Overview
Stage | Permitting |
Mine Type | In-Situ |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Mine Life | 10 years (as of Jan 1, 2023) |
Wheeler River is the largest undeveloped uranium project in the eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin region in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The project hosts two high-grade uranium deposits: Phoenix and Gryphon. In mid-2023, a Feasibility Study was completed for Phoenix deposit as an ISR mining operation, and an update to the previously prepared 2018 Pre-Feasibility study was completed for Gryphon deposit as a conventional underground mining operation.
Permitting efforts for the planned Phoenix ISR operation commenced in 2019 and have advanced significantly, with licensing in progress and a draft EIS submitted for regulatory and public review in October 2022.
The FEED phase has already commenced. Including the detailed design phase, project engineering efforts are expected to be completed in approximately two years. Upon engineering completion, construction is expected to last another two years and first production is currently anticipated to occur in 2027 or 2028. |
Source:
p. 1
The parties to the Wheeler River Joint Venture are Denison (operator) and JCU (Canada) Exploration Company Limited (“JCU”). Denison has an effective 95% ownership interest in the Wheeler River project (90% directly, and 5% indirectly through a 50% ownership in JCU).
Uranium Energy Corp. has an effective 5% ownership interest in the Wheeler River project through a 50% ownership in JCU.
Contractors
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Summary:
The Phoenix deposit is classified as an Athabasca Basin unconformity-associated (also unconformity-related and -type) uranium deposit. Phoenix straddles the unconformity contact between the Athabasca sandstone and underlying basement, signifying the unconformity as a major fluid pathway for uranium mineralization.
The prominent structural feature at the Phoenix deposit is the northeast-southwest trending (052º azimuth) WS Shear, which dips 58° to the southeast and lies within or at the base of the graphitic pelitic gneiss unit along the east edge (hangingwall) of the quartzite ridge, which appears to have acted as a buttress for thrusting and reverse faulting (Kerr, 2010; Kerr et al., 2011). Deformation along the WS Shear has occurred partly by ductile shearing but mainly by fracturing. A progressive fracturing sequence is evident by variations in the strike and dip of slickensides. The principal stress directions responsible for early deformation were northwest southeast. A change in the principal stress to an east-west direction led to later strike-slip movement along the WS Shear. The later extension is indicated by northwest-striking normal faults, which dip steeply to the southwest.
Reverse fault displacements on the western edge of the quartzite ridge occurred primarily within the highly resistant quartzite unit. Within the Wheeler River area, vertical offset on the footwall of the quartzite unit can be as much as 60 m; however, at the Phoenix depo ........
Summary:
The uranium ISR process involves the dissolution of the water-soluble uranium compounds from the mineralized host sands at low pH ranges using acidic solutions. The acidic solution will dissolve and mobilize the uranium, allowing the dissolved uranium to be pumped to the surface. The uranium-rich solution will be transferred from the production wells to the nearby precipitation plant for uranium removal, drying, and packaging.
The Phoenix deposit is amenable to the ISR of uranium with the introduction of an acidic solution. ISR is defined as the extraction of a mineral from the host rock by chemical solutions and the recovery of that mineral at the surface. ISR extraction is conducted by injecting a suitable leach solution (acidic solution) into the mineralized zone below the water table; oxidizing, complexing, and mobilizing the uranium; recovering the pregnant solution using pumping wells; and, finally, pumping the mineral-bearing solution to the surface for processing (International Atomic Energy Agency, 2001).
Wellfields
The simulated ISR wellfield was developed by applying alternating injection/extraction well patterns across mining Phases 1 through 5 within the footprint of the mineralized zone. Well placement and spacing were designed to take advantage of, wherever possible, pre-existing exploration boreholes that could be re-entered and used as injection well locations, to maximize use of existing site infrastructure in the wellfield design ........
Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Source:
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Projected Production:
Commodity | Units | Avg. Annual | LOM |
U3O8
|
M lbs
| 9 | 56 |
All production numbers are expressed as yellow cake.
Operational Metrics:
Metrics | |
Hourly mining capacity
| ...... |
* According to 2023 study.
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Reserves at June 26, 2023:
Mineral reserves are estimated at a cut-off grade of 0.5% U3O8 based on the ISR mining method, using a long-term uranium price of US$50/lb U3O8 and a CA$/US$ exchange rate of 1.33.
Mineral resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.1% U3O8.
Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven
|
6,300 t
|
U3O8
|
24.5 %
|
3,400 k lbs
|
Probable
|
212,700 t
|
U3O8
|
11.4 %
|
53,300 k lbs
|
Proven & Probable
|
219,000 t
|
U3O8
|
11.7 %
|
56,700 k lbs
|
Measured
|
64,200 t
|
U3O8
|
21.8 %
|
30,900 k lbs
|
Indicated
|
216,000 t
|
U3O8
|
8.3 %
|
39,700 k lbs
|
Measured & Indicated
|
280,200 t
|
U3O8
|
11.4 %
|
70.5 k lbs
|
Inferred
|
5,600 t
|
U3O8
|
2.6 %
|
300 k lbs
|
Mine Management:
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