Nucor Invests in Development of New Nuclear Energy Technology

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE) announced today that it is investing $15 million in NuScale Power, LLC (NuScale), a developer of small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear plants. Nucor has entered into an agreement to fund NuScale via a private placement in the Special Purpose Acquisition Company, Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: SV, SVSVW), that intends to merge with NuScale. This capital will support the path to commercialization of NuScale’s proprietary and innovative SMR technology, the NuScale Power Module™.

"Sustainability is driving the business decisions of leading companies around the world. As America’s largest steel producer and a significant energy consumer, we are looking for safe and reliable sources of power generation that are consistent with our sustainability goals. The continued development of small modular nuclear reactors is critical to ensure our nation has carbon-free, baseload power, which is why we are making this investment in NuScale," said Leon Topalian, President & Chief Executive Officer of Nucor Corporation.

SMRs are nuclear reactors that can operate independently or in tandem with other modules to produce carbon-free electric power on a smaller scale and at a lower cost than traditional nuclear power.  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved NuScale’s technology, representing a significant milestone that no other SMR developer has achieved. 

Nucor has also supported the development of solar and wind energy projects through three Power Purchase Agreements it has entered into in the past two years, which will help enable the construction of 600 megawatts of renewable power generation. This investment in NuScale complements these efforts to help the United States develop new sources of clean power. An effective electric grid requires both baseload and intermittent power sources, which is why both nuclear and renewable energy must be part of the solution to achieve carbon reduction while maintaining grid reliability. 

About Nucor

Nucor and its affiliates are manufacturers of steel and steel products, with operating facilities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Products produced include: carbon and alloy steel — in bars, beams, sheet and plate; hollow structural section tubing; electrical conduit; steel racking; steel piling; steel joists and joist girders; steel deck; fabricated concrete reinforcing steel; cold finished steel; precision castings; steel fasteners; metal building systems; insulated metal panels; steel grating; and wire and wire mesh. Nucor, through The David J. Joseph Company, also brokers ferrous and nonferrous metals, pig iron and hot briquetted iron / direct reduced iron; supplies ferro-alloys; and processes ferrous and nonferrous scrap. Nucor is North America’s largest recycler.

About NuScale Power

NuScale Power has developed a new modular light water reactor nuclear power plant to supply energy for electrical generation, district heating, desalination, hydrogen production and other process heat applications. This groundbreaking small modular reactor (SMR) technology is offered in scalable sizes, including a VOYGR™-12 power plant, which includes 12 (77 MWe) NuScale Power Modules™, using a safer, smaller, and scalable version of pressurized water reactor technology. NuScale also offers smaller power plant solutions, the four-module VOYGR-4 (308 MWe) and six-module VOYGR-6 (462 MWe), though others will be possible. With an array of flexible power options, NuScale is poised to meet the diverse energy needs of customers across the world. The majority investor in NuScale is Fluor Corporation, a global engineering, procurement, and construction company with more than 70 years supporting nuclear projects.

About Spring Valley Acquisition Corp.

Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. is a special purpose acquisition company formed for the purpose of entering into a merger or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities focusing on sustainability, including clean energy and storage, smart grid/efficiency, environmental services and recycling, mobility, water and wastewater management, advanced materials and technology-enabled services. Spring Valley’s sponsor is supported by Pearl Energy Investment Management, LLC, a Dallas, Texas based investment firm that focuses on partnering with best-in-class management teams to invest in the North American energy industry.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties which we expect will or may occur in the future and may impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. The words "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "intend," "project," "may," "will," "should," "could" and similar expressions are intended to identify those forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s best judgment based on current information, and, although we base these statements on circumstances that we believe to be reasonable when made, there can be no assurance that future events will not affect the accuracy of such forward-looking information. As such, the forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may vary materially from the projected results and expectations discussed in this news release. Factors that might cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (1) competitive pressure on sales and pricing, including pressure from imports and substitute materials; (2) U.S. and foreign trade policies affecting steel imports or exports; (3) the sensitivity of the results of our operations to prevailing market steel prices and changes in the supply and cost of raw materials, including pig iron, iron ore and scrap steel; (4) the availability and cost of electricity and natural gas, which could negatively affect our cost of steel production or result in a delay or cancellation of existing or future drilling within our natural gas drilling programs; (5) critical equipment failures and business interruptions; (6) market demand for steel products, which, in the case of many of our products, is driven by the level of nonresidential construction activity in the United States; (7) impairment in the recorded value of inventory, equity investments, fixed assets, goodwill or other long-lived assets; (8) uncertainties surrounding the global economy, including excess world capacity for steel production, inflation and interest rate changes; (9) fluctuations in currency conversion rates; (10) significant changes in laws or government regulations affecting environmental compliance, including legislation and regulations that result in greater regulation of greenhouse gas emissions that could increase our energy costs, capital expenditures and operating costs or cause one or more of our permits to be revoked or make it more difficult to obtain permit modifications; (11) the cyclical nature of the steel industry; (12) capital investments and their impact on our performance; (13) our safety performance; and (14) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and any variants of the virus. These and other factors are discussed in Nucor’s regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those in "Item 1A. Risk Factors" of Nucor’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release speak only as of this date, and Nucor does not assume any obligation to update them, except as may be required by applicable law.

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SOURCE Nucor Corporation