Everyone's Watching Oklo and NuScale for Nuclear Exposure. This Company Actually Fuels Them.
Key Points
Centrus Energy pioneered High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU).
Smaller nuclear reactors require this fuel.
Unlike SMR start-ups, Centrus Energy already generates revenue and earnings.
Investors seeking to cash in on the global nuclear energy resurgence have focused on small modular reactor (SMR) upstarts Oklo (NYSE:OKLO) and NuScale. However, neither company can run one of their future reactors without fuel. That's where Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) comes into play, as it supplies the enriched uranium fuel that nuclear reactors need. Centrus recently announced a planned joint venture with Oklo to support growing demand for its specialized nuclear fuel.
Here's a closer look at this lower-risk way to invest in the country's nuclear energy renaissance.
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Fueling the nuclear renaissance
Centrus Energy supplies nuclear fuel and services to the nuclear power industry. It pioneered the production of High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU), required for most U.S. reactors to achieve smaller designs (i.e., SMRs). The company's Piketon, Ohio, facility was the first one in the country to receive a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to produce HALEU.
Several SMR developers, including Oklo, have signed agreements with Centrus to purchase nuclear fuel. Oklo initially signed a letter of intent to purchase fuel for its Aurora Powerhouse Deployment in Ohio earlier this year. The planned 1.2 gigawatt clean energy campus will supply power to Meta Platforms to support its data centers in the region. Oklo and Centrus more recently agreed to pursue a joint venture focused on HALEU deconversion services and advancing related fuel-cycle technologies and supply chains.
Robust demand is driving real growth
Oklo and NuScale don't currently generate commercial power, let alone any real revenue or earnings. Centrus Energy, on the other hand, is producing strong, growing financial results. During the second quarter, the company reported $176.1 million of revenue, a 14% year-over-year increase. Meanwhile, it posted $16.8 million of net income during the period.
The company ended the quarter with a $4.5 billion future revenue backlog extending through 2040. That includes $3 billion of HALEU and Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU). It recently signed a $900 million HALEU Enrichment award with the U.S. Department of Energy. Centrus has signed several additional deals since the quarter ended, including a multi-year HALEU contract with Antares Nuclear, a long-term HALEU supply partnership with Radiant, and a HALEU supply deal with X-energy. This growing backlog supports the company's plans to rapidly expand its production capacity to meet future demand, as several deals include pre-payments to help fund the expansion.
Why try to pick an SMR winner when you can invest in the company fueling them all
There's a lot of debate about which nuclear energy stock is the best to buy to capitalize on the country's nuclear renaissance. However, instead of betting on which pre-revenue SMR start-up will win, you can invest in the company that will fuel their reactors. That makes Centrus Energy a lower-risk way to capitalize on the country's nuclear energy resurgence, as it should win no matter which SMR developer emerges as the eventual leader.
Matt DiLallo has positions in Meta Platforms and has the following options: long December 2028 $650 calls on Meta Platforms and short December 2028 $660 calls on Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool recommends NuScale Power. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.