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CENTRUS ENERGY CORP

For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Feb 9, 2024.

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A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.

FY2023 · Filed Feb 9, 2024

LEU$104.60+17.5%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026
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Contents

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.

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 U 235 concentration below 5%, HALEU is further enriched so that the U 235 concentration is between 5% and 20%. The higher U 235 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% U 235 assay HALEU and 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 UF 6.

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 UF 6. 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.

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: U 235 and U 238. The concentration of U 235 in natural uranium is only 0.711% by weight. Uranium enrichment is the process by which the concentration of U 235 is increased. Most commercial nuclear power reactors require LEU fuel with a U 235 concentration greater than natural uranium of up to 5% by weight. Future reactor designs currently under development will likely require higher U 235 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 U 235, and depleted uranium, having a lower percentage of U 235. 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. U 3 O 8 is combined with fluorine gas to produce UF 6, a solid at room temperature and a gas when heated. UF 6 is shipped to an enrichment plant.

Enrichment. UF 6 is enriched in a process that increases the concentration of the U 235 isotope in the UF 6 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% U 235, 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.

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 Risksfor 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.

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.

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.

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 UF 6 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 UF 6 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.

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.

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. consumption 1.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A summary of our employees by location is as follows:

No. of Employeesat December 31,
Location20232022
Piketon, OH130122
Oak Ridge, TN110104
Bethesda, MD5249
Total Employees292275

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.

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:

NameAgePosition
Amir V. Vexler51President and Chief Executive Officer (effective January 1, 2024)
Kevin J. Harrill47Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer
Shahram Ghasemian57Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary
Larry B. Cutlip64Senior Vice President, Field Operations
John M.A. Donelson59Senior 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.

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.

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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The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.