Energy Sovereignty: Federal Billions Rewire the Nuclear Supply Chain

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equity Insider - News Commentary – The North American nuclear landscape has shifted from planning to rapid execution, sparked by a $2.7 billion U.S. Department of Energy commitment to onshore uranium enrichment^[1]. This massive structural realignment was further bolstered by an $800 million federal award to accelerate the deployment of small modular reactors^[2], moving the industry beyond policy talk and into direct capital deployment. As the market re-rates the entire fuel cycle, several key platforms are emerging as leaders in domestic energy security, including Eagle Energy Metals (OTC:SVIIF) (Soon-to-be under symbol ‘NUCLR'), Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU), NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE:SMR), Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE-A: UUUU) (TSX:EFR), and Canada Nickel Company (TSXV:CNC) (OTCQB:CNIKF).

Global investment in nuclear capacity is projected to triple by 2035, reaching approximately $210 billion as nations race toward ambitious 2050 power targets^[3]. This secular transition is fueled by a new federal mandate that treats domestic critical minerals—from uranium to nickel—as vital national infrastructure^[4]. In this unified industrial push, companies with execution-ready projects are being positioned to command the essential backbone of Western energy sovereignty.

Eagle Energy Metals (OTC:SVIIF) (Soon-to-be under symbol ‘NUCLR') announced this week that it has engaged BBA USA Inc., a consulting firm with over 45 years of energy sector experience, to design a targeted drilling campaign at its Aurora Uranium Project in support of an eventual Pre-Feasibility Study. The timing matters because the company is soon heading toward a NASDAQ listing under the ticker symbol NUCL through a business combination with Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. II (OTC:SVIIF), the same SPAC team that brought NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE:SMR) public in 2022.

Eagle Energy holds rights to what it describes as the largest open pit-constrained, measured and indicated uranium deposit in the United States. The Aurora deposit sits on the Oregon-Nevada border with 32.75 million pounds of indicated uranium and 4.98 million pounds inferred, based on over 500 drill holes. Adjacent to Aurora is the Cordex deposit, which has seen over 100 holes drilled and offers potential resource expansion as the company digitizes existing data.

"We're seeing sustained demand for nuclear power translate into real demand for uranium, particularly for projects located in the U.S.," said Mark Mukhija, CEO of Eagle Energy Metals. "Advancing Aurora with BBA is about making sure this asset is ready to meet that demand as the market continues to tighten."

The domestic supply situation provides context for the company's positioning. In 2023, U.S. utilities purchased more than 50 million pounds of uranium, with less than 5% obtained from limited domestic production and over 95% sourced from abroad, including significant amounts from Russia and Kazakhstan.

President Trump recently signed four executive orders aimed at removing regulatory barriers and quadrupling U.S. nuclear power over the next 25 years, while invoking the Defense Production Act to secure domestic uranium supply.

Meanwhile, electricity demand is accelerating as AI, quantum computing, and cryptocurrency operations strain global grids. Meta recently announced plans to build a $10 billion AI data center in Louisiana powered by nuclear energy from Constellation Energy, while Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, and Nvidia have struck major deals to power their operations with nuclear.

Beyond uranium, Eagle Energy Metals also holds proprietary Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology. With BBA's technical continuity (they authored Aurora's SK-1300 Technical Report Summary in August 2025), existing infrastructure, and access to low-cost hydropower in a mining-friendly jurisdiction, the company is advancing its asset as domestic uranium supply becomes increasingly prioritized.

Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) was awarded $900 million by the U.S. Department of Energy to expand its uranium enrichment facility in Piketon, Ohio, to include commercial-scale production of High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium. The competitively-awarded federal funding will support Centrus' previously announced multi-billion dollar expansion that will also include additional Low-Enriched Uranium production to serve commercial utilities and the existing reactor fleet, with the project expected to support 1,000 construction jobs and 300 new operating jobs in Ohio while retaining 150 existing positions.

"This award represents a historic commitment to revitalizing America's nuclear fuel supply chain and reclaiming American nuclear leadership on the global stage," said Amir Vexler, President and CEO of Centrus Energy. "I am grateful to the Trump Administration for making this commitment and to Republicans and Democrats in Congress who came together to provide this urgently needed funding."

The fixed-price base task order amount is $900 million to bring new enrichment capacity online, with additional options for up to $170 million to produce and deliver HALEU to the Department. Centrus has already launched domestic centrifuge manufacturing at its Oak Ridge, Tennessee factory, with first new capacity expected online in 2029.

NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE:SMR) has released study results demonstrating that pairing its advanced small modular reactor nuclear technology with a heat augmentation system can provide both profitable and reliable power for commercial chemical plants. The techno-economic assessment conducted in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory examined the performance of coupling a NuScale Power Module with a U.S. chemical facility to provide nuclear-generated steam and electric power.

"As the first and only SMR to have our designs certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), NuScale continues to lead in the development of new technologies to provide process heat and electricity," said Dr. José Reyes, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at NuScale Power. "As we saw in the results of this assessment, delivering high-temperature steam with NuScale's scalable architecture provides industrial users with unparalleled flexibility that can be integrated into their processes and offers a promising new path for them to explore. We are proud of the collaboration with our partners at ORNL and grateful for the support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative for this study."

The study demonstrated that the NuScale integrated energy system could meet chemical plant requirements of 1.3 million kg/h of process steam at 400°C and 4.1 MPa while also providing 73 MW of electric power. The hybrid system's scalable architecture offers maximum flexibility for optimizing plant energy use and profitability across various configurations.

Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE-A: UUUU) (TSX:EFR) exceeded FY-2025 guidance for finished uranium production, mined uranium ore production and uranium concentrate sales. The company's Pinyon Plain Mine in Arizona and La Sal Complex in Utah produced over 1.6 million pounds of uranium in 2025, exceeding the top end of guidance by approximately 11%, while the White Mesa Mill produced more than one million pounds of finished U₃O₈ during 2025 with over 350,000 pounds produced in December alone.

"These 2025 uranium metrics reinforce our reputation as, not only the country's lowest-cost and largest uranium producer, but as a company that delivers on its promises," said Mark S. Chalmers, CEO of Energy Fuels Inc. "Nuclear energy powered by uranium is among the cleanest, least expensive, and most reliable ways to supply our nation's growing energy and electricity needs."

The company expects to sell 360,000 pounds of U₃O₈ in Q4-2025 at a weighted average sales price of approximately $74.93 per pound, representing 50% growth over Q3-2025 sales volumes. Energy Fuels Inc. completed two new long-term uranium sales contracts with U.S. nuclear power generating companies adding deliveries for 2027 to 2032 utilizing hybrid pricing with exposure to uranium market upside.

Canada Nickel Company (TSXV:CNC) (OTCQB:CNIKF) was named as the second project to be advanced under Ontario's new One Project, One Process framework, reflecting the advanced state, scale, and strategic importance of the Crawford Nickel Project within Ontario's Critical Minerals Strategy. The 1P1P framework is designed to better coordinate Ontario's permitting and review processes for major mining developments by aligning timelines, responsibilities, and information sharing across provincial ministries.

"Ontario is moving at lightning speed to open this 100% Canadian owned mine to create 4,000 jobs for Canadian workers," said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines. "In 2026, our government is going full-tilt to unlock one of the world's largest nickel deposits that will supercharge our economy and help end China's critical mineral dominance."

Crawford is expected to be the largest nickel sulphide project in the western world and among the most economically significant mining developments in Canada, with independent analysis estimating the Project will generate more than $70 billion in GDP over its initial 40+ year mine life. Canada Nickel Company is targeting construction commencement by year-end 2026.

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SOURCES:

1. https://www.energy.gov/articles/us-department-energy-awards-27-billion-restore-american-uranium-enrichment
2. https://www.energy.gov/articles/promises-made-promises-kept
3. https://energiesmedia.com/global-forecast-projects-nuclear-growth-scenario/
4. https://www.mining.com/how-2026-will-reshape-the-us-critical-mineral-resilience/