirements, which could bring operational synergies while increasing sales opportunities. Our ability to deploy LEU and/or HALEU enrichment, and the timing, sequencing, and scale of those capabilities, is subject to the availability of funding and offtake commitments.
Under the HALEU Demonstration Contract signed in 2019, Centrus constructed and installed a cascade of 16 AC100M centrifuges in Piketon, Ohio to demonstrate HALEU production. The HALEU Demonstration Contract was originally set to expire on June 1, 2022. However, the DOE extended the HALEU Demonstration Contract to November 30, 2022. The Company is currently performing closeout activities on the HALEU Demonstration Contract. Due to challenges the DOE experienced in providing withdrawal cylinders as government furnished equipment, the DOE elected to change the scope of the HALEU Demonstration Contract and moved the operational portion of the demonstration to a new, competitively awarded contract that provides for operations beyond the term of the HALEU Demonstration Contract. DOE incrementally funded the HALEU Demonstration Contract with total funding to date of $173.0 million.
On November 10, 2022, after a competitive solicitation, the DOE awarded the HALEU Operation Contract to the Company’s subsidiary. Work began on December 1, 2022. The base contract value is approximately $150 million in two phases through 2024. Phase 1, which was completed in November 2023, included an approximately $30 million cost share contribution from Centrus matched by approximately $30 million from the DOE to complete construction of the cascade support systems, begin operations and produce the initial 20 kilograms of HALEU UF6.
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Phase 2 of the contract includes continued operations and maintenance and production for a full year at an annual production rate of 900 kilograms of HALEU UF6. The DOE owns the HALEU produced from the demonstration cascade. In Phase 2, Centrus is being compensated on a cost-plus-incentive-fee basis, with an expected Phase 2 contract value of approximately $90 million, subject to Congressional appropriations. Concurrently, pursuant to an amendment to our lease for the Piketon facility, the DOE assumed all D&D liabilities arising out of the HALEU Operation Contract.
Under the HALEU Operation Contract, DOE is obligated to provide the 5B Cylinders necessary to collect the output of the cascade, but supply chain challenges have created difficulties for DOE in securing enough 5B Cylinders for the entire production year. To support the DOE in mitigating the risk of further delays in delivery of 5B Cylinders, the Company received technical direction and a contract modification from the DOE to procure compliant 5B Cylinders and components while the contractual obligation to furnish compliant 5B Cylinders under the HALEU Operation Contract continues to rest with the DOE. The Company is also performing additional work on infrastructure and facility repairs under separate DOE technical direction and subsequent contract modification. For further details refer to Business - Technical Solutions - Government Contracting.
The DOE is contemplating awarding additional contracts to ensure availability of HALEU for the ARDP and for the advanced reactor market in general, and received a $700 million congressional appropriation from the Inflation Reduction Act as a first step in establishing a domestic supply chain for HALEU. On November 28, 2023, the DOE issued an RFP focusing on deconversion of HALEU and on January 9, 2024, issued an RFP focusing on the production of HALEU. The Company expects to submit bids for both RFPs, with the goal of expanding HALEU production capability at the Piketon facility and building a deconversion facility, subject to, among other things, availability of funding and/or offtake commitments.
For further details, refer to Part II, Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Market Conditions and Outlook. For a discussion of the potential risks and uncertainties facing our business, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors.
Low Enriched Uranium
LEU consists of two components: SWU and natural uranium hexafluoride. Revenue from our LEU segment is derived primarily from:
•sales of the SWU component of LEU,
•sales of natural uranium hexafluoride, uranium concentrates, or uranium conversion, and
•sales of enriched uranium product that include both the natural uranium hexafluoride and SWU components of LEU.
Our LEU segment accounted for approximately 84% of our total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023. The majority of our customers are domestic and international utilities that operate nuclear power plants. Our agreements with electric utilities are primarily medium-term and long-term, fixed-commitment contracts. Under these contracts, customers are obligated to purchase a specified quantity of the SWU component of LEU from us. Contracts where we sell both the SWU and natural uranium hexafluoride components of LEU to utilities or where we sell natural uranium hexafluoride to utilities and other nuclear fuel related companies are generally shorter-term, fixed-commitment contracts.
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Uranium and Enrichment
Uranium is a naturally occurring element and is mined from deposits located in Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia, and several other countries, including the United States. According to the WNA, there are adequate measured resources of natural uranium to fuel nuclear power at current usage rates for about 90 years. In its natural state, uranium is principally comprised of two isotopes: U235 and U238. The concentration of U235 in natural uranium is only 0.711% by weight. Uranium enrichment is the process by which the concentration of U235 is increased. Most commercial nuclear power reactors require LEU fuel with a U235 concentration greater than natural uranium of up to 5% by weight. Future reactor designs currently under development will likely require higher U235 concentration levels of up to 20%.
SWU is a standard unit of measurement that represents the effort required to separate natural uranium between enriched uranium, having a higher percentage of U235, and depleted uranium, having a lower percentage of U235. The SWU contained in LEU is calculated using an industry standard formula based on the physics of enrichment. The amount of enrichment deemed to be contained in LEU under this formula is commonly referred to as its SWU component and the quantity of natural uranium hexafluoride deemed to be contained in LEU under this formula is referred to as its uranium or “feed” component.
While in some cases customers purchase both the SWU and uranium components of LEU from us, utility customers typically provide the natural uranium hexafluoride to us as part of their enrichment contracts and in exchange we deliver LEU to these customers and charge for the SWU component. Title to natural uranium hexafluoride provided by customers generally remains with the customer until Centrus delivers the LEU, at which time title to the LEU is transferred to the customer, and Centrus takes title to the natural uranium hexafluoride.
The following outlines the steps for converting natural uranium into LEU fuel, commonly known as the nuclear fuel cycle:
Mining and Milling. Natural, or unenriched, uranium is removed from the earth in the form of ore and then crushed and concentrated.
Conversion. U3O8 is combined with fluorine gas to produce UF6, a solid at room temperature and a gas when heated. UF6 is shipped to an enrichment plant.
Enrichment. UF6 is enriched in a process that increases the concentration of the U235 isotope in the UF6 from its natural state of 0.711% up to 5%, or LEU, which is usable as a fuel for current light water commercial nuclear power reactors. Future commercial reactor designs may use uranium enriched up to 20% U235, or HALEU.
Fuel Fabrication. LEU is then converted to uranium oxide and formed into small ceramic pellets by fabricators. The pellets are loaded into metal tubes that form fuel assemblies, which are shipped to nuclear power plants. As the advanced reactor market develops, HALEU may be converted to uranium oxide, metal, chloride or fluoride salts, or other forms and loaded into a variety of fuel assembly types optimized for the specific reactor design.
Nuclear Power Plant. The fuel assemblies are loaded into nuclear reactors to create energy from a controlled chain reaction. Nuclear power plants generate approximately 18% of U.S. electricity and 10% of the world’s electricity.
Used Fuel Storage. After the nuclear fuel has been in a reactor for several years its efficiency is reduced and the assembly is removed from the reactor’s core. The used fuel is warm and radioactive and is kept in a deep pool of water for several years. Many utilities have elected to then move the used fuel into steel or concrete and steel casks for interim storage.
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LEU Segment Order Book
Our Order Book extends to 2030. As of December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, our Order Book was approximately $1.0 billion. The Order Book is the estimated aggregate dollar amount of revenue for future SWU and uranium deliveries, and includes approximately $0.3 billion of deferred revenue and advances from customers as of December 31, 2023, whereby customers have made advance payments to be applied against future deliveries. No orders in our Order Book are considered at risk related to customer operations. This Order Book is for the LEU segment only; it does not include the HALEU Operation Contract or other work in our Technical Solutions segment.
Most of our customer contracts provide for fixed purchases of SWU during a given year. Our Order Book estimate is based partially on customers’ estimates of the timing and size of their fuel requirements and other assumptions that are subject to change. For example, depending on the terms of specific contracts, the customer may be able to increase or decrease the quantity delivered within an agreed range. Our Order Book estimate is also based on our estimates of selling prices, which may be subject to change. For example, depending on the terms of specific contracts, prices may be adjusted based on escalation using a general inflation index, published SWU price indicators prevailing at the time of delivery, and other factors, all of which are variable. We use external composite forecasts of future market prices and inflation rates in our pricing estimates. Refer to Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors, for a discussion of risks related to our Order Book.
Suppliers
We have a diverse base of supply that includes:
•existing inventory of LEU (Refer to Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplemental Data: Note 4, Inventories, in the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part IV of this Annual Report);
•long-term contracts with enrichment producers;
•purchases and loans from secondary sources, including fabricators and utility operators of nuclear power plants that have excess inventory; and
•spot purchases of SWU, uranium, and LEU.
We aim to continue to further diversify this base of supply and take advantage of opportunities to obtain additional short and long-term supplies of LEU. Currently, our largest suppliers of SWU is TENEX followed by the French government-owned company, Orano.
Under the TENEX Supply Contract, we purchase SWU contained in LEU, and we deliver natural uranium hexafluoride to TENEX for the LEU’s uranium component. The TENEX Supply Contract extends through 2028. We typically pay for the SWU contained in the LEU and supply natural uranium to TENEX for the natural uranium component. SWU pricing is determined by a formula using a combination of market-related price points and other factors. The LEU that we obtain from TENEX under the TENEX Supply Contract currently is subject to quotas and other restrictions under the RSA between the United States and the Russian Federation which governs exports of Russian uranium products to the United States. Currently, these quotas allow us to supply Russian LEU to our U.S. customers through 2028. The terms of the RSA, as extended, were adopted into law by the U.S. Congress in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Refer to Item 1A, Risk Factors - Operational Risks for further discussion.
Centrus will need to make additional sales to place all the Russian LEU required to meet our SWU purchase obligations to TENEX. Although the RSA quotas cover most of the LEU that we must order to fulfill our purchase obligations under the TENEX Supply Contract, we expect that a small portion of the Russian LEU that we order during the term of the TENEX Supply Contract will need to be delivered to customers that will use it in non-U.S. reactors.
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The war in Ukraine has escalated tensions between Russia and the international community. As a result, the United States and other countries have imposed, and may continue imposing, additional sanctions and export controls against certain Russian products, services, organizations and/or individuals. In December 2023, for example, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1042, the “Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act”, that, if enacted into law, would ban imports of LEU from Russia beginning ninety (90) days after the date of enactment.The Secretary of Energy could waive this ban for imports prior to January 1, 2028 where there is no alternative viable source of LEU to sustain the continued operation of a nuclear reactor or a U.S. nuclear energy company or where the imports are in the national interest.The prospects for H.R. 1042, which still needs Senate approval and Presidential signature, to become law remain uncertain.Similar legislation was adopted by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in July 2023 and the White House endorsed the idea of a long-term ban on imports of enriched uranium in an October 2023 fact sheet on funding priorities. To date, however, other than the quotas and provisions of the RSA and the law implementing the RSA, there are no U.S. sanctions on imports of LEU into the United States.
Sanctions imposed by other countries to date also do not preclude the import of Russian uranium products into the United States. However, it is possible that additional restrictions could be added that would affect our ability to purchase and re-sell Russian uranium enrichment, or implement the TENEX Supply Contract, which could have a negative material impact on our business. Further, sanctions by the United States, Russia or other countries may impact our ability and cost to transport, export, import, take delivery, or make payments related to the LEU we purchase. For example, due to restrictions imposed by Canada on the ability of Canadian persons and entities to provide ocean transportation services to Russia, a permit is required for our shipper, a Canadian company, to transport the LEU that we procure under the TENEX Supply Contract to the United States. A Canadian permit issued to our shipper was recently extended to early July 2024, but for so long as the Canadian sanctions remain in place, the shipper will require further extensions of the permit for us to continue to use the shipper beyond July 2024.
Any proposal for a U.S. ban on LEU imports represents a significant risk to our business because the TENEX Supply Contract is the major source of supply that the Company relies upon today to meet its delivery obligations and to earn the revenues needed to fund our advanced technology work. Through 2027, well over one-half of the LEU that we expect to deliver to customers is anticipated to come from material supplied to us under the TENEX Supply Contract. While we have other sources, they are not sufficient to replace the TENEX supply. Refer to Item 1A, Risk Factors- Economic and Industry Risks - Dependence on our largest customers or suppliers could adversely affect us.
In addition to limitations targeted specifically at imports of LEU, the expanding sanctions imposed by the United States and foreign governments on the mechanisms used to make payments to Russia and to obtain services, including transportation have increased the risk that implementation of the TENEX Supply Contract may be disrupted in the future.
Given all of the foregoing, we continue to monitor the situation closely and assess the potential impact of any new sanctions and how the impact on the Company might be mitigated. Refer to Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - Operational Risks and - War in Ukraine Risks, for further discussion.
We also have an agreement with Orano for the long-term supply of SWU contained in LEU, with deliveries that commenced in 2023. Under the Orano Supply Agreement, we purchase SWU contained in LEU received from Orano, and then deliver natural uranium to Orano for the natural uranium feed component of LEU. We recently exercised our option to extend the six-year purchase period for an additional two years, electing to take the additional supply in 2029 and 2030. The Orano Supply Agreement provides flexibility to adjust purchase volumes, subject to annual minimums and maximums, in fixed amounts that vary year by year. The pricing for the purchased SWU is determined by a formula that uses a combination of market-related price points and other factors, and is subject to certain floors and ceilings. Prices are payable in a combination of U.S. dollars and euros.
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We procure LEU from other sources under short-term and long-term contracts and have inventories available that diversify our supply portfolio and provide flexibility to help us meet the needs of our customers. We also have agreements to borrow SWU that we can use to optimize our purchases and deliveries over time.
Market prices for SWU fell substantially in the aftermath of the nuclear incident at Fukushima, Japan in 2011, bottoming out in 2018. Since 2018, SWU prices have steadily increased and, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have increased to levels consistent with those prior to the 2011 Fukushima incident.
Centrus’ purchase prices under the TENEX Supply Contract were adjusted to reflect lower market prices based on a one-time market related price reset. The price reset occurred in 2018, reducing the cost for our purchases from 2019 through 2028. Similarly, Centrus’ SWU purchases under our long-term contract with Orano reflect the lower market prices that prevailed in 2018, when Centrus signed the long-term contract with Orano.
Technical Solutions
Our Technical Solutions segment reflects our technical, manufacturing, engineering, and operations services offered to public and private sector customers, including the American Centrifuge engineering, procurement, construction, manufacturing, and operations services being performed under the HALEU Operation Contract. Subject to the availability of sufficient funding and offtake commitments, our goal is to expand our uranium enrichment capacity to meet the full range of U.S. government and commercial requirements for enriched uranium. With our government and private sector customers, we seek to leverage our domestic enrichment experience, as well as our engineering know-how and precision manufacturing facility to assist customers with a range of engineering, design and advanced manufacturing projects, including the production of fuel for next-generation nuclear reactors and the development of related facilities. We continue to invest in advanced technology because of the potential for future growth into new areas of business for the Company, while also preserving our unique workforce at our Technology and Manufacturing Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and our production facility near Piketon, Ohio. Refer to Part II, Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Government Contracting
On October 31, 2019, we signed the cost-share HALEU Demonstration Contract with the DOE to deploy a cascade of centrifuges to demonstrate production of HALEU for advanced reactors. The three-year program commenced on May 31, 2019, when the Company and the DOE signed an interim HALEU letter agreement that allowed work to begin while the full contract was being finalized. We have significantly invested in advanced technology because of the potential for future growth into new areas of business for the Company, while also preserving our unique workforce at our technology and manufacturing center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and our production facility near Piketon, Ohio. The Company entered into this cost-share contract with the DOE as a critical first step on the road back to the commercial production of enriched uranium, which the Company had terminated in 2013 with the closure of the Paducah GDP. Under the 2019 HALEU Demonstration Contract, the Company constructed and installed 16 centrifuges for eventual site operations and HALEU production. Additionally, the Company designed, procured, and installed most of the necessary support systems. Centrus currently is the only company with an NRC license to enrich uranium up to the 20% U-235 concentration that is contained in HALEU and is the only company known to us to produce HALEU outside of Russia.
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Under the HALEU Demonstration Contract, the DOE agreed to reimburse the Company for 80% of its costs incurred in performing the contract. The DOE modified the contract several times to increase the total contract funding to $173.0 million. The HALEU Demonstration Contract’s period of performance ended in November 2022. Costs under the HALEU Demonstration Contract included program costs, including direct labor and materials and associated indirect costs that are classified as Cost of Sales, and an allocation of corporate costs supporting the program that are classified as Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Services provided under the contract included constructing and installing centrifuge machines and related infrastructure, and training and qualifying the workforce for operation of the facility. When estimates of total costs for such an integrated, construction-type contract exceed estimates of total revenue to be earned, a provision for the remaining loss on the contract is recorded to Cost of Sales in the period the loss is determined. Our corporate costs supporting the program are recognized as expense, as incurred over the duration of the contract term. The previously accrued loss on the HALEU Demonstration Contract was realized over the contract term.
During the HALEU Demonstration Contract, the DOE experienced a supply chain delay in obtaining HALEU 5B Cylinders. Since it was not possible to begin HALEU production without the 5B Cylinders, it was not possible to complete the operational portion of the HALEU Demonstration Contract before the expiration date of the contract. As a result, the DOE elected to change the scope of the HALEU Demonstration Contract and move the operational portion of the demonstration to a new, competitively-awarded, contract that provides for operations beyond the term of the HALEU Demonstration Contract. Under the HALEU Demonstration Contract, Centrus completed construction of a cascade of 16 AC100M centrifuges in Piketon, Ohio, for the DOE to demonstrate HALEU production. The HALEU Demonstration Contract was originally set to expire on June 1, 2022. However, the DOE extended the HALEU Demonstration Contract to November 30, 2022. The Company is currently performing closeout activities on the HALEU Demonstration Contract.
As discussed above, the Company began work on the HALEU Operation Contract on December 1, 2022. On November 7, 2023, the Company announced that it made its first delivery of HALEU to the DOE, completing Phase 1 by successfully demonstrating its HALEU production process. The portion of the Company’s anticipated cost share under Phase 1 of the HALEU Operation Contract representing the Company’s share of projected program costs was recognized in Cost of Sales as an accrued loss in the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2022, and was adjusted over the Phase 1 contract term based on actual results and remaining program cost projections.
During November 2023, the Company transitioned to Phase 2 of the HALEU Operation Contract. The DOE will own the HALEU produced from the demonstration cascade and Centrus will be compensated on a cost-plus-incentive-fee basis, with an expected Phase 2 contract value of approximately $90 million, subject to Congressional appropriations. The HALEU Operation Contract also gives DOE options to pay for up to nine additional years of production from the cascade beyond the base contract; those options are at the DOE’s sole discretion and subject to the availability of Congressional appropriations. The Company has filed a license amendment to increase its possession limit above 900 kilograms of HALEU UF6 and expects to receive NRC approval prior to reaching its current possession limit.
Under the HALEU Operation Contract, the DOE is contractually required to provide the 5B Cylinders necessary to collect the output of the cascade, but supply chain challenges have created difficulties for the DOE in securing enough 5B Cylinders for the entire production year. Centrus’ delivery of the 900 kilograms was conditioned on the DOE’s ability to provide the 5B Cylinders on a timeline that allowed for continuous production throughout Phase 2 of the contract. During periods where 5B Cylinders are insufficient, the Company will not be able to produce HALEU, but will be able to continue operations of the cascade and perform preventive maintenance and regulatory compliance type activities. Centrus anticipates that the delays in obtaining 5B Cylinders will be temporary, but no longer expects to achieve delivery of the 900 kilograms of HALEU UF6 anticipated for Phase 2 of the contract which extends to November 2024. The target fee for Phase 2 of the contract had been estimated to be $7.5 million based on the estimated costs for the contract and is subject to a contract minimum fee of $6.9 million.
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To support the DOE in mitigating the risk of further delays in delivery of 5B Cylinders, the Company received technical direction and a contract modification from the DOE to procure compliant 5B Cylinders and components, while the contractual obligation to furnish compliant 5B Cylinders under the HALEU Operation Contract continues to rest with the DOE. The Company also is performing additional work on infrastructure and facility repairs under the DOE’s technical direction. On September 28, 2023, the DOE modified the HALEU Operation Contract to incorporate additional scope, which are not subject to cost-share, for infrastructure and facility repairs, and costs associated with 5B Cylinder refurbishment, for an estimated additional contract value of $5.8 million. On October 19, 2023, the DOE provided additional funding of $5.5 million for the additional scope under the HALEU Operation Contract.
Centrus believes it is well positioned to compete for any follow-on contract(s) to expand HALEU production capability at the Piketon site. As discussed above, on November 28, 2023, the DOE issued an RFP focusing on deconversion of HALEU and on January 9, 2024, issued an RFP focusing on the production of HALEU.The Company expects to submit bids on both RFPs.
For further details, refer to Part II, Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Market Conditions and Outlook.
Commercial Contracting
In 2021, Centrus entered into a task order type services agreement with X-energy to provide services for detailed design of the TRISO fuel fabrication facility and various support services for establishing their TRISO Research and Development Center. X-energy is funded under the current DOE cooperative agreement titled ARDP. Centrus performed services pursuant to specific task orders, the last of which ended in March 2023. The services agreement expires on December 31, 2027, unless earlier terminated at the discretion of X-energy, but there are no active task orders pending.
Competition and Foreign Trade
It is estimated that the enrichment industry market for commercial nuclear reactors powered by LEU is currently about 50 million SWU per year. Our global market share of enrichment for the LEU market is less than 5%. Global LEU suppliers in our highly competitive industry compete on the basis of price and reliability of supply. The four largest LEU suppliers comprise over 95% of market share combined are as follows:
•Rosatom, a Russian government entity, which sells LEU through its wholly-owned subsidiary TENEX;
•Urenco, a consortium of companies owned or controlled by the British and Dutch governments and two German utilities;
•CNEIC, a company owned by the Chinese government; and
•Orano, a company largely owned by the French government, and formerly part of the French government.
According to the WNA, as of 2022, the production capacity for the major LEU suppliers is as follows:
•Rosatom/TENEX was approximately 27 million SWU per year. Imports of LEU and other uranium products produced in the Russian Federation are subject to restrictions as described below under — Russian Suspension Agreement;
•Urenco has reported installed capacity at its European and U.S. enrichment facilities of approximately 18 million SWU per year;
•CNEIC has emerged as a significant producer primarily focused on supplying domestic requirements in China. CNEIC’s commercial SWU production capacity was approximately 9 million SWU per year; and
•Orano’s gas centrifuge enrichment plant in France began commercial operations in 2011 and the plant has SWU production capacity of approximately 8 million SWU per year.
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All of our current competitors are owned or controlled, in whole or in part, by foreign governments, and operate enrichment technologies developed with the financial support of foreign governments. These competitors may make business decisions in both domestic and international markets that are influenced by political or economic policy considerations rather than exclusively by commercial considerations.
LEU also may be produced by down-blending government stockpiles of highly-enriched uranium. Governments control the timing and availability of highly-enriched uranium released for this purpose, and the release of this material to the market could impact market conditions. Any additional LEU released into the market from down-blended highly-enriched uranium could exert downward pressure on prices for LEU. However, without Russian supply, the global market would be undersupplied for uranium enrichment.
Our LEU supply to foreign customers is exported under the terms of international agreements governing nuclear cooperation between the United States and the government of the country of destination or other entities, such as the EU or the International Atomic Energy Agency. The LEU supplied to us is subject to the terms of cooperation agreements between the country in which the material is produced and the country of destination or other entities.
Russian Suspension Agreement
Imports into the United States of LEU and other uranium products produced in the Russian Federation, including LEU imported by Centrus under the TENEX Supply Contract, are subject, through December 31, 2040, to quotas imposed under U.S. legislation enacted into law in September 2008 and December 2020, and under the RSA, as amended in 2008 and 2020. These quotas limit the amount of Russian LEU that can be imported into the United States for U.S. consumption1.
The RSA is a trade agreement between the DOC and Rosatom originally signed in 1992 that suspended an anti-dumping duty investigation of Russian uranium and imposed quantitative limits on exports of Russian uranium products, including LEU, to the United States. Under an amendment signed on October 5, 2020, the RSA’s limits on shipments of Russian uranium product to the United States were extended through at least 2040. Additionally, under legislation passed by the U.S. Congress shortly after the amendment was signed, the material terms of the extended RSA were enacted into law.
Under this law and the RSA, imports of Russian uranium products peak in 2023 at 24% of the forecasted U.S. demand for enrichment and then begin to decline, reaching 15% by 2028. Despite the fact that overall limits will ramp down, the RSA, as amended in 2020, explicitly sets aside sufficient quota in 2021 through 2028 for Centrus. The RSA and the legislation provide for a revision of the quotas in 2023, 2029, and 2035 to take account of SWU demand forecasts that will be published by the WNA in the future. Accordingly, in November 2023, the DOC calculated a small increase in the quota through 2024. The adjustment does not affect the quota allocated to Centrus. Any quota adjustment or other change to the RSA that reduces our quota allocations could affect our ability to implement the TENEX Supply Contract through sales to customers who take delivery in the United States, which is our most significant market. The 2023 adjustment, however, did not affect us.
The actual size of the annual quotas allocated to Centrus for the TENEX Supply Contract are confidential, but a public version of the quotas shows that they represent a significant portion of the total quotas provided under the RSA in 2021 through 2028. The quotas provided for the TENEX Supply Contract are expected to be adequate to support the Company’s long-term strategic goals and to permit enriched uranium procured from TENEX during the remaining term of the TENEX Supply Contract to be imported to supply U.S. utilities, thereby securing a key part of the Company’s supply base for the benefit of its customers and providing the revenues needed by the Company to support its work on HALEU and other advanced technology projects in the United States.
1 The term “quota” is used herein for simplicity. The amounts of Russian uranium products that can be shipped to the United States are referred to as export limits in the RSA and import limits in the legislation, but from a practical perspective the terms have identical effect.
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There are proposals in Congress to impose a ban on imports of Russian LEU, including a bill that was approved by the House of Representatives in December 2023 that awaits consideration by the Senate. A Senate committee also has approved a bill containing similar provisions for a ban.If either of these bills are enacted into law, we would have ninety (90) days to seek a waiver of the ban from the Secretary of Energy.A waiver could only be granted for imports prior to 2028.Even if a waiver is granted, our imports would still be subject to the quotas allocated to Centrus for the TENEX Supply Contract. On the other hand, if a waiver is not granted, we could not import the LEU covered by our request, even if the imports would otherwise be permitted by our quota under the RSA and the related law implementing the RSA. For additional information please refer to Part I, Item 1A - Risk Factors - War in Ukraine for additional detail on alternative LEU suppliers.
Beginning in September 2022, the DOC and the ITC, respectively, initiated two “sunset” reviews that will determine if the RSA should be maintained. These “sunset” reviews are required to be conducted every five years. This was the fifth round of “sunset” reviews of the RSA. The last round of reviews in 2016-17 concluded that termination of the RSA would lead to the continuation or recurrence of dumping of French LEU (a determination made by the DOC), and to the continuation or recurrence of material injury to the U.S. uranium industry (a determination made by the ITC), which resulted in the RSA being maintained. Even if the RSA were terminated as a result of the “sunset” reviews, the quotas under the 2020 legislation would remain in place. In April 2023, the DOC published a notice that this round of reviews concluded with determinations to keep the RSA in effect.
For further details, refer to Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - Restrictions on imports or sales of SWU or uranium that we buy from our Russian supplier and our other sources of supply could adversely affect profitability and the viability of our business.
Ukraine War
The war in Ukraine has escalated tensions between Russia and the international community. As a result, the United States and other countries have imposed, and may continue imposing, additional sanctions and export controls against certain Russian products, services, organizations and/or individuals. While sanctions imposed to date do not preclude the import of Russian uranium products into the United States, it is possible that additional restrictions could be added in the future that would affect our ability to purchase and re-sell Russian uranium enrichment, or implement the TENEX Supply Contract, which could have a negative material impact on our business. Further, sanctions by the United States, Russia or other countries may impact our ability and cost to transport, export, import, take delivery, or make payments related to the LEU we purchase. For example, due to restrictions imposed by Canada on the ability of Canadian persons and entities to provide ocean transportation services to Russia, a permit is required for our shipper, a Canadian company, to transport the LEU that we procure under the TENEX Supply Contract to the United States. The Government of Canada extended our shipper’s permit to early July 2024, but for so long as the Canadian sanctions remain in place, the shipper will require further extensions of the permit for us to continue to use the shipper beyond July 2024.
In response to the war in Ukraine, there have been proposals in the U.S. Congress and elsewhere to ban imports of uranium products that could cut off or reduce our ability to import LEU in one or more years under the TENEX Supply Contract. None of these proposals have been adopted as of the date of this filing, but one bill to impose a ban was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2023 and awaits consideration in the Senate. Further, in an October 2023 fact sheet published on the need for the U.S. Congress to provide additional funding for domestic initiatives, including $2.2 billion for U.S. enrichment capacity, the White House stated that a long-term ban on enriched uranium imports from the Russian Federation into the United States is needed for this funding to be successful.
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None of the proposals for a U.S. ban on imports of Russian LEU have been adopted.However, if any of these proposals were enacted, the ban on imports would represent a significant risk to our business because the TENEX Supply Contract is the major source of supply that the Company relies upon today to meet its delivery obligations and to earn the revenues needed to fund our operations, including our advanced technology work. To mitigate this harm, we would apply for waivers from the Secretary of Energy to allow us to continue supplying our customers. To the extent waivers are not granted and other supplies cannot be found, we would work with our counterparties to adjust delivery schedules and volumes or rely upon contractual rights and remedies, including, but not limited to, force majeure.Absent waivers that allow us to continue to implement our existing plans for deliveries and sales in 2024-2027, sanctions on imports of LEU from Russia could result in a reduction in the amount of material we can deliver to customers, with a corresponding loss of revenues that could pose a risk of significant harm to our business and financial condition.
In addition, the expanding sanctions imposed by the United States and foreign governments on the mechanisms used to make payments to Russia and to obtain services, including transportation, have increased the risk that implementation of the TENEX Supply Contract may be disrupted in the future.
Given all of the foregoing, we continue to monitor the situation closely and assess the potential impact of any new sanctions and how the impact on the Company might be mitigated. For further details, refer to Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - The current war in Ukraine and related international sanctions and restrictions on trade could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Other Actions Adversely Affecting International Trade
In 2018, in connection with the withdrawal by the United States from a 2015 multilateral agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the U.S. government re-imposed sanctions on the AEOI and a number of its subsidiaries. Waivers were granted to allow non-Iranian entities to continue to work on certain programs that, among other things, allowed affiliates of Rosatom to continue work on nuclear projects in Iran. These waivers have expired or been terminated and, as a result, the U.S. government could decide to impose sanctions on Russian entities that may be involved in nuclear work in Iran, including Rosatom or its subsidiaries. These sanctions could affect companies owned by Rosatom, including TENEX, even if they are not doing work in Iran. To date, no sanctions have been imposed or announced on TENEX or any other Rosatom subsidiary involved in the TENEX Supply Contract, with respect to the work of Rosatom or its subsidiaries in Iran.
DOE Facilities
We produced LEU through 2001 at the former Portsmouth GDP in Piketon, Ohio and through 2013 at the former Paducah GDP in Paducah, Kentucky, both of which facilities we had leased from the DOE. The Portsmouth GDP and Paducah GDP were operated by agencies of the U.S. government for more than 40 years prior to the creation of the Company through privatization of the government enterprise in 1998. As a result of such operation, there are contamination and other potential environmental liabilities associated with the U.S. government’s prior operation of the plants. The USEC Privatization Act and the terms of our leases of the plants provide that DOE remains responsible for the D&D of the gaseous diffusion plants. Further, the DOE continued operations as well as cleanup activities, both during and subsequent, to our operations at the facilities.
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We lease facilities and related personal property near Piketon from the DOE. In connection with a letter agreement that preceded the HALEU Demonstration Contract, the DOE and Centrus amended the lease agreement, which was scheduled to expire by its terms on June 30, 2019. The lease was extended until May 31, 2022. In September 2021, the Company and the DOE renewed and extended the lease until December 31, 2025. On November 30, 2022 the lease was further amended to ensure all D&D liabilities created under the HALEU Operation Contract reside with the DOE. As was the case with the HALEU Demonstration Contract, any facilities or equipment constructed or installed will be owned by the DOE and may be returned to the DOE in an “as is” condition at the end of the lease term. The DOE will be responsible for the D&D of any returned facilities or equipment. If we determine the equipment and facilities may benefit Centrus after completion of the HALEU program, we can extend the facility lease and ownership of the equipment will be transferred to us, subject to mutual agreement regarding D&D and other issues.
Human Capital Management
Our employees in Maryland, Ohio, and Tennessee are dedicated to our corporate philosophy based in honesty, trust, and the highest levels of integrity, safety and security. Every day these values drive how we operate our business; govern how we interact with each other and our customers, partners, and suppliers; guide the way that we treat our workforce; and determine how we connect with our communities. Our commitment to ethical business practices is outlined in our COBC. Each employee is required to acknowledge receipt, understanding of, and compliance with our standards.
Due to the highly specialized nature of our business we need to hire and train skilled and qualified personnel to design, build, and operate our state-of-the-art equipment, and to perform a broad range of services to support our country and our customers. Our work requires that we attract people who are dedicated to consistently performing quality work and, for many of our positions, are able to obtain a security clearance. We recognize that our success as a company depends on our ability to attract, develop, and retain such a workforce. We are dedicated to promoting the health, welfare, and safety of our employees. Part of our responsibility includes treating all employees with dignity and respect and providing them with fair, market-based, competitive, and equitable compensation. We recognize and reward the performance of our employees in line with our pay-for-performance philosophy and provide a comprehensive suite of benefit options that are designed to enable our employees and their dependents to live healthy and productive lives.
Safety in our workplaces is paramount. We take measures to prevent workplace hazards, encourage safe behaviors, and enforce a culture of continuous improvement to ensure our processes help eliminate incidents and injuries and comply with governing health and safety laws.
We are committed to promoting diversity of thought, experience, perspectives, backgrounds, and capabilities to drive innovation and to strengthen the solutions we deliver to our customers because we believe this diversity leads to better outcomes. We proudly support a culture of inclusion and encourage a work environment that respects diverse opinions, values individual skills, and celebrates the unique experiences our employees possess. To ensure a diverse group of candidates is considered for each opening, we enlist the services of a Human Resource Consulting firm that provides services and products related to Affirmative Action Plans and equal employment opportunity as required by the U.S. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
Our values motivate us to promote strong workplace practices with opportunities for development and training. Our training and development efforts focus on ensuring that the workforce is appropriately trained on critical job skills as well as leadership attributes that are consistent with our philosophy.
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A summary of our employees by location is as follows:
No. of Employeesat December 31,
On October 1, 2022, the collective bargaining agreement for the employees represented by the United Steelworkers Local 689-5 union expired. There has been no interruption of work as Centrus and the United Steelworkers Local 689-5 union continue to meet to reach accord on a new collective bargaining agreement for the represented employees at the advanced technology facility in Piketon, Ohio.
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Information about our Executive Officers
Executive officers are elected by and serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors. The Executive officers as of February 9, 2024, are as follows:
Name Age Position
Larry B. Cutlip 64 Senior Vice President, Field Operations
John M.A. Donelson 59 Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
Amir V. Vexler joined Centrus on December 4, 2023, as a Special Advisor to the Board. On January 1, 2024, Mr. Vexler assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Vexler has extensive experience in the nuclear fuel industry and a strong background in manufacturing, engineering services, commercial operations, and business development. Prior to joining the Company, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Orano USA, overseeing sales of nuclear fuel, decommissioning services, used nuclear fuel management, and medical isotopes as well as engineering and technology services for the federal government. Previously, Mr. Vexler spent 20 years at General Electric Company, where he served in a number of leadership positions, including Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Operating Officer of Global Nuclear Fuel, a joint venture of General Electric Company and Hitachi.
Kevin J. Harrill has been Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer since August 2023 and was Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer from November 2021 to July 2023. He is responsible for all aspects of Centrus’ financial function, including accounting, tax, internal audit, corporate treasury, information technology, procurement, and corporate finance. Prior to joining Centrus, Mr. Harrill held positions of increasing responsibility at Blackboard, Inc., from 2015 to 2021, including Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Controller. Mr. Harrill has over 25 years of experience building and leading finance teams across various industries including aerospace and defense, information technology, financial and professional services, and Software as a Service (SaaS). Mr. Harrill has also held senior accounting and finance roles across Fortune 500 companies, including Computer Sciences Corporation, Harris Corporation, and Science Applications International Corporation. Mr. Harrill holds a Master of Arts in National Security Studies, as well as a Bachelor of Sciences in Business Administration with Finance and Accounting degrees from Georgetown University and holds an active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license in the State of Virginia.
Shahram Ghasemian has been Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary since August 2023. He rejoined the Company in April 2020 as Senior Assistant General Counsel and Director of Legal Affairs and was later appointed also as Director, Corporate Compliance in August 2022. Prior to rejoining the Company, Mr. Ghasemian served in various senior positions within the federal government, including the NRC, the DOE and on Capitol Hill since 2006. Mr. Ghasemian previously worked for Centrus’ predecessor for nearly a decade, including serving as Chief Counsel at the Paducah GDP in Kentucky.
Larry B. Cutlip has been Senior Vice President, Field Operations since January 2018, was Vice President, Field Operations from May 2016 through December 2017, was Deputy Director of the American Centrifuge Project from January 2015 to May 2016, was Director, Centrifuge Manufacturing from April 2008 to December 2014, was Director, Program Management and Strategic Planning from December 2005 to April 2008, was Manager, Engineering from May 1999 to December 2005, and held positions in operations management and engineering at the Company and its predecessors since 1981.
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John M.A. Donelson has been Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer since October 2019 and was Vice President, Sales and Chief Marketing Officer from January 2018 through October 2019. Mr. Donelson was Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Power from April 2011 through December 2017, Vice President, Marketing and Sales from December 2005 to April 2011, Director, North American and European Sales from June 2004 to December 2005, Director, North American Sales from August 2000 to June 2004, and Senior Sales Executive from July 1999 to August 2000. Mr. Donelson previously worked for Duke Energy and Newport News Shipbuilding.
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Available Information
Our website is www.centrusenergy.com. We make available on our website, or upon request, without charge, access to our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed with, or furnished to, the SEC, pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy statements and other information about SEC registrants, including Centrus. From time to time, we also provide additional information regarding the Company and its activities on the “Investor Relations” section of our website, which we encourage investors to review. The information contained or incorporated on our website is not part of this document. We also provide news and information about the Company via our social media channels, including LinkedIn (https://linkedin.com/company/centrusenergy) and X, formerly known as Twitter (http://x.com/centrus_energy).
Our COBC provides a brief summary of the standards of conduct that are at the foundation of our business operations. The COBC states that we conduct our business in strict compliance with all applicable laws. Each employee must read the COBC and sign a form stating that he or she has read, understands and agrees to comply with the COBC. A copy of the COBC is available on our website or upon request without charge. We will disclose on the website any amendments to, or waivers from, the COBC that are required to be publicly disclosed.
We also make available on our website or upon request, free of charge, our Board of Directors Governance Guidelines and our Board committee charters.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following discussion sets forth the material risk factors that could affect our financial condition and operations. Such risks, which could negatively affect our Consolidated Financial Statements, fall primarily under the categories listed below. Readers should not consider any descriptions to be a complete set of all potential risks that could affect us.
Risks related to the war in Ukraine factors primarily include:
•the current war in Ukraine and related international sanctions and restrictions.
•the possible imposition of a ban on imports of Russian LEU into the United States or other countries, as a response to Russia’s invasion; and
•financial losses we incur in connection with (i) efforts to mitigate the impact of government sanctions imposed in response to the invasion of Ukraine and/or (ii) disputes with our counterparties arising from such sanctions or mitigation efforts.
Risks related to economic and industry factors primarily include:
•the financial difficulties experienced by, and operating conditions of, our customers and suppliers;
•epidemics and other health related issues, including, but not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic; and
•price volatility associated with the procurement of SWU and uranium.
Risks related to operational factors primarily include:
•restrictions on imports or sales of SWU or uranium that we buy from our Russian supplier and our other sources of supply; and
•the inability to sell all of the LEU we are required to purchase under supply agreements for prices that cover our costs.
Risks related to financial factors primarily include:
•significant long-term liabilities;
•material unfunded defined benefit pension plans obligations and postretirement health and life benefit obligations;
•our revenues and operating results may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year;
•possible impairment loss related to our intangible assets;
•Centrus is dependent on intercompany support from Enrichment Corp.;
•limited trading volume for our securities and the market price of our securities is subject to volatility;
•a small number of holders of our Class A Common Stock may exert significant influence over the direction of the Company;
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•a small number of Class A stockholders, who also have significant holdings of the Company’s 8.25% Notes, may be motivated by interests that are not aligned with the Company’s other Class A stockholders; and
•limited ability to utilize our NOL carryforwards to offset future taxable income.
Risks related to general factors primarily include:
•failures to protect classified or other sensitive information, or security breaches of IT systems could result in significant liability;
•the inability to attract and retain key personnel;
•the potential for the DOE to seek to terminate or exercise its remedies under the 2002 DOE-USEC Agreement and our other agreements with the DOE, or to require modifications to such agreements;
•government reviews or audits can lead to withholding or delay of payments to us, non-receipt of award fees, legal actions, fines, penalties and liabilities, and other remedies against us;
•our U.S. government contracts and subcontracts are dependent on continued U.S. government funding and government appropriations, which may not be made on a timely basis or at all;
•changes to, or termination of, any agreements with the U.S. government, or deterioration in our relationship with the U.S. government; and
•the ability to adapt to a rapidly changing competitive environment in the nuclear industry.
Risks related to legal and compliance factors primarily include:
•our operations are regulated by the U.S. government, including the NRC and the DOE as well as the States of Ohio and Tennessee;
•our operations involve the use, transportation and disposal of toxic, hazardous and/or radioactive materials and could result in liability without regard to fault or negligence; and
•our certificate of incorporation gives us certain rights with respect to equity securities held (beneficially or of record) by foreign persons. If levels of foreign ownership set forth in our certificate of incorporation are exceeded, we have the right, among other things, to redeem or exchange common stock held by foreign persons, and in certain cases, the applicable redemption price or exchange value may be equal to the lower of fair market value or a foreign person’s purchase price.
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War in Ukraine Risks
The current war in Ukraine and related international sanctions and restrictions on trade could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
The current war in Ukraine has led the United States, Russia, and other countries to impose sanctions and other measures that restrict international trade. At present, sanctions have not prevented the Company or TENEX from performing under the TENEX Supply Contract, but the situation is continuously changing. For example, one bill to impose a ban was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2023 and awaits consideration in the Senate.Further, in a recent fact sheet published in October 2023 on the need for the U.S. Congress to provide additional funding for domestic initiatives, including $2.2 billion for U.S. enrichment capacity, the White House stated that a long-term ban on enriched uranium imports from the Russian Federation into the United States is needed for this funding to be successful. Although, the prospect that a ban would actually be imposed remains uncertain, but appears to be becoming more likely, imports of Russian LEU continue to be permitted into the United States subject to the RSA and a law adopted to implement the RSA.
Aside from the proposals for a U.S. ban on LEU imports from Russia, the expanding sanctions imposed by the United States and foreign governments on goods, services, entities, and instrumentalities that could be needed for performance of the TENEX Supply Contract could have adverse effects on the TENEX Supply Contract, even if such sanctions are not directed at imports of Russian LEU or other trade in nuclear material with Russia. For example, a sanction on a Russian bank might prevent funds from being transferred to TENEX’s account from the U.S. bank to which we make payments which could lead TENEX to suspend shipments.
Further, sanctions by the United States, Russia, or other countries on goods and services needed to make imports may directly or indirectly impact performance of the TENEX Supply Contract and our ability to transport, import, take delivery or make payments related to the LEU we purchase. For example, in June 2022, Canada prohibited Canadian entities from providing transportation services to Russians or persons in Russia in various industries, including enrichment of uranium. A company that provides transportation services to us under the TENEX Supply Contract contracted with an ocean carrier subject to these Canadian sanctions, and could not load Russian LEU until it received a permit from the Canadian government. Although the permit was issued and subsequently extended, it is only valid until early July 2024, meaning that, absent a renewal of the permit, we will need to find an alternative transportation company, which may be difficult and costly, or impossible, because of the limited number of qualified service providers. Furthermore, because sanctions also limit the types of non-nuclear cargo that the ocean carrier can ship to and from Russia, its overall business in Russia has been curtailed, so this reduced the number of ships it uses for transportation to and from Russia, making it more difficult for us to make timely deliveries of LEU.The adverse impact of this reduced schedule could also lead the carrier to withdraw its ships entirely from routes to or from Russia, leaving us without a carrier to transport the LEU we procure from TENEX.
Additional sanctions or other measures by the U.S. or foreign governments (including the Russian government) could be imposed in the future. As noted above, for example, there are proposals in the U.S. Congress and elsewhere to ban imports of uranium which could affect our ability to import LEU in one or more years under the TENEX Supply Contract. Although none of these proposals have been adopted as of the date of this filing, any sanctions or measures directed at trade in LEU from Russia or the parties involved in such trade or otherwise could interfere with, or prevent, performance under the TENEX Supply Contract. We do not know what actions TENEX might take in response to sanctions, but if it refused to make future deliveries, such refusal would likely affect our ability to meet our delivery obligations to our customers and would have a material adverse effect on the Company.
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If measures are taken to limit the import of Russian LEU or to prohibit or limit dealings with Russian entities, including, but not limited to, TENEX or the Rosatom, the Company could seek a license, waiver, or other approval from the government imposing such measures to ensure that the Company could continue to fulfill its purchase and sales obligations using LEU delivered under the TENEX Supply Contract. There is no assurance that such a license, waiver, or approval, if sought, would be granted, or if granted, granted in a timely fashion. If a license, waiver, or approval were not granted, the Company would need to look to alternative sources of LEU to replace the LEU that it could not procure from TENEX. The Company has contracts for alternative sources that could be used to mitigate a portion of the near-term impacts. However, our alternative sources are not sufficient to replace all of the Russian LEU the Company is currently permitted to import under the RSA, and to the extent additional supply cannot be obtained, or obtained at a higher cost, it will have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, and competitive position.
As a result of the current uncertainty regarding trade with Russia, as well as the actions of Russia in the war against Ukraine, customers may seek to renegotiate existing contracts, refuse to take deliveries of Russian LEU, or take other actions that could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, and competitive position. While we would expect to work closely with our contractual counterparties to mitigate impacts of shortages of material due to the impact of sanctions, there is also a risk that disputes could arise that could result in significant costs for us. Further, our ability to enter into new contracts to sell the material we are committed to purchase may be impacted. Finally, since the majority of our supply contracts include a market-based pricing component, the rapidly rising market prices due to the war in Ukraine and the associated sanctions could materially increase our cost of sales under our existing supply contracts, including but not limited to, the TENEX Supply Contract.
Accordingly, the situation at this time is evolving and, therefore, there is no assurance that future developments would not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s procurement, payment, delivery, or sale of LEU, or business viability.
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Economic and Industry Risks
Our future prospects are tied directly to the nuclear energy industry worldwide. The financial difficulties experienced by, and operating conditions of, our customers and suppliers could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Potential events that could affect either our customers or suppliers under current or future contracts with us or the nuclear industry as a whole, include:
•pandemics, armed conflicts (including the war in Ukraine), government actions and other events that disrupt supply chains, production, transportation, payments and importation of nuclear materials or other critical supplies or services;
•natural or other disasters (such as the 2011 Fukushima disaster) impacting nuclear facilities or involving shipments of nuclear materials;
•changes in U.S. or foreign government policies and priorities;
•regulatory actions or changes in regulations by nuclear regulatory bodies applicable to us, our suppliers or our customers;
•decisions by agencies, courts or other bodies under trade and other laws applicable to us, our suppliers, or our customers;
•disruptions in other areas of the nuclear fuel cycle, such as uranium supplies or conversion;
•civic opposition to, or changes in government policies regarding, nuclear operations;
•business decisions concerning reactors or reactor operations;
•the financial condition of reactor owners and operations;
•the need for generating capacity; or
•consolidation within the electric power industry.
These events could adversely affect us to the extent they result in a reduction or elimination of customers’ contractual requirements to purchase from us; the suspension or reduction of nuclear reactor operations; the reduction or blocking of supplies of raw materials, natural or enriched uranium or SWU; lower demand; burdensome regulation, disruptions of shipments, production importation or payment (including the blocking or restriction of transportation services or hardware); increased competition from third parties; increased costs or difficulties; or increased liability for actual or threatened property damage or personal injury. Additionally, customers may face financial difficulties, including from factors unrelated to the nuclear industry, that could affect their willingness or ability to make purchases. We cannot provide any assurance that events will not preclude us from making deliveries to our customers or increase our costs or that our customers, suppliers, or contractors will not default on their obligations to us or file for bankruptcy protection. If a customer files for bankruptcy protection, for example, we likely would be unable to collect all, or even a significant portion, of amounts that are owed to us. A default and bankruptcy filing by one or more customers or suppliers, or events, such as those listed above which prevent or limit our ability to obtain or sell material or services, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
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Our business, financial and operating performance could be adversely affected by epidemics and other health related issues, including but not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The global outbreak of COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and a national emergency by the U.S. government, and negatively affected the U.S. and global economies, disrupted supply chains, and resulted in significant travel, transport, and other restrictions. Although the COVID-19pandemic has ended, other national or global health related outbreaks could disrupt the supply chains and day-to-day operations of the Company, our suppliers, our contractors, and our customers, which could materially adversely affect our operations, including increasing our costs. In this regard, global supply chains and the timely availability of products or product components sourced domestically or imported from other nations, including SWU contained in LEU we purchase, could be materially disrupted by quarantines, slowdowns or shutdowns, border closings, and travel restrictions resulting from a global pandemic or health crisis. Further, impacts of such health crises on our management and workforce, or our suppliers, contractors, or customers, could adversely impact our business and we may be unable to mitigate such impacts.
In the event that a health crisis prevents our employees or our contractors from working in-person at our site or, our suppliers are unable to provide goods and services on the schedule we anticipated, the impacts on our schedule and costs could be material.
Our business is exposed to price volatility associated with the procurement of SWU and uranium.
The Company is exposed to commodity price risk for purchases of SWU and uranium. Our earnings and cash flows are therefore exposed to variability of spot and forward market prices in the markets in which it operates. The supply markets for LEU, SWU and other uranium are subject to price fluctuations and availability restrictions.
Operational Risks
Restrictions on imports or sales of SWU or uranium that we buy from our Russian supplier and our other sources of supply could adversely affect profitability and the viability of our business.
Nearly all of the SWU and LEU that we use to fill existing contracts with customers is sourced from outside the United States, including from Russia under the TENEX Supply Agreement, and we expect these arrangements to continue into the future. Our ability to place this SWU and LEU into existing and future contracts with customers is subject to trade restrictions, sanctions, and other limitations imposed by the United States, other governments, and our customers. For example, our imports from Russia are subject to U.S. quotas. Given the quotas, restrictions, and customer limitations that limit our ability to sell SWU and LEU purchased under the TENEX Supply Agreement both in the United States and globally, there is no guarantee that we can make sufficient sales to meet our minimum purchase obligation under the TENEX Supply Agreement. (For further information refer to Part I, Item 1 - Business - Competition and Foreign Trade).
Further, currently evolving international events, including the war in Ukraine, could result in new or additional sanctions or other U.S. or foreign government actions that could directly or indirectly limit or prevent our purchase, import, delivery and/or sale of material under our TENEX Supply Agreement. Even absent such restrictions, some of our U.S. and foreign customers are unable or unwilling to accept Russian SWU and uranium.
Geopolitical events, including domestic or international reactions or responses to such events, as well as concerns about national security or other issues, also could lead to U.S. or foreign government or international actions, or actions by the Russian government or TENEX, that could disrupt our ability to purchase, import, sell, or make deliveries of LEU, SWU, or other uranium products, or even to continue to do business with one or more of our suppliers or their affiliates. Our inability to meet our purchase or sales obligations, or to earn revenues from U.S. and international sales, would cause us to incur significant financial losses, in addition to impeding or preventing us from fulfilling our existing contracts, or winning new contracts, and could adversely affect our profitability and the viability of our business.
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We may be unable to sell all of the LEU we are required to purchase under supply agreements for prices that cover our costs, which could adversely affect profitability and the viability of our business.
We may not achieve the anticipated benefits from supply agreements we enter into. The prices we are charged under some supply agreements are determined by formulas that may not be aligned with the prevailing market prices at the time we enter into contracts with customers. As a result, the sales prices in our contracts may not cover our purchase costs, or those purchase costs may limit our ability to secure profitable sales.
We are dependent on purchases from our suppliers and other sources to meet our obligations to customers and rely on third parties to provide essential services.
We are currently dependent on purchases from suppliers to meet our obligations to customers, including purchases from the Russian government entity, TENEX. A significant delay in, or stoppage, prohibition or termination of, deliveries of material to us under our supply agreements, could adversely affect our ability to make deliveries to customers.
We also rely on third parties to provide essential services to the Company, such as the storage and management of inventory, transportation, and radiation protection. Those service providers may not perform on time, with the desired quality, or at all, for a variety of reasons, many of which are outside our control. An interruption of deliveries from our suppliers or the provision of essential services by third parties, could adversely impact our business, results of operations, and prospects.
We face significant competition from major producers who may be less cost sensitive or may be favored due to support from foreign governments.
We compete with major producers of LEU, all of which are wholly or substantially owned by governments: Orano (France), Rosatom/TENEX (Russia), Urenco (the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and two German utilities), and CNEIC (China). Our competitors have greater financial resources than we do. Foreign competitors enjoy financial and other support from their government owners, which may enable them to be less cost or profit-sensitive than we are. In addition, decisions by foreign competitors may be influenced by political and economic policy considerations rather than commercial considerations. For example, foreign competitors may elect to increase their production or exports of LEU, SWU, or other uranium products, including HALEU, even when not justified by market conditions, thereby depressing prices and reducing demand for our LEU, SWU, and other uranium products. This could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and prospects. Moreover, our competitors may be better positioned to take advantage of improved market conditions and increase capacity to meet any future market expansion.
The ability to compete in certain foreign markets may be limited for legal, political, economic, or other reasons.
Doing business in foreign markets poses additional risks and challenges. For example, agreements for cooperation between the U.S. government and various foreign governments or governmental agencies control the export of nuclear materials from the United States. We are unable to supply fuel for foreign reactors unless there is an agreement for cooperation in force. If an agreement with a country in which one or more of our customers is located were to lapse, terminate, or be amended, our sales or deliveries could be curtailed or terminated, adversely affecting our business, results of operations, and prospects. Moreover, the lack of such agreements for cooperation between the U.S. government and those governments or agencies in emerging markets may restrict our ability to sell into such markets. Additionally, countries may impose other restrictions on the import or export of material or services related to our business.
Purchases of LEU and SWU by customers in the EU are subject to a policy of the Euratom Supply Agency that seeks to limit foreign enriched uranium to no more than 20% of EU consumption per year. Similarly, China has a policy of using Chinese sources of LEU and SWU. Such policies limit our ability to sell in those countries.
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Certain foreign markets lack a comprehensive nuclear liability law that protects suppliers by channeling liability for injury and property damage suffered by third persons from nuclear incidents at a nuclear facility to the facility’s operator. The lack of legal protection for suppliers could adversely affect our ability to compete for sales to meet the growing demand for LEU or SWU in these markets and our prospects for future revenue from such sales.
Dependence on our largest customers or suppliers could adversely affect us.
In 2023, our ten largest nuclear fuel customers represented approximately 79% of total revenue and our two largest customers represented approximately 32% of total revenue. A reduction in purchases from our customers, whether due to their decision not to purchase optional quantities or for other reasons, including a disruption or change in their operations or financial condition that reduces purchases of LEU, SWU, or other uranium products from us, could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and prospects. Once lost, customers may be difficult to regain because they typically purchase under long-term contracts. Consequently, we may face reduced revenues and difficulty in selling the material we are obligated to buy, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and prospects.
Through 2027, well over one-half of the LEU that we expect to deliver to customers will come from material supplied to us under the TENEX Supply Contract. While we have other sources, they are not sufficient to replace the TENEX supply. Further, given that Russia accounts for nearly one-half of all enrichment capacity in the world, we are uncertain that we can fully replace the volume of material to be supplied to us under the TENEX Supply Contract through our existing suppliers or other suppliers.Consequently, if imports of Russian LEU into the United States are restricted or banned, and we cannot obtain replacement materials, we expect reduced revenues and higher costs, which would have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
The dollar amount of the Order Book, as stated at any given time, is not necessarily indicative of future sales revenues and is subject to uncertainty.
Our Order Book is the estimated aggregate dollar amount of SWU and uranium sales that we expect to recognize as revenue in future periods under existing contracts with customers. It includes deferred revenue for sales in which we have been paid but still have a delivery obligation, which means we will not receive cash in the future from those deliveries. There is no assurance that the revenues projected will be realized, or, if realized, will result in profits. Our estimate of the Order Book is based on a number of factors including customers’ estimates of the timing and size of their fuel requirements and estimates of future selling prices. For example, depending on the terms of specific contracts, prices may be adjusted based on escalation using a general inflation index, published SWU or uranium market price indicators prevailing at the time of delivery, and other factors, all of which are unpredictable. Any inaccuracy in estimates of future prices would add to the imprecision of the Order Book estimate. From time to time, we have worked with customers to modify contracts that have delivery, scheduling, origin or other terms that may require modifications to address our anticipated supply sources. If we were to initiate such discussions in the future, we have no assurance that our customers would agree to revise existing contracts or would not require concessions, which could adversely affect the value of our Order Book and our business, results of operations and prospects.
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Our ability to operate the HALEU enrichment facility we are deploying under the HALEU Operation Contract after the completion of the contract is dependent on our ability to secure additional contracts and funding from the U.S. government or other sources.
On November 30, 2022, after a competitive selection award, we signed a contract with the DOE to complete and operate the enrichment plant we commenced building in 2019. The HALEU Operation Contract has a base contract value of approximately $150 million in two phases through 2024. Phase 1 included an approximately $30 million cost share contribution from Centrus matched by approximately $30 million from the DOE to finish construction, bring the cascade online, and demonstrate production of 20 kilograms of 19.75% enriched HALEU by December 31, 2023.On October 11, 2023, the Company announced that it began enrichment operations in Piketon, Ohio. On November 7, 2023, the Company announced that it made its first delivery of HALEU to the DOE, completing Phase 1 by successfully demonstrating its HALEU production process.
In Phase 2, we expect to continue operating for a full year at an annual production rate of 900 kilograms of HALEU, but there is no assurance that we will have sufficient 5B Cylinders to produce 900 kilograms by November 2024.
Our goal is to continue production and modularly scale up the facility by matching production capacity with demand as demand for HALEU grows in the commercial and/or government sectors. However, our right to continue to operate the facility after completion of Phase 2 of the HALEU Operation Contract depends on the award of one or more follow-on contracts by the U.S. government, as well as continued funding for operation from the U.S. government or other sources. There is no assurance that we will be awarded such contracts or that such funding will be available. Further, it is uncertain whether or when demand to support the scale up of the facility will materialize. If we do not secure the necessary contracts and funding and if sufficient demand does not emerge, we may not be able to continue or expand operations at that facility and may not be able to support providing HALEU fuel for the advanced reactors under development.
If we are required to delease the facility where we are deploying the HALEU cascade under the HALEU Operation Contract and return it, along with the centrifuges and supporting equipment, to the DOE at the expiration of our contract, this would likely result in the termination of our NRC operating license and us laying off our Piketon workforce. On the other hand, if we are able to continue operating the facility, we would incur additional costs and liabilities associated with the facility.
If the Company’s operation of the Piketon facility were terminated, there can be no assurance that we could regain use of the Piketon facility or obtain a new NRC license in the future at the Piketon site or an alternative site, in which event we would be unable to begin commercial production of HALEU. We may also incur additional costs related to reducing our workforce or closing the Piketon facility. Failure to secure U.S. government or other funding to support the continued operation of the Piketon facility, and retain our NRC license, could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition along with our plans for future growth.
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Our Technical Solutions segment conducts business under various types of contracts, including fixed-price and cost-share contracts, which subjects us to risks associated with cost overruns.
The Technical Solutions segment conducts business under various types of contracts, including fixed-price contracts and cost-share contracts, where costs must be estimated in advance of our performance. These types of contracts are priced, in part, on cost and scheduling estimates that are based on assumptions including prices and availability of experienced labor, equipment and materials, and estimates of the amount of other contract work we expect to perform. In the event we have cost overruns, we may not be able to obtain compensation for additional work performed or expenses incurred. Our failure to accurately estimate the resources and time required for fixed-price or cost-share contracts or our failure to complete our contractual obligations within the time frame and costs committed could result in reduced profits, greater costs, or a loss for that contract. If the cost overrun on a contract is significant, or we encounter issues that affect multiple contracts, the cost overrun could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Financial Risks
We have significant long-term liabilities.
We continue to have significant long-term liabilities, including the indebtedness under our 8.25% Notes, which mature in February 2027. We also still have substantial pension and postretirement health and life benefit obligations and other long-term liabilities.
Our significant long-term liabilities (and other third-party financial obligations) could have important consequences, including:
•making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations to lenders and other creditors, resulting in possible defaults on, and acceleration of, such indebtedness or breaches of such other commitments;
•placing us at a competitive disadvantage by making us more vulnerable to react to adverse economic conditions or changes in the nuclear industry;
•hindering our ability to obtain additional financing for future working capital and other general corporate requirements;
•reducing our cash resources for payments on our 8.25% Notes thereby limiting our ability to fund our operations, capital expenditures, and future business opportunities;
•placing certain restrictions on the ability of our subsidiary, Enrichment Corp., to transfer cash and other assets to us, which could constrain our ability to pay dividends on our Common Stock or to fund our commitments or the commitments of our other subsidiaries, pursuant to the indenture governing our 8.25% Notes, subject to certain exceptions; and
•restricting our ability to engage in certain mergers or acquisitions pursuant to the indenture governing our 8.25% Notes which also require us to offer to repurchase all such outstanding notes at 101% of their outstanding principal amount in the event of certain change of control events.
The terms of the indenture governing our 8.25% Notes do not restrict Centrus or any of its subsidiaries from incurring substantial additional indebtedness in the future. If we incur substantial additional indebtedness, however, the foregoing risks would intensify. Additional information concerning the 8.25% Notes including the terms and conditions of the 8.25% Notes are described in Note 8, Debt, of the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part IV of this Annual Report.
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The Company has material unfunded defined benefit pension plans obligations and postretirement health and life benefit obligations. Levels of returns on pension and postretirement benefit plan assets, changes in interest rates and other factors affecting the amounts to be contributed to fund future pension and postretirement benefit liabilities could adversely affect earnings and cash flows in future periods.
Centrus and its subsidiary, Enrichment Corp., maintain qualified defined benefit pension plans that are guaranteed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, a wholly-owned U.S. government corporation that was created by Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Centrus also maintains non-qualified defined benefit pension plans for certain executive officers. These plans are anticipated to require material cash contributions in the future, which may divert funds from other uses and could adversely impact our liquidity depending on the timing of any required contributions or payments in relation to our sources of cash and other payment obligations.
Further, earnings may be positively or negatively impacted by the amount of expense we record for employee benefit plans. U.S. GAAP requires a company to calculate expenses for these plans using actuarial valuations. The IRS and the Pension Protection Act of 2006 regulate the minimum amount we contribute to our pension plans. The amount we are required to contribute to pension plans could have an adverse effect on our cash flows.
Our revenues and operating results may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year, which could have an adverse effect on our cash flows.
Revenue is recognized when or as we transfer control of the promised LEU or uranium to the customer. Customer demand is affected by, among other things, electricity markets, reactor operations, maintenance, and the timing of refueling outages. As a result, a relatively small change in the timing, amount, or other terms of customer orders for LEU due to a change in a customer’s refueling schedule or other reasons may cause operating results to be substantially above or below expectations, which could have an adverse effect on our cash flows.
Results of operations could be negatively impacted if adverse conditions or changes in circumstances indicate a possible impairment loss related to our intangible assets.
Intangible assets originated from our reorganization and application of fresh start accounting as of September 30, 2014. The intangible assets represented the fair value adjustment to the assets and liabilities for our LEU segment. The intangible assets remaining on our balance sheet relate to our sales Order Book and customer relationships. The Order Book intangible asset is amortized to expense as the Order Book valued at emergence is reduced, principally as a result of deliveries to customers. The customer relationships intangible asset is amortized to expense using the straight-line method over the estimated average useful life of 15 years with 5 3⁄4 years of scheduled amortization remaining.
The carrying values of the intangible assets are subject to impairment tests whenever adverse conditions or changes in circumstances indicate a possible impairment loss. If impairment is indicated, the asset carrying value will be reduced to its fair value. Inherent in our fair value determinations are certain judgments and estimates, including projections of future cash flows, the discount rate reflecting the risk inherent in future cash flows, the interpretation of current economic indicators and market valuations, and strategic plans with regard to operations. A change in these underlying assumptions could cause the fair value of the intangible asset to be less than its respective carrying amount.
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Centrus is dependent on intercompany support from Enrichment Corp.
Substantially all of our revenue-generating operations are conducted at our subsidiary, Enrichment Corp. The financing obtained from Enrichment Corp. funds our general corporate expenses, including interest payments on the 8.25% Notes, which are guaranteed on a limited and subordinated basis by Enrichment Corp. Enrichment Corp. also has pledged its assets as security for the 8.25% Notes. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centrus, Enrichment Corp. has its own set of creditors and a separate board of directors, the Enrichment Board, who are elected by Centrus. Current and future funding and support are conditional and dependent on Enrichment Corp.’s own financial condition and a determination by the Enrichment Board that such funding is in the interest of Enrichment Corp.
There is limited trading volume for our securities and the market price of our securities is subject to volatility.
The price of our Class A Common Stock remains subject to volatility. The market price and level of trading of our Class A Common Stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include, among other things, our limited trading history, our limited trading volume, the concentration of holdings of our Class A Common Stock, actual or anticipated variations in our operating results and cash flow, the nature and content of our earnings releases, announcements or events that impact our products, customers, competitors or markets, business conditions in our markets and the general state of the securities markets and the market for energy-related stocks, as well as general economic and market conditions and other factors that may affect our future results. Additionally, future sales of our common stock or instruments convertible into our common stock, in public or private offerings may depress our stock price.
Holders of our Class B Common Stock may make decisions regarding their investment in the Company based upon factors that are unrelated to the Company’s performance. Any sales of shares by holders of our Class B Common Stock would result in automatic conversion (with limited exceptions) of Class B Common Stock into Class A Common Stock, which in turn could adversely impact the trading price of the Class A Common Stock.
Our 8.25% Notes are not listed on any securities exchange. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the 8.25% Notes. The 8.25% Notes may only be traded infrequently in transactions arranged through brokers or otherwise, and reliable market quotations for the 8.25% Notes may not be available. In addition, the trading prices of the 8.25% Notes will depend on many factors, including prevailing interest rates, the trading volumes, and the other factors discussed above with respect to the Class A Common Stock.
A small number of holders of our Class A Common Stock may exert significant influence over the direction of the Company.
As of December 31, 2023, based solely on amounts reported in Schedule 13D and 13G filings with the SEC, two stockholders with the largest holdings of our Class A Common Stock collectively owned approximately 15% of our Class A Common Stock. As a result, these stockholders may be able to exert significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions, such as a merger of the Company, or sale of substantially all of the Company’s assets. These stockholders may have interests that differ from, and may vote in a way adverse to, other holders of Class A Common Stock, or adverse to the recommendations of the Company’s management. This concentration of ownership may make it more difficult for other stockholders to effect substantial changes in the Company, may limit the ability of the Company to pass certain initiatives or other items that require stockholder approval, and may also have the effect of delaying, preventing, or expediting, as the case may be, a change in control of the Company.
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A small number of Class A stockholders, who also have significant holdings of the Company’s 8.25% Notes, may be motivated by interests that are not aligned with the Company’s other Class A stockholders.
Currently, a small number of persons who also are Class A stockholders collectively own approximately 33% of our 8.25% Notes. As a result, these stockholders may have interests that differ from the remainder of the holders of our Class A Common Stock, and, as a result, may vote or take other actions in a way adverse to other holders of Class A Common Stock.
Our ability to utilize our NOL carryforwards to offset future taxable income may be limited.
Our ability to fully utilize our existing NOLs or NUBILs could be limited or eliminated in the event (i) we undergo an “ownership change” as described under Section 382 of the Code, (ii) we do not reach profitability or are only marginally profitable, or (iii) there are changes in U.S. government laws and regulations. An “ownership change” is generally defined as a greater than 50% change in equity ownership by value over a rolling three-year period. Past or future ownership changes, some of which may be beyond our control, as well as differences and fluctuations in the value of our equity securities may adversely affect our ability to utilize our NOLs and could reduce our flexibility to raise capital in future equity financings or other transactions, or we may decide to pursue transactions even if they would result in an ownership change and impair our ability to use our NOLs. In addition, the “Section 382 Rights Agreement” we have adopted with respect to our Common Stock contains limitations on transferability intended to prevent the possibility of experiencing an “ownership change,” but we cannot be certain that these measures will be effective. We also may decide to pursue transactions even if they would result in an ownership change and impair our ability to use our NOLs. In addition, any changes to tax rules and regulations or the interpretation of tax rules and regulations could negatively impact our ability to recognize any potential benefits from our NOLs or NUBILs.
Legal and Compliance Risks
Our operations are highly regulated by the U.S. government, including the NRC and the DOE as well as the States of Ohio and Tennessee and could be significantly impacted by changes in government policies and priorities.
Our operations, including the facilities we lease near Piketon, Ohio, are subject to regulation by the NRC. The NRC has granted us two licenses for the Piketon facility: a license for a Lead Cascade test facility that was granted in February 2004, and a separate license to construct and operate a commercial plant that was granted in April 2007. Our license to construct and operate a commercial plant will expire on April 13, 2037. In June 2021, the NRC approved an amendment to permit HALEU production as a subset of the larger commercial plant license. We are currently performing work under a contract with the DOE for the construction and operation of a cascade to produce HALEU. This contract is currently set to expire at the completion of Phase 2 which is no later than December 31, 2024. We filed a new license amendment with the NRC to increase our material possession limit to accommodate anticipated output under the HALEU Operation Contract and extend our production authorization period under our license. We have submitted a request to the NRC to terminate the 2004 license for the Lead Cascade test facility and such request is currently pending before the NRC.
The NRC could refuse to grant our license amendment to construct and operate a commercial plant if it determines that: (1) we are foreign owned, controlled, or dominated; (2) the issuance of the amendment would be inimical to the maintenance of a reliable and economic domestic source of enrichment; (3) the issuance of the amendment would be adverse to U.S. defense or security objectives; or (4) the issuance of the amendment is otherwise not consistent with applicable laws or regulations then in effect.
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The NRC has the authority to issue notices of violation for violations of the Atomic Energy Act, the NRC regulations and conditions of licenses, certificates of compliance, or orders. The NRC has the authority to impose civil penalties or additional requirements and to order cessation of operations for violations of its regulations. Penalties under the NRC regulations could include substantial fines, imposition of additional requirements, or withdrawal or suspension of licenses or certificates. Any penalties imposed on us could adversely affect our results of operations and liquidity. The NRC also has the authority to issue new regulatory requirements or to change existing requirements. Changes to the regulatory requirements also could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
In addition, certain of our operations are subject to DOE regulation or contractual requirements. Our technology and manufacturing facility in Oak Ridge is also regulated by the State of Tennessee under the NRC’s Agreement State Program as well as applicable state laws. Our operations at the facility near Piketon also are subject to regulation by various agencies of the Ohio state government. These state and federal agencies may have the authority to impose civil penalties and additional requirements, which could adversely affect our results of operations. Further, changes in federal, state or local government policies and priorities can impact our operations and the nuclear industry. This includes changes in interpretations of regulatory requirements, increased inspection or enforcement activities, changes in budgetary priorities, changes in tax laws and regulations and other actions or in-actions governments can take.
Our operations involve the use, transportation and disposal of toxic, hazardous and/or radioactive materials and could result in liability without regard to fault or negligence.
Our operations involve the use, transportation, and disposal of toxic, hazardous and/or radioactive materials. A release of these materials could pose a health risk to humans or animals. If an accident were to occur, its severity would depend on the volume of the release and the speed of corrective action taken by emergency response personnel, as well as other factors beyond our control, such as weather and wind conditions. Actions taken in response to an actual or suspected release of these materials, including a precautionary evacuation, could result in significant costs for which we could be legally responsible. In addition to health risks, a release of these materials may cause damage to, or the loss of, property and may adversely affect property values. Additionally, we may be responsible for D&D of facilities where we conduct, or previously conducted, operations. Activities of our contractors, suppliers or other counterparties similarly may involve toxic, hazardous, and radioactive materials and we may be liable contractually, or under applicable law, to contribute to remedy damages or other costs arising from such activities, including the D&D of third-party facilities.
We lease facilities from the DOE near Piketon. Pursuant to the Price-Anderson Act, as well as the HALEU Operation Contract, the DOE has agreed to indemnify the Company’s subsidiaries who are party to those agreements, and other Company entities who fall under the definition of a person indemnified under the Atomic Energy Act, against claims for public liability (as defined in the Atomic Energy Act) arising out of or in connection with activities under those leases and the HALEU Operation Contract, as applicable, resulting from a nuclear incident or precautionary evacuation including transportation. While the Price-Anderson Act requires DOE to provide this indemnity whenever a contract involves a risk of nuclear liability, DOE may take the position that it is not obligated to enter into new indemnification agreements where it is obtaining goods and services under certain types of contracts. If an incident or evacuation is not covered under DOE indemnification, we could be financially liable for damages arising from such incident or evacuation, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Even where the DOE has provided indemnification pursuant to the Price-Anderson Act, there could be delays in obtaining reimbursement for costs from the DOE and the DOE may also determine that some or all costs are not reimbursable under the indemnification. In addition, the Price-Anderson Act indemnification does not cover loss or damage due to a nuclear incident to property located on the leased facilities.
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Centrus and Enrichment Corp. have been named as defendants in lawsuits alleging damages resulting from releases at the facilities we leased in the past at the Portsmouth GDP, and the centrifuge facilities we still lease near Piketon. These claims include allegations of damages that the plaintiffs assert are not covered by the Price-Anderson Act, which claims we and the other defendants have challenged. If the DOE were to determine that the Price-Anderson Act did not apply, we would have to pay all or part of any damages awarded as a result of such claims, and the cost to us, including legal fees, could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Refer to Note 17, Commitments and Contingencies — Legal Matters, of our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part IV of this Annual Report for further details.
The authority of the DOE to enter into new indemnification agreements under the Price-Anderson Act expires at the end of 2025.If it is not renewedby Congress before the expiration date, indemnification clauses in agreements executed by DOE before expiration of the Price-Anderson Act remain in force but DOE could not include an indemnification clause in new contracts.Absent authority under the Price-Anderson Act, DOE could rely on other authorities that permit DOE to enter into indemnification agreements on a case by case basis, but there would be no assurance that DOE would enter into such agreements with Centrus or its subsidiaries.
Absent indemnification, Centrus and its subsidiaries could seek commercial insurance to cover nuclear risks, but insurance typically is not available for work done on legacy DOE sites, such as the Piketon facilities. Further, even if insurance were available, the amounts would be very small compared to the amount covered by the DOE indemnification clause. If Centrus could not obtain adequate protection from nuclear risks through a DOE indemnification, it may be forced to forego new business with DOE, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
In our contracts with any party where there is a risk of nuclear liability, we seek to include clauses that limit our liability as one measure to protect ourselves, including at locations where the Price-Anderson Act indemnification does not apply, such as at the commercial facilities where we receive or hold enriched and natural uranium, or deliver such material to customers, during transportation between such locations, or at the commercial facilities where such material is processed or used, but there is no assurance that such contractual limitations on liability will be effective in all cases. Further, for protection at the reactors of our U.S. customers, the Price-Anderson Act also is instrumental in providing a foundation for required protection of the utility’s suppliers, including Centrus, from nuclear liability risks.Accordingly, the effectiveness of liability allocation in contracts with utilities depends, in large measure, on the continuation of the nuclear protection afforded by the Price-Anderson Act and its implementation by the NRC.
Nuclear liability is a significant risk in all of our activities involving enriched uranium and other nuclear material and related goods and services.The costs of defending against a claim arising out of a nuclear incident or precautionary evacuation, and any damages awarded as a result of such a claim, could be very high and, even if indemnified, could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our certificate of incorporation gives us certain rights with respect to equity securities held (beneficially or of record) by foreign persons. If levels of foreign ownership set forth in our certificate of incorporation are exceeded, we have the right, among other things, to redeem or exchange common stock held by foreign persons, and in certain cases, the applicable redemption price or exchange value may be equal to the lower of fair market value or a foreign person’s purchase price.
Our certificate of incorporation gives us certain rights with respect to shares of our Common Stock held (beneficially or of record) by foreign persons. Foreign persons are defined in our certificate of incorporation to include, among others, an individual who is not a U.S. citizen, an entity that is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. jurisdiction and an entity that is controlled by individuals who are not U.S. citizens, or by entities that are organized under the laws of non-U.S. jurisdictions.
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The occurrence of any one or more of the following events is a “foreign ownership review event” and triggers the board of directors’ right to take various actions under our certificate of incorporation: (1) the beneficial ownership by a foreign person of (a) 5% or more of the issued and outstanding shares of any class of our equity securities, (b) 5% or more in voting power of the issued and outstanding shares of all classes of our equity securities, or (c) less than 5% of the issued and outstanding shares of any class of our equity securities or less than 5% of the voting power of the issued and outstanding shares of all classes of our equity securities, if such foreign person is entitled to control the appointment and tenure of any of our management positions or any director; (2) the beneficial ownership of any shares of any class of our equity securities by or for the account of a foreign uranium enrichment provider or a foreign competitor (defined in our certificate of incorporation as a “Contravening Person”); or (3) any ownership of, or exercise of rights with respect to, shares of any class of our equity securities or other exercise or attempt to exercise control of us that is inconsistent with, or in violation of, any regulatory restrictions, or that could jeopardize the continued operations of our facilities (defined in our certificate of incorporation as an “Adverse Regulatory Occurrence”). These rights include requesting information from holders (or proposed holders) of our securities, refusing to permit the transfer of securities by such holders, suspending or limiting voting rights of such holders, redeeming or exchanging shares of our stock owned by such holders on terms set forth in our certificate of incorporation, and taking other actions that we deem necessary or appropriate to ensure compliance with the foreign ownership restrictions.
The terms and conditions of our rights with respect to our redemption or exchange right in respect of shares held by foreign persons or Contravening Persons are as follows:
•Redemption price or exchange value: Generally, the redemption price or exchange value for any shares of our Common Stock redeemed or exchanged would be their fair market value. However, if we redeem or exchange shares held by foreign persons or Contravening Persons and our Board in good faith determines that such person knew or should have known that its ownership would constitute a foreign ownership review event (other than shares for which our Board determined at the time of the person’s purchase that the ownership of, or exercise of rights with respect to, such shares did not at such time constitute an Adverse Regulatory Occurrence), the redemption price or exchange value is required to be the lesser of fair market value and the person’s purchase price for the shares redeemed or exchanged.
•Form of payment: Cash, securities or a combination, valued by our Board in good faith.
•Notice: At least 30 days written notice of redemption is required; however, if we have deposited the cash or securities for the redemption or exchange in trust for the benefit of the relevant holders, we may redeem shares held by such holders on the same day that we provide notice.
Accordingly, there are situations in which a foreign stockholder or Contravening Person could lose the right to vote its shares or in which we may redeem or exchange shares held by a foreign person or Contravening Person and in which such redemption or exchange could be at the lesser of fair market value and the person’s purchase price for the shares redeemed or exchanged, which could result in a significant loss for that person.
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General Risk Factors
Failures to protect classified or other sensitive information, or cybersecurity incidents could result in significant liability or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business.
Our business requires us to use and protect classified, sensitive, and other protected information as well as business proprietary information and intellectual property (collectively, “sensitive information”). Our computer networks and other IT systems are designed to protect this information through the use of classified networks and other procedures. We routinely experience various cybersecurity incidents, including threats to our information technology infrastructure, unauthorized attempts to gain access to the Company’s sensitive information, and denial-of-service attacks, as do our customers, suppliers, subcontractors, and other business partners. The threats we face vary from attacks common to most industries to attacks by more advanced and persistent, highly organized adversaries, including nation states, which target us and other government contractors because we possess sensitive information. If we are unable to protect sensitive information, our customers or governmental authorities could question the adequacy of our threat mitigation and detection processes and procedures, and depending on the severity of the incident, U.S. government data, the Company’s data, customers’ data, our employees’ data, our intellectual property, and other sensitive information could be compromised. As a consequence of the persistence, sophistication, and volume of these attacks, we may not be successful in defending against all such attacks. Due to the evolving nature of these security threats and the national security aspects of much of the sensitive information we possess, the impact of any future incident cannot be predicted.
We have a number of suppliers and indirect suppliers with a wide variety of systems and cybersecurity capabilities and we may not be successful in preventing adversaries from exploiting possible weak links in our supply chain. We also must rely on this supply chain for detecting and reporting cyber incidents, which could affect our ability to report or respond to cybersecurity incidents in a timely manner. The costs related to cyber or other security threats or disruptions may not be fully insured or indemnified by other means.
A material network breach in the security of the IT systems of the Company or third parties for any reason, including, but not limited to, human error, could include the theft of sensitive information, including, without limitation, our and our customers’ business proprietary and intellectual property. To the extent any security breach or human error results in a loss or damage to sensitive information, or an inappropriate or unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, the breach could cause grave damage to the country’s national security and to our business. Threats, via insider threat or third parties, to our IT systems, are constantly evolving and there is no assurance that our efforts to maintain and improve our IT systems will be sufficient to meet current or future threats. Any event leading to a security breach or loss of, or damage to, sensitive information, whether by our employees or third parties, could result in negative publicity, significant remediation costs, legal liability, and damage to our reputation and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. In an extreme case, the DOE could terminate our permit to access classified information resulting in the elimination of our ability to continue American Centrifuge work or performance of DOE contracts, including the HALEU Operation Contract.
The inability to attract and retain key personnel could have an adverse impact on our business.
The Company’s LEU and Technical Services segments require people with unique skills and experience in the uranium enrichment industry. It also requires people with U.S. security clearances. To train employees and obtain the required U.S. security clearances for them can take considerable time and expense. The success of our business depends on key executives, managers, scientists, engineers and other skilled personnel. The ability to attract and retain these key personnel may be difficult in light of the uncertainties currently facing the business and changes we may make to the organizational structure to adjust to changing circumstances.
Changes in senior management could create uncertainty among our employees, customers, suppliers, and other third parties with which we do business. The inability to retain appropriately qualified and experienced senior executives could negatively affect our operations, strategic planning, and performance.
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The potential for the DOE to seek to terminate or exercise its remedies under the 2002 DOE-USEC Agreement and our other agreements with DOE, or to require modifications to such agreements that are adverse to our interests, may have adverse consequences on the Company.
The Company and the DOE signed the “2002 DOE-USEC Agreement”, which requires the Company to develop, demonstrate, and deploy advanced enrichment technology in accordance with milestones and provides for remedies in the event of a failure to meet a milestone under certain circumstances. The DOE has specific remedies under the 2002 DOE-USEC Agreement if we fail to meet a milestone or if we abandon or constructively abandon the commercial deployment of an advanced enrichment technology. These remedies include terminating the 2002 DOE-USEC Agreement, revoking our access to the DOE’s centrifuge technology that is required for the success of the American Centrifuge project, terminating the HALEU Operation Contract or other projects, requiring us to transfer certain rights in the American Centrifuge technology and facilities to the DOE, and requiring us to reimburse the DOE for certain costs associated with the American Centrifuge project.
We have granted to the DOE an irrevocable, non-exclusive right to use or permit third parties on behalf of the DOE to use all Centrifuge IP royalty free for U.S. government purposes (which includes national defense purposes, including providing nuclear material to operate commercial nuclear power reactors for tritium production). We also granted an irrevocable, non-exclusive license to the DOE to use such Centrifuge IP developed at our expense for commercial purposes (including a right to sublicense), which may be exercised only if we miss any of the milestones under the 2002 DOE-USEC Agreement or if we (or our affiliate or entity acting through us) are no longer willing or able to proceed with, or have determined to abandon, or have constructively abandoned, the commercial deployment of the centrifuge technology. Such a commercial purposes license is subject to payment of an agreed upon royalty to us, which will not exceed $665 million in the aggregate. While our long-term objective is to commercially deploy the American Centrifuge technology when it is commercially feasible to do so, the DOE may take the position that we are no longer willing or able to proceed with commercial deployment, or have actually, or constructively, abandoned commercial deployment, and could invoke its rights under the license described above. Any of these actions could adversely impact our business and prospects.
The DOE may seek to exercise remedies under these agreements and there is no assurance that the parties will be able to reach agreement on appropriate modifications to the agreements in the future. Moreover, even if the parties reach agreement on modifications to such agreements, there is no assurance that such modifications will not impose material additional requirements, provide the DOE with material additional rights or remedies, or otherwise affect the overall economics of the American Centrifuge technology and our ability to finance and successfully deploy the technology. Any of these actions could adversely impact our business and prospects.
Our U.S. government contract work is regularly reviewed and audited by the U.S. government and these reviews can lead to withholding or delay of payments to us, non-receipt of award fees, legal actions, fines, penalties and liabilities, and other remedies against us.
Our U.S. government contracts and subcontracts are subject to specific regulations such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation, among others, and also subject to audits, cost reviews, and investigations by the U.S. government contracting oversight agencies. Should a contracting agency determine that we have not complied with the terms of our contracts and subcontracts and applicable statutes and regulations, payments to us may be disallowed, which could result in adjustments to previously reported revenues and refunding of previously collected cash proceeds. Additionally, we may be subject to litigation brought by private individuals on behalf of the U.S. government under the Federal False Claims Act, which could include claims for treble damages. If we experience performance issues under any of our U.S. government contracts and subcontracts, the U.S. government retains the right to pursue remedies, which could include termination under any affected contract. Termination of a contract or subcontract could adversely affect our ability to secure future contracts, and could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
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Our U.S. government contracts and subcontracts are dependent on continued U.S. government funding and government appropriations, which may not be made on a timely basis or at all, and could have an adverse effect on our business.
Current and future U.S. government contracts and subcontracts, including our HALEU Operation Contract, are dependent on government funding, which are generally subject to Congressional appropriations or continued government operations. Our ability to perform under these federal contracts and subcontracts is dependent upon sufficient funding for, and timely payment by, the entities with which we have contracted. If the contracting governmental agency, or the prime contractor, does not receive sufficient appropriations for any reason, including due to a government shutdown, it may terminate our contract or subcontract (in whole or in part) or reduce the scope of our contract or subcontract, or delay or reduce payment to us. Any inability to award us a contract or subcontract, any delay in payment, or the termination of a contract or subcontract, in whole or in part, due to a lapse in funding or otherwise, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, or cash flows.
Changes to, or termination of, any agreements with the U.S. government, or deterioration in our relationship with the U.S. government, could adversely affect results of operations.