Despite a drop in sales, EnergySolutions Inc.'s profits for the third quarter beat Wall Street projections and its CEO predicted a stronger performance in 2010.

The Salt Lake City nuclear waste company reported revenues declined to $364.9 million, compared with $419.5 million for the year-earlier period.

Profits jumped 16 percent, or 15 cents per share, beating analysts' estimates by 2 cents. Net income was $12.9 million, compared with $10.9 million in the third quarter 2008.

Chairman and CEO Steve Creamer said each segment of the company performed well in light of the overall economic climate, given cautious customers and slow-in-coming stimulus money for cleanups.

"However, as commercial customers gain further confidence in the stability of the recovering economy and as more stimulus dollars are deployed," he said, "I am optimistic that we will see improving trends in 2010."

The company noted that it discovered an accounting error that led it to reduce its amortization expenses by $1.8 million. The error occurred during the first half of 2009 and prior quarters.

Greater-than-expected activity at the Atlas tailings cleanup near Moab helped buffer a decline in the company's federal services sector. Revenues in that division fell 8.6 percent, from $84.3 million to $77 million.

Revenue in the commercial services division rose to $21.3 million from $19.2 million in the third quarter 2008.

Declines were

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posted in the logistics, processing and disposal division -- to $52.7 million from $66.2 million -- and in the international division -- to $213.9 million from $249.8 million in the year-earlier quarter, not counting fluctuations in currency.