Fuel cycle roundup #10

Friday, 5 July 2013

Path mapped for Temrezli

Anatolia Energy is aiming to start uranium production at Temrezli in Turkey in early 2016 now that a preliminary economic assessment has been completed for the in situ leach project.

According to Australia-based Anatolia, the assessment completed by WWC Engineering of Wyoming, USA demonstrates "robust economics" for the project and confirms the amenability of the deposit to in situ leach recovery. Total production of 9.125 million pounds U3O8 (350 tU) is envisaged over a ten-year mine at a rate of 1 million pounds U3O8 (385 tU) per year. The report describes the production estimates as "conservative".

Anatolia managing director Jim Graham said the company would move forward with a drilling program to delineate further resources. The company says that negotiations with potential partners are ongoing.

Ur-Energy agrees uranium sales

Ur-Energy has announced a long-term supply agreement with an unnamed US nuclear operating company for deliveries of 200,000-300,000 pounds U3O8 (77-115 tU) per year in a multi-year schedule starting in 2017.

The agreement is in line with company aims to commit a portion of the expected output from the Lost Creek uranium project to long-term supply deals with US utilities. Ur-Energy CEO Wayne Heili said that such long-term arrangements would contribute to the future financial viability of the company's US uranium operations. The Wyoming in situ leach project is expected to produce its first uranium this summer.

Early days for Nueltin Lake

The Nueltin Lake gold-uranium project in Nunavut, Canada remains at an early stage of exploration despite almost three decades of sporadic work, according to a NI43-101 technical report filed by Uru Metals. Nueltin Lake contains the Sandybeach gold-uranium zone, a bedrock gold-uranium discovery found by Cameco during a 15-hole drilling campaign in 2008.

In February, Uru Metals signed an exclusive option agreement with Cameco to earn a majority interest in Nueltin Lake, under which Uru Metals committed to spend an initial CAD2.5 million ($2.4 million) on exploration over a three year period.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News