Centrus Energy (NYSE: LEU) and Antares Nuclear today announced the signing of a definitive multi-year contract for Centrus to supply Antares with High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU), with deliveries commencing before the end of the decade. It ensures a reliable, domestic source of HALEU to support Antares advanced reactor projects, including for space and national security missions. The new contract includes prepayments from Antares to support the expanded HALEU capacity.

“This contract is another sign that demand for HALEU is real and it is accelerating, and Centrus is in prime position to meet this need,” said Amir Vexler, President and CEO of Centrus. “Binding orders from Antares and others are supporting our expansion to commercial-scale production – an expansion that is now well underway. We look forward to supporting Antares’ continued growth and success.” 

"Fuel supply is one of the practical questions every advanced reactor developer has to answer,” said Jordan Bramble, CEO and Co-Founder of Antares. “This contract gives Antares a reliable, U.S.-origin source of HALEU for the reactors we're deploying for a wide variety of defense and space customers." 

Antares is developing compact microreactors for critical missions on Earth and in space. The company was recently selected for the U.S. Army's Janus Program at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; the Air Force's Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations program at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; and a Space Force Strategic Breakthrough award to demonstrate a space reactor.

Centrus is pioneering U.S. HALEU production at its American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, the only licensed HALEU production facility in the western world. Last year, Centrus launched a multi-billion-dollar expansion including large-scale production of HALEU as well as Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU).  

The agreement reflects the unique role that both companies can play in meeting U.S. national security requirements. Because Centrus's enrichment technology and manufacturing supply chain are U.S.-origin, the arrangement can provide Antares with fuel that could be used for a variety of national security applications. Centrus’ AC100 centrifuge design is the only deployment-ready enrichment technology capable of “unobligated” enrichment, meaning that it can be used for U.S. national security missions.