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Debt
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Debt  
Debt
7. DEBT

Revolving Credit Facility and Term Loan due May 31, 2012

Utilization of the $310.0 million syndicated credit facility at December 31, 2011 and 2010 follows:

   
December 31,
 
   
2011
   
2010
 
   
(millions)
 
Borrowings under the revolving credit facility
  $ -     $ -  
Term loan                                                                       
    85.0       85.0  
Letters of credit                                                                       
    19.6       17.3  
Available credit                                                                       
    205.4       207.7  

 
On March 13, 2012, USEC amended and restated its existing $310.0 million credit facility, scheduled to mature on May 31, 2012, to a $235.0 million credit facility that matures on May 31, 2013. Refer to "Amended and Restated Credit Facility" below.

In 2011, aggregate borrowings and repayments under the revolving credit facility amounted to $80.9 million, and the peak amount outstanding was $50.1 million. In addition to the $85.0 million term loan, the credit facility included aggregate lender commitments under the revolving credit facility of $225.0 million, including up to $150.0 million in letters of credit. The interest rate on the term loan as of December 31, 2011 was 9.5% (floor of 2% plus 7.5% as described below).

The credit facility is secured by assets of USEC Inc. and its subsidiaries, excluding equity in, and assets of, subsidiaries created to carry out future commercial American Centrifuge activities. Borrowings under the credit facility are subject to limitations based on established percentages of eligible accounts receivable and USEC-owned inventory pledged as collateral to the lenders. Available credit reflects the levels of qualifying assets at the end of the previous month less any borrowings or letters of credit.

The term loan was funded as of October 8, 2010 and was issued with an original issue discount of 2% and bore interest, at our election, at either:
 
·  
the greater of (1) the JPMorgan Chase Bank prime rate (with a floor of 3%) plus 6.5%, (2) the federal funds rate plus ½ of 1% (with a floor of 3%) plus 6.5%, or (3) an adjusted 1-month LIBO Rate plus 1% (with a floor of 3%) plus 6.5%; or
 
·  
the adjusted LIBO Rate (with a floor of 2.0%) plus 7.5%.
 

The interest rate on outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility was, at our election, either:
 
 
·
the sum of (1) the greater of a) the JPMorgan Chase Bank prime rate, b) the federal funds rate plus ½ of 1%, or c) an adjusted 1-month LIBO Rate plus 1% plus (2) a margin ranging from 2.25% to 2.75% based upon availability, or
 
 
·
the sum of the adjusted LIBO Rate plus a margin ranging from 4.0% to 4.5% based upon availability.

On June 20, 2011, the credit facility agreement was amended to provide increased flexibility for continued investment in the American Centrifuge project. Before the amendment, the credit facility agreement permitted USEC to spend up to $165 million in the aggregate over the term of the credit facility on the American Centrifuge project, subject to certain limitations and exceptions. The amendment removed this spending restriction. The credit facility agreement, as amended, instead restricted spending on the American Centrifuge project if Availability (as defined in the credit facility agreement) falls below $100 million, as described below:

Requirement
Outcome
Availability ≥ $100 million
If not maintained, then the aggregate amount of spending on the American Centrifuge project (1) made in any calendar month shall not exceed $5 million and (2) made in the aggregate shall not exceed $25 million until the 60th consecutive day after minimum Availability is restored.

Availability was $204.7 million as of December 31, 2011 and $206.8 million as of December 31, 2010.

The credit facility contains various reserve provisions that reduce available borrowings under the facility periodically or restrict the use of borrowings if certain requirements are not met. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, USEC met all of the reserve provision requirements.

The credit facility includes various customary operating and financial covenants, including restrictions on the incurrence and prepayment of other indebtedness, granting of liens, sales of assets, making of investments, maintenance of a minimum amount of collateral, and payment of dividends or other distributions. Failure to satisfy the covenants would constitute an event of default under the credit facility. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, USEC was in compliance with all of the covenants.

A failure by USEC to comply with obligations under the credit facility or other agreements such as the indenture governing USEC's outstanding convertible notes, or the occurrence of a "fundamental change" as defined in the indenture governing USEC's outstanding convertible notes or the occurrence of a "material adverse effect" as defined in the credit facility, could result in an event of default under the credit facility. A default, if not waived or cured (in cases where USEC is granted a cure period), could permit, among other things, acceleration of the repayment of any outstanding indebtedness to the lenders, the posting of cash collateral in an amount equal to 105% of any outstanding letters of credit, and the termination of the credit facility.

Amended and Restated Credit Facility

On March 13, 2012, USEC amended and restated its existing $310.0 million credit facility (including the $85.0 million term loan), scheduled to mature on May 31, 2012, to a $235.0 million credit facility that matures on May 31, 2013.  The amended and restated credit facility includes a revolving credit facility of $150.0 million (including up to $75.0 million in letters of credit) and a term loan of $85.0 million. Under the amended and restated credit facility, commencing December 3, 2012, the aggregate revolving commitments and term loan principal will be reduced by $5.0 million per month through the expiration of the credit facility.

As with the former facility, the credit facility is secured by assets of USEC Inc. and its subsidiaries, excluding equity in, and assets of, subsidiaries created to carry out future commercial American Centrifuge activities. Borrowings under the credit facility are subject to limitations based on established percentages of eligible accounts receivable and USEC-owned inventory pledged as collateral to the lenders. Available credit reflects the levels of qualifying assets at the end of the previous month less any borrowings or letters of credit.

The new term loan was funded as of March 13, 2012 and will bear interest, at our election, at either:
 
·  
the sum of (1) the greater of (a) the JPMorgan Chase Bank prime rate, (b) the federal funds rate plus ½ of 1%, or (c) an adjusted 1-month LIBO Rate (with a floor of 2.0%) plus 1% plus (2) a margin of 7.25%; or
 
·  
the adjusted LIBO Rate (with a floor of 2.0%) plus a margin of 9.0%.
 

The interest rate on outstanding borrowings under the new revolving credit facility is, at our election, either:
 
 
·
the sum of (1) the greater of (a) the JPMorgan Chase Bank prime rate, (b) the federal funds rate plus ½ of 1%, or (c) an adjusted 1-month LIBO Rate (with a floor of 2.0%) plus 1% plus (2) a margin of 2.75%, or
 
 
·
the sum of the adjusted LIBO Rate (with a floor of 2.0%) plus a margin of 4.5%.
 

If USEC has not terminated operations at the Paducah GDP by June 30, 2012, and USEC's gross profit for any three consecutive months thereafter is a loss, then commencing on the first date of such quarter and continuing for the remaining term of the credit facility, the margin on the term loan will increase by 2.0% and the margin on the revolving loans will increase by 1.5%.

The credit facility is available to finance working capital needs and general corporate purposes. The credit facility imposes limitations and restrictions on our ability to invest in the American Centrifuge project as follows:

March, April and May 2012
Up to $15 million per month
June 2012 and beyond
Up to $1 million per month. If USEC enters into definitive agreements for the RD&D program then, from the later of June 1, 2012 or the date of such agreements, we can invest our 20% share of the costs under the RD&D program (up to $75 million) as long as the amount USEC has spent that is due to be reimbursed to us under the RD&D program does not exceed $50 million.
Exceptions
If USEC demobilizes the American Centrifuge project, USEC may pay the costs and expenses of such demobilization in accordance with a plan previously submitted to the agent for the lenders.
 
If, as part of DOE's exercise or remedies under the RD&D program, USEC is required to transfer the American Centrifuge project or the RD&D program assets, in whole or in part, to DOE or its designee, USEC may spend as needed to maintain compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, but may not spend more than $5 million of proceeds of the revolving loans on such expenses.
 
USEC may not spend any proceeds of revolving loans on American Centrifuge expenses if a default or event of default has occurred.

The revolving credit facility contains various reserve provisions that reduce available borrowings under the facility periodically including an availability block equal to $45.0 million. The other reserves under the revolving credit facility, such as availability reserves and borrowing base reserves, are customary for credit facilities of this type.

Subject to certain exceptions, USEC will be required at all times to prepay all amounts outstanding under the revolving credit agreement with the net proceeds of (i) any sale or transfer of assets, including in the ordinary course, of USEC Inc. and its subsidiaries, (ii) the sale or transfer of equity of USEC Inc. or its subsidiaries, (iii) the issuance of indebtedness of USEC Inc. or its subsidiaries or (iv) insurance proceeds from casualty events.  In addition, certain proceeds, including from specified debt issuances and asset sales (including sales resulting from cessation of production at the Paducah GDP or a demobilization of the American Centrifuge project), will permanently reduce the revolving loan commitments and prepay the term loan. Both the revolving credit facility and the term loan must be fully prepaid prior to any redemption of the Company's Series B-1 preferred stock.

With certain exceptions, all funds of USEC Inc. and its subsidiaries will be subject to full cash dominion, meaning that they will be swept on a daily basis into an account with the administrative agent and will be used to pay outstanding loans and to cash collateralize outstanding letters of credit (if required) before they are available to USEC for use in its operations.

With limited allowances, the credit facility includes a requirement to maintain a ratio of 1.75:1.0 of certain eligible collateral (less reserves) to the amount of the credit facility.  The credit facility also includes various other customary operating and financial covenants, including restrictions on the incurrence and prepayment of other indebtedness, granting of liens, sales of assets, making of investments, and payment of dividends or other distributions. Failure to satisfy the covenants would constitute an event of default under the credit facility.

Default under, or failure to comply with the Russian Contract, the Russian Supply Agreement, the 2002 DOE-USEC Agreement (other than the milestones related to deployment of the American Centrifuge project), the lease of the GDPs or any other material contract or agreement with the DOE, or any exercise by DOE of its rights or remedies under the 2002 DOE-USEC Agreement, would also be considered to be an event of default under the credit facility if it would reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse effect on (i) USEC's business, assets, operations or condition (taken as a whole), (ii) USEC's ability to perform any of our obligations under the credit facility, (iii) the assets pledged as collateral under the credit facility; (iv) the rights or remedies under the credit facility of the lenders or J.P. Morgan as administrative agent; or (v) the lien or lien priority with respect to the collateral of J.P. Morgan as administrative agent. Under the credit facility, the orderly shutdown of the Paducah GDP, a demobilization of the American Centrifuge project or the exercise by the DOE of certain rights to require USEC to transfer to the DOE or its designee, the American Centrifuge project or all or any portion of property related to the American Centrifuge project, would not result in a material adverse effect.

Convertible Senior Notes due 2014

USEC's convertible senior notes, issued in September 2007, bear interest at a rate of 3.0% per annum payable semi-annually in arrears on April 1 and October 1 of each year and are due October 1, 2014. USEC paid underwriting discounts and offering expenses of $14.3 million, and these costs were deferred and are being amortized using the effective interest rate method over the life of the convertible notes.

The notes are senior unsecured obligations and rank equally with all existing and future senior unsecured debt of USEC Inc. and senior to all subordinated debt of USEC Inc. The notes are structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities of subsidiaries of USEC Inc. and will be effectively subordinated to existing and future secured indebtedness of USEC Inc. to the extent of the value of the collateral.

The notes were not eligible for conversion to common stock as of December 31, 2011 and 2010. Holders may convert their notes to common stock at their option on any day prior to the close of business on the scheduled trading day immediately preceding August 1, 2014 only under the following circumstances: (1) during the five business day period after any five consecutive trading day period in which the price per note for each trading day of that measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of USEC Inc. common stock and the conversion rate on each such day; (2) during any calendar quarter (and only during such quarter), if the last reported sale price of USEC Inc. common stock for 20 or more trading days in a period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter exceeds 120% of the conversion price in effect on the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter; or (3) upon the occurrence of specified corporate events. The notes will be convertible, regardless of the foregoing circumstances, at any time from, and including, August 1, 2014 through the scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date of the notes.

Upon conversion, for each $1,000 in principal amount outstanding, USEC will deliver a number of shares of USEC Inc. common stock equal to the conversion rate. The initial conversion rate for the notes is 83.6400 shares of common stock per $1,000 in principal amount of notes, equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $11.956 per share of common stock. The conversion rate will be subject to adjustment in some events but will not be adjusted for accrued interest. In addition, if a make-whole fundamental change (as defined in the indenture governing the notes) occurs prior to the maturity date of the notes, USEC will in some cases increase the conversion rate for a holder that elects to convert its notes in connection with such make-whole fundamental change.

Subject to certain exceptions, holders may require USEC to repurchase for cash all or part of their notes upon a fundamental change (as defined in the indenture governing the notes) at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes being repurchased plus any accrued and unpaid interest up to, but excluding, the relevant repurchase date. USEC may not redeem the notes prior to maturity.

In January 2011, USEC executed an exchange with a noteholder whereby USEC received convertible notes with a principal amount of $45 million in exchange for 6,952,500 shares of common stock and cash for accrued but unpaid interest on the convertible notes. In connection with this exchange, USEC recognized a gain on debt extinguishment of $3.1 million in the first quarter of 2011.

Deferred Financing Costs

A summary of deferred financing costs follows (in millions):
 
   
December 31, 2009
   
Additions
   
Amortization
   
December 31, 2010
   
Additions
   
Amortization
   
December 31, 2011
 
Other current assets:
                                         
Bank credit facilities
  $ 0.5     $ 10.6     $ (3.7 )   $ 7.4     $ 0.5     $ (5.5 )   $ 2.4  
                                                         
Deferred financing costs (long-term):
                                                       
Convertible notes
  $ 10.0     $ -     $ (1.9 )   $ 8.1     $ -     $ (2.6 )   $ 5.5  
DOE Loan Guarantee application
    2.0       0.5       -       2.5       4.2       -       6.7  
Deferred financing costs
  $ 12.0     $ 0.5     $ (1.9 )   $ 10.6     $ 4.2     $ (2.6 )   $ 12.2