Centrus Energy (LEU) 10-Q2022 Q2 Quarterly report

The unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements of Centrus Energy Corp. (“Centrus” or the “Company”), which include the accounts of the Company, its principal subsidiary, United States Enrichment Corporation, and its other subsidiaries, as of June 30, 2022, and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, and 2021, have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2021, was derived from audited Consolidated Financial Statements, but does not include all disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). In the opinion of management, the unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements reflect all adjustments, including normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair statement of the financial results for the interim period. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified for consistency with the current year presentation. Certain information and notes normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. All material intercompany transactions have been eliminated. The Company’s components of comprehensive income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, are insignificant.

The accounting policies of the Company are set forth in Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. There has not been a material change to the Company’s accounting policies since that report.

The following table presents revenue from separative work units (“SWU”) and uranium sales disaggregated by geographical region based on the billing addresses of customers (in millions):

The following table presents changes in contract liability balances (in millions):

Previously deferred sales recognized in revenue totaled $59.7 million and $28.5 million in the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Revenue for the technical solutions segment, representing the Company’s technical, manufacturing, engineering, procurement, construction, and operations services offered to public and private sector customers, is recognized over the contractual period as services are rendered.

On October 31, 2019, the Company signed a cost-share contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) (the “HALEU Contract”) to deploy a cascade of centrifuges to demonstrate production of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (“HALEU”) for advanced reactors. HALEU is a component of an advanced nuclear reactor fuel that is not commercially available today and may be required for a number of advanced reactor and fuel designs currently under development in both the commercial and government sectors. The program has been under way since May 31, 2019, when the Company and DOE signed a preliminary letter agreement that allowed work to begin while the full contract was being finalized.

The following table summarizes the Company’s cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash as presented on the Consolidated Balance Sheets to amounts on the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows (in millions):

The following table provides additional detail regarding the Company’s deposits for financial assurance (in millions):

Centrus holds uranium at licensed locations in the form of natural uranium and as the uranium component of LEU. Centrus also holds SWU as the SWU component of LEU at licensed locations (e.g., fabricators) to meet book transfer requests by customers and suppliers. Fabricators process LEU into fuel for use in nuclear reactors. Components of inventories are as follows (in millions):

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value. There were no valuation adjustments in the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021.

Intangible assets originated from the Company’s reorganization and application of fresh start accounting as of the date the Company emerged from bankruptcy, September 30, 2014, and reflect the conditions at that time. The intangible asset related to the Company’s sales order book is amortized as the order book, existing at emergence, is reduced, principally as a result of deliveries to customers. The intangible asset related to customer relationships is amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated average useful life of 15 years. Amortization expense is presented below gross profit on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income. Intangible asset balances are as follows (in millions):

A summary of debt is as follows (in millions):

There were no transfers between Level 1, 2 or 3 during the periods presented.

The carrying value and estimated fair value of long-term debt were as follows (in millions):

The components of net periodic benefit (credits) for the defined benefit pension plans were as follows (in millions):

The components of net periodic benefit costs for the postretirement health and life benefit plans were as follows (in millions):

On February 2, 2021, the Company entered into an amendment (the “Voting Agreement Amendment”) to its existing Voting and Nomination Agreement with Mr. Morris Bawabeh, Kulayba LLC and M&D Bawabeh Foundation, Inc. (collectively, the “MB Group”) and an Exchange Agreement (as described below) whereby the MB Group agreed to support management’s recommendation on certain matters at the Company’s 2021 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) and Kulayba LLC agreed to exchange shares of the Company’s Preferred Stock for shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock and a warrant to acquire additional shares of Class A Common Stock.

The Company and Kulayba LLC also entered into an Exchange Agreement, dated February 2, 2021 (the “Exchange Agreement”), pursuant to which Kulayba LLC agreed to exchange (the “Exchange”) 3,873 shares of Preferred Stock, representing a $5,000,198 liquidation preference (including accrued and unpaid dividends), for (i) 231,276 shares of Class A Common Stock priced at the closing market price of $21.62 on the date of the Exchange Agreement and (ii) a Centrus Energy Corp. Warrant to Purchase Class A Common Stock (the “Warrant”), exercisable for 250,000 shares of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $21.62 per share, which was the closing market price on the date of the Exchange Agreement, subject to certain customary adjustments pursuant to the terms of the Warrant. The Warrant is exercisable by Kulayba LLC, unless terminated as provided in the Warrant, or the first to occur: (a) the second anniversary of the closing date of the Exchange or (b) the last business day immediately prior to the consummation of a Fundamental Transaction (as defined in the Warrant) which results in the stockholders of the Company immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction owning less than 50% of the voting equity of the surviving entity immediately after the consummation of the Fundamental Transaction. The Company retired the 3,873 shares of Preferred Stock received by the Company under the Exchange Agreement.

    

Notional stock units are a component of the 2019 Executive Incentive Plan for participating executives for the three-year period ending December 31, 2021. The plan payouts were settled in Class A Common Stock in April 2021 and March 2022. In April 2020, notional stock units and stock appreciation rights were granted to participating executives with a vesting period ending in April 2023.

The Russian government-owned entity TENEX, Joint-Stock Company (“TENEX”), is a major supplier of SWU to the Company. Under a 2011 agreement with TENEX, as amended, (the “TENEX Supply Contract”), the Company purchases SWU contained in LEU received from TENEX, and the Company delivers natural uranium to TENEX for the LEU’s uranium component. The LEU that the Company obtains from TENEX is subject to quotas and other restrictions applicable to commercial Russian LEU. Further, the ability of the Company or TENEX to perform under the TENEX Supply Contract is vulnerable to (i) sanctions or restrictions that might be imposed by Russia, the United States, or other countries, as a result of the war in Ukraine, or otherwise, (ii) customers and other parties who may object to receiving or handling Russian LEU or SWU, or (iii) suppliers and service providers seeking to limit their involvement with business related to Russia.

The TENEX Supply Contract originally was signed with commitments through 2022, but was modified in 2015 to give the Company the right to reschedule certain quantities of SWU of the original commitments into the period 2023 and beyond, in return for the purchase of additional SWU in those years. The Company has exercised this right to reschedule in each year through December 31, 2021, and expects to do so in 2022. If the Company exercises this right to reschedule in full during the remaining years of the contract, the Company will have a rescheduled post-2022 purchase commitment that could extend through 2028.

The TENEX Supply Contract provides that the Company must pay for all SWU in its minimum purchase obligation each year, even if it fails to submit orders for such SWU. In such a case, the Company would pay for the SWU but have to take the unordered SWU in the following year.

Pricing terms for SWU under the TENEX Supply Contract are based on a combination of market-related price points and other factors. This formula was subject to an adjustment at the end of 2018 that reduced the unit costs of SWU under this contract in 2019 and for the duration of the contract.

In 2018, the Company entered into an agreement (the “Orano Supply Agreement”) with the French company Orano Cycle for the long-term supply to the Company of SWU contained in LEU. The Orano Supply Agreement subsequently was assigned by Orano Cycle to its affiliate, Orano CE (“Orano”). Under the amended Orano Supply Agreement, the supply of SWU currently runs through 2029, and the Company has an option to extend through 2030. The Orano Supply Agreement provides significant flexibility to adjust purchase volumes, subject to annual minimums and maximums in fixed amounts that vary year by year. The pricing for the SWU purchased by the Company 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. 

The Company’s predecessor USEC Inc. and DOE signed an agreement dated June 17, 2002, as amended (the “2002 DOE-USEC Agreement”), pursuant to which the parties made long-term commitments directed at resolving issues related to the stability and security of the domestic uranium enrichment industry. The 2002 DOE-USEC Agreement requires Centrus to develop, demonstrate and deploy advanced enrichment technology in accordance with milestones, including the deployment of a commercial American Centrifuge Plant, and provides for remedies in the event of a failure to meet a milestone under certain circumstances, including terminating the 2002 DOE-USEC Agreement, revoking Centrus’ access to DOE’s centrifuge technology that is required for the success of the Company’s ongoing work with the American Centrifuge technology, requiring Centrus to transfer certain rights in the American Centrifuge technology and facilities to DOE, and requiring Centrus to reimburse DOE for certain

From time to time, the Company is involved in various pending legal proceedings, including the pending legal proceedings described below.

In 1993, the United States Enrichment Corporation, at that time a wholly owned government corporation (“USEC-Government”), entered into a lease for the Paducah and Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plants (collectively, the “GDPs”) with the DOE. As part of that lease, DOE and USEC-Government also entered into a memorandum of understanding (“Power MOU”) regarding power purchase agreements between DOE and the providers of power to the GDPs. Under the Power MOU, DOE and USEC-Government agreed upon the allocation of rights and liabilities under the power purchase agreements. In 1998, USEC-Government was privatized and became the United States Enrichment Corporation, now a principal subsidiary of the Company (“Enrichment Corp.”). Pursuant to legislation authorizing the privatization, the lease for the GDPs, which included the Power MOU as an Appendix, was transferred to Enrichment Corp. and Enrichment Corp. was given the right to purchase power from DOE. The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (“Paducah GDP”) was shut down in 2013 and deleased by Enrichment Corp. in 2014. On August 4, 2021, DOE informally informed Enrichment Corp. that the Joppa power plant, which had supplied power to the Paducah GDP, was planned to be decontaminated and decommissioned (“D&D”). According to DOE, the power purchase agreement with Electric Energy Inc. (“EEI”) requires DOE to pay for a portion of the D&D costs of the Joppa power plant and DOE has asserted that a portion of the DOE liability is the responsibility of Enrichment Corp. under the Power MOU in the amount of approximately $9.6 million. The Company is assessing DOE’s assertions including whether all or a portion of any such potential liability had been previously settled. The Company has not formed an opinion on the merits nor is it able to estimate the potential liability, if any, and no expense or liability has been accrued.

Centrus is subject to various legal proceedings and claims, either asserted or unasserted, which arise in the ordinary course of business. While the outcome of these claims cannot be predicted with certainty, other than the above, Centrus does not believe that the outcome of any of these legal matters, individually and in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on its cash flows, results of operations, or consolidated financial condition.

In the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, three customers in the LEU segment individually represented $44.9 million, $18.9 million, and $14.5 million of revenue. One customer in the technical solutions segment individually represented $12.3 million and $24.0 million of revenue in the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, respectively.

In the three months ended June 30, 2021, three customers in the LEU segment individually represented $14.5 million, $11.2 million, and $10.4 million of revenue and one customer in the technical solutions segment represented $15.2 million of revenue. In the six months ended June 30, 2021, two customers in the LEU segment individually represented $28.5 million and $14.5 million of revenue and one customer in the technical solutions segment individually represented $30.8 million of revenue.

Centrus Energy Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Centrus,” the “Company”, “we” or “us”), 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 indicates otherwise.

Centrus operates two business segments: (a) low-enriched uranium (“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 to customers, which are primarily utilities that operate commercial nuclear power plants. The majority of these sales are for the enrichment component of LEU, which is measured in separative work units (“SWU”). Centrus also sells natural uranium (the raw material needed to produce LEU) and occasionally sells LEU with the natural uranium, uranium conversion, 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 spot, medium and long-term sales contracts with major utilities and other customers to 2029. We have secured cost-competitive supplies of SWU under medium and long-term contracts through the end of this decade to help us to fill our existing customer orders and make new sales. A market-related price reset provision in our largest supply contract 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.

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, while also 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 to play a critical role in meeting U.S. national security and energy security requirements and advancing America’s nonproliferation, energy security, 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 a domestic uranium enrichment capability suitable to meet ongoing and enduring U.S. national security requirements since the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (“Paducah GDP”) shut down in 2013. Longstanding U.S. policy and binding nonproliferation agreements prohibit the use of foreign-origin enrichment technology for certain U.S. national security missions. Our AC100M centrifuge currently is the only deployment-ready U.S. uranium enrichment technology in the United States that can meet these national security requirements.

Centrus is working to pioneer U.S. production of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (“HALEU”), enabling the deployment of a new generation of HALEU-fueled reactors to meet the world’s growing need for carbon-free power. HALEU is a high-performance nuclear fuel component that is expected to be required by a number of advanced reactor and fuel designs, which are now under development for commercial and government uses. While existing reactors typically operate on LEU with the uranium-235 isotope concentration below 5%, HALEU is further enriched so that the uranium-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 a domestic HALEU supply is widely viewed as a major obstacle to the successful commercialization of these new reactors. For example, in surveys conducted by the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council in 2021 and 2020, advanced reactor developers 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 Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) to enrich up to 20% uranium-235 assay HALEU, Centrus is uniquely positioned to fill a critical gap in the supply chain and facilitate the deployment of these promising next-generation reactors.

Advanced nuclear reactors promise to provide an important source of reliable carbon-free power. By investing in HALEU technology now, and as the only American-based company with an NRC license currently pursuing HALEU enrichment capability, we believe the Company is well positioned to capitalize on a potential new market as the demand for HALEU-based fuels is expected to increase in the mid- to late-2020s with the development of advanced reactors. However, there are no guarantees about whether or when government or commercial demand for HALEU will materialize, and there are a number of technical, regulatory, and economic hurdles that must be overcome for these fuels and reactors to come to the market. Also, foreign government-owned, government-operated, and other new competitors could seek to enter the market and offer HALEU at competitive prices. There is one known foreign government-owned source which currently has the capability to produce HALEU, although this source is currently subject to trade restrictions that limit the amount of material from this source which may be imported into the United States with more restrictions potentially under consideration. Other foreign government-owned entities that are not currently subject to U.S. trade restrictions, however, may enter the market. One such foreign-government owned entity has expressed an interest in and potential capability for HALEU production but has not committed publicly to enter the market to enrich above 10% uranium-235 enrichment assays. This entity has indicated publicly that it would take six to seven years to be able to produce HALEU.

We are also actively considering and expect to consider from time to time in the future, potential strategic transactions, which could involve, without limitation, acquisitions and/or dispositions of businesses or assets, joint ventures or investments in businesses, products or technologies or changes to our capital structure. In connection with any such transaction, we may seek additional debt or equity financing, contribute or dispose of assets, assume additional indebtedness, or partner with other parties to consummate a transaction.

The Company has taken actions to protect its workforce and to maintain critical operations during the COVID -19 pandemic. Travel, operational, and other restrictions imposed by the U.S. and foreign governments may impact our ability to make future sales and may impact the ability of our suppliers, including our suppliers of low enriched uranium, to perform under their contracts. As of the date of this filing, our LEU segment operations have not been materially affected by the COVID -19 pandemic and we continue to work with our suppliers, fabricators, and customers to monitor the situation closely, including with respect to the impact of emerging variants. However, over the course of the HALEU Contract, our technical solutions segment has been impacted by supply chain disruptions and increased costs as a result of the pandemic.

Further, the governments of states and counties in which we operate have from time to time issued orders imposing various restrictions, including prohibiting holding gatherings and closing nonessential businesses. Some of these restrictions remain in place and we continue to monitor and adjust as necessary. The Company has issued a policy requiring vaccinations subject to medical, religious, and other exemptions as required by law. In some cases, state laws or collective bargaining agreements preclude us from fully implementing our vaccination policy. The Company has also continued other measures designed to protect its workforce such as expanded telework to protect its workforce, to comply with government orders, and to maintain critical operations. We are working closely with DOE and we are continuing to make progress while implementing measures designed to protect our workforce. Further, the actions taken by our suppliers and government regulatory agencies to protect their workforces may impact our ability to obtain the necessary supplies and governmental reviews and approvals to timely complete the HALEU project. We are experiencing delays by our suppliers and increased costs from them as a result of the impact of the COVID -19.

The global nuclear industry outlook has begun to improve after many years of decline or stagnation. The development of advanced small and large-scale reactors, innovative advanced fuel types, and the commitment of nations to begin deploying or to increase the share of nuclear power in their nations has created optimism in the market. Part of the momentum has resulted from efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change and improve health and safety.

According to the World Nuclear Association, as of June 2022, there were 55 reactors under construction worldwide, about a third of which are in China. The United States, with 92 operating reactors, remains the world’s largest market for nuclear fuel. The nuclear industry in the United States, Japan, and Europe faces headwinds as well as opportunities. In the United States, the industry has been under pressure from lower cost natural gas resources, until recently as gas prices have been rising, and the expansion of subsidized renewable energy. Twelve U.S. reactors have prematurely shut down in the past ten years and others could shut down in the next few years. At the same time, there are active efforts to develop, demonstrate, and deploy next generation reactors in the United States, many of which are expected to require HALEU.

    

As a consequence of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, over 60 reactors in Japan and Germany were taken offline, and other countries curtailed or slowed their construction of new reactors or accelerated the retirement of existing plants. While ten reactors in Japan have restarted and more are expected to restart, supply and demand dynamics for nuclear fuel continue to be impacted. Due to the war in Ukraine, the European Union is encouraging its member countries to reconsider the planned early retirement of existing plants in order to reduce reliance on Russian gas imports.

In October 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce reached an agreement with the Russian Federation on an extension of the 1992 Russian Suspension Agreement, a trade agreement that allows for Russian-origin nuclear fuel to be exported to the United States in limited quantities. The two parties agreed to extend the agreement through 2040 and to set aside a significant portion of the quota for Centrus’ shipments to the United States through 2028 to perform under our long-term supply (purchase) agreement (the “TENEX Supply Contract”) with the Russian government entity, TENEX, Joint-Stock Company (“TENEX”). This outcome allowed for sufficient quota for Centrus to continue serving its utility customers.

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 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, 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 and may require us to increase purchases from non-Russian sources to the extent available.

In response to the war in Ukraine, there have been proposals in U.S. Congress and elsewhere to ban imports of uranium that could affect our ability to import LEU in one or more years under the Russian Suspension Agreement but none of these have been adopted as of the date of this filing.

Our order book of sales under contract in the LEU segment extends to 2029. As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, 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 June 30, 2022, whereby customers have made advance payments to be applied against future deliveries. We estimate that approximately 2% of our order book is at risk related to customer operations. These medium and long-term contracts are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including existing import laws and restrictions under current contracts such as, the Russian Suspension Agreement, which limits imports of Russian uranium products into the United States and applies to our sales using material procured under the TENEX Supply Contract as well as the potential for sanctions and other restrictions on trade with Russia or in dealings with Russian persons and entities, in response to the evolving situation regarding the war in Ukraine.

Our technical solutions segment reflects our technical, manufacturing, engineering, and operations services offered to public and private sector customers, including engineering and testing activities as well as technical and resource support currently being performed by the Company. This includes the HALEU Contract and a variety of other contracts with public and private sector customers.

Revenue from our LEU segment accounted for approximately 86% and 77% of our total revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, respectively. The majority of our customers are domestic and international utilities that operate nuclear power plants, with international sales constituting approximately 50% of revenue from our LEU segment since 2020. Our agreements with electric utilities are primarily medium and long-term fixed-commitment contracts under which our 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 component of LEU to utilities or where we sell natural uranium to utilities and other nuclear fuel related companies are generally shorter-term, fixed-commitment contracts.

Revenue is recognized at the time LEU or uranium is delivered under the terms of our contracts. The timing of customer deliveries is affected by, among other things, electricity markets, reactor operations, maintenance and refueling outages, and customer inventories. Based on customers’ individual needs, some customers are building inventories and may choose to take deliveries under annual purchase obligations later in the year or in subsequent years. Customer payments for the SWU component of LEU averaged approximately $6.5 million per order in the six months ended June 30, 2022. As a result, a relatively small change in the timing of customer orders for LEU may cause significant variability in our operating results year over year.

Our contracts with customers are denominated primarily in U.S. dollars, and although revenue has not been materially affected by changes in the foreign exchange rate of the U.S. dollar, we may have a competitive price advantage or disadvantage obtaining new contracts in a competitive bidding process depending upon the weakness or strength of the U.S. dollar. On occasion, we will accept payment in euros for spot sales that may be subject to short-term exchange rate risk. Costs of our primary competitors are denominated in other currencies. Our contracts with suppliers are primarily denominated in U.S. dollars. We have a SWU supply agreement, nominally commencing in 2023, with prices payable in a combination of U.S. dollars and euros, but with a contract-defined exchange rate.

On occasion, we will accept payment for SWU in the form of natural uranium. Revenue from the sale of SWU under such contracts is recognized at the time LEU is delivered and is based on the fair value of the natural uranium at contract inception, or as the quantity of natural uranium is finalized, if variable.

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 Contract. With our government and private sector customers, we seek to leverage our domestic enrichment technology and experience, 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.

On October 31, 2019, we signed the three-year cost-share HALEU Contract with DOE to deploy a cascade of centrifuges to demonstrate production of HALEU for advanced reactors. The three-year program has been under way since May 31, 2019, when the Company and DOE signed an interim HALEU letter agreement that allowed work to begin while the full contract was being finalized. The Company entered into this cost-share contract with 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. The existing HALEU Contract was originally expected to result in the Company having constructed centrifuges using the AC100M technology and enable the systems to enrich uranium to the 20% concentration in the uranium-235 isotope that is required by many of the advanced reactor concepts now under development. Centrus is the only company with an NRC license to enrich HALEU.

Since March of 2018, Centrus has provided design, technical, and resource support for X-energy related to its Tri-Structural Isotropic (“TRISO”) fuel manufacturing process. Currently, work is being performed under a services agreement with X-energy signed in August 2021 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 Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (“ARDP”). At our discretion, the task orders under the new agreement may include in-kind contributions that we are not currently, but, may provide in the future.

The following tables present elements of the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income that are categorized by segment (dollar amounts in millions):

Revenue from the LEU segment was $85.5 million and $45.2 million in the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, an increase of $40.3 million (or 89%). The increase is due to a 136% increase in the average price of SWU, partially offset by a 20% decrease in the volume of SWU sold for the three months ended June 30, 2022, largely due to the variability in timing of utility customer orders and related contracts.

Revenue from uranium sales was $0 in the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021.

Revenue from the technical solutions segment was $13.6 million and $17.2 million in the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, a decrease of $3.6 million (or 21%). The decrease in revenue in the three months ended June 30, 2022, was primarily related to a $2.9 million decrease in revenue generated by the HALEU Contract and a $1.0 million decrease in revenue generated by the X-energy contract.

Cost of sales for the LEU segment was $26.1 million and $27.0 million in the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, a decrease of $0.9 million (or 3%). The decrease largely reflects decreases in the volume of SWU sold and in the average SWU unit cost. The volume of SWU sold decreased 20% for the three months ended June 30, 2022, and the average SWU unit cost decreased 5%. Cost of sales for the three months ended June 30, 2022, included $5.5 million for the revaluation of obligations for SWU borrowed in 2018-2022.

Gross profit for the LEU segment was $59.4 million and $18.2 million in the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, an increase of $41.2 million (or 226%). The $41.2 million increase in gross profit in the three months ended June 30, 2022, was due primarily to an increase in the average profit margin per SWU, which was partially offset by a decrease in SWU sales volume.

Gross profit for the technical solutions segment was $1.5 million compared to a gross loss of $1.1 million in the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, an increase of $2.6 million (or 236%). The $2.6 million increase in gross profit in the three months ended June 30, 2022 was primarily related to a $2.7 million increase in the gross profit generated from the HALEU Contract. The increase related to the HALEU Contract is primarily attributable to the Company’s costs under the HALEU Contract being fully recoverable in the current year as the Company had contributed its contractually required cost share as of December 31, 2021.