The DOE is loaning Vistra $4.2 billion to produce more nuclear power. But what does that have to do with Centrus?

Centrus Energy pioneered High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU). Smaller nuclear reactors require this fuel.

Oklo and NuScale face many near-term challenges. Centrus is a safer play on the booming nuclear energy market.

Cameco (CCJ -1.17%) offers scale, diversification, and exposure across the nuclear fuel cycle, while Centrus Energy (LEU -4.56%) targets the increasingly important U.S. uranium enrichment market. Both could benefit from nuclear growth, but the choice comes down to a sharp trade-off between resilience and the upside of concentrated scarcity.

Centrus Energy Corp. is now attractively valued after a 66% decline from recent highs, offering a compelling entry for nuclear energy exposure. I am considering a staged Buy of LEU stock with a 1-3% NAV allocation, recognizing high execution risk and technical volatility. My discounted earnings model suggests a 21.5% margin of safety, assuming 15% EPS CAGR over 20 years despite near-term earnings contraction.

The nuclear fuel operator is expanding production amid the U.S. ban on Russian uranium imports. Centrus has the only U.S. facility licensed and able to produce a crucial fuel for advanced reactors.

Investors looking to benefit from nuclear energy's long-term growth may consider NNE, RYCEY and BWXT, which are expanding their nuclear capabilities amid rising demand for reliable, carbon-free power.

The American nuclear renaissance is less of a one-man show and more of an international effort. Recent reports out of South Korea indicate the possibility of the country assisting the U.S. with constructing eight reactors.

Shares of NuScale Power (NYSE:SMR) are sliding in Friday morning trading, giving back the policy-driven advance nuclear developers posted a day earlier. NuScale Power stock is at $8.45, down 7% midday.

Production will be "unobligated" that can support national security missions Adds another HALEU customer to Centrus' backlog and includes prepayments to advance domestic enrichment capacity buildout BETHESDA, Md. and TORRANCE, Calif.