Why USEC Melted Down in 2011

As 2011 comes to a close, it's a great time to look back at what happened to the stocks that interest you. By making sure you know the important things that a company accomplished -- as well as the setbacks it experienced -- you can make a better decision about whether it's a smart investment for your portfolio.

Today, let's take a look at USEC (NYSE: USU). The uranium supplier started the year with apparent strong demand for its nuclear fuel, but then the Japanese earthquake and tsunami created a huge backlash against nuclear power, potentially destroying the business model for uranium producers. Below, I'll take a closer look at the events that moved USEC's shares this year.

Stats on USEC

Source: S&P Capital IQ.

Why did USEC crash this year?
USEC sells uranium to nuclear power plants both in the U.S. and around the world. Until this year, that seemed to be a huge growth industry, as carbon-emission controls gave countries big incentives to encourage nuclear power over fossil-fuel based generation. Some even termed it the "nuclear renaissance."

But all that came to an abrupt stop after the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in Japan back in March. Germany announced it would end its nuclear power program, and nations around the world paused to once again consider the devastation that reactor failures could cause. When NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) decided to write off a nearly half-billion dollar loss on its South Texas Nuclear Development Project, it confirmed the bad news for the industry.

Of course, it's not just uranium producers like USEC and Cameco (NYSE: CCJ) that could suffer from a nuclear slowdown. Big reactor builders like General Electric (NYSE: GE) and Siemens (NYSE: SI) also have a stake, as do nuclear-focused utilities like Exelon (NYSE: EXC). But while those bigger companies have alternatives -- both GE and Siemens, for instance, are heavily into alternative energy production -- uranium miners could disappear entirely if nuclear power ends abruptly.

Right now, investors seem to think that's a possibility. If anything other than the worst-case scenario happens, though, USEC could soar from its beaten-down levels.

If you don't want to wait for a great energy stock, though, we've got one you should really take a look at. Read the Motley Fool's latest special report and find out about the energy stock that is positioned to soar with high oil prices. It's free but only available for a limited time, so click here now.

Click here to add USEC to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.