Mining Intelligence and News
United States

Dewey-Burdock Project

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeIn-Situ
StagePermitting
Commodities
  • Uranium
Mining Method
  • Solution mining
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SnapshotThe advanced stage Dewey-Burdock Project in South Dakota has demonstrated ISR resources, including a 2019 PEA citing robust economics. The Company is in the process of reviewing and updating the PEA to reflect current economics and planning. The Project has its source material license from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) and its underground injection permits and aquifer exemption from the US Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”).

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
enCore Energy Corp. 100 % Indirect
The Dewey-Burdock Project is an advanced-stage uranium exploration project located in South Dakota and is solely controlled by Powertech USA, Inc. an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of enCore Energy Corp.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Sandstone hosted

Summary:

Uranium deposits in the Dewey-Burdock Project are sandstone, roll front type. This type of deposit is usually “C” shaped in cross-section, with the down gradient center of the “C” having the greatest thickness and highest tenor. The “tails” of the “C” are usually much thinner and essentially trail the “roll front” being within the top and bottom of the sandstone unit that is slightly less permeable.

These “roll fronts” are typically a few tens of feet wide and often can be thousands of feet long. Uranium minerals are deposited at the interface of oxidizing solutions and reducing solutions. As the uranium minerals precipitate, they coat sand grains and partially fill the interstices between grains. As long as oxidizing groundwater movement is constant, minerals will be solubilized at the interior portion of the “C” shape and precipitated in the exterior portion of the “C” shape, increasing the tenor of the orebody by multiple migration and accretion. Thickness of the orebody is generally a factor of the thickness of the sandstone host unit. Mineralization may be 5 to 12 ft thick within the roll front while being 1 to 2 ft thick in the trailing tail portions. Deposit configuration determines the location of well field drillholes and is a major economic factor in ISR mining.

Ore mineralogy consists of uraninite, pitchblende and coffinite with associated vanadium in some deposits. Typical alteration in the roll-front sandstone deposit includes oxidation of iron minerals up- dip from the front and reduction of iron minerals down-dip along advancing redox interface boundaries.

Probable sources of uranium in the sandstone deposits are Oligocene volcanic ash and/or Precambrian granite (2,900–2,600 Ma). Mineralizing solutionsin the sandstone are oxygenbearing groundwater. Uranium mineralization of the sandstone deposits began with inception of Laramide uplift (approximately 70 Ma) and peaked in Oligocene.

Size and shape of individual deposits can vary from small pod-like replacement bodies to elongate lobes of mineralization along the regional redox boundary.

Historical drillhole data (electric and lithology logs), along with Azarga’s confirmatory drilling results confirm that the mineralization at Dewey-Burdock is a roll front type uranium deposit. This is determined by the position of the uranium mineralization within sandstone units in the subsurface, the configuration of the mineralization and the spatial relationship between the mineralization and the oxidation/reduction boundary within the host sandstone units.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

CommodityUnitsAvg. AnnualLOM
Uranium M lbs 114
All production numbers are expressed as U3O8.

Operational metrics

Metrics
Annual production capacity 1 M lbs of uranium U3O8 *
* According to 2019 study.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsAverage
Cash costs U3O8 USD 10.5 / lb *  
Total cash costs U3O8 USD 28.9 / lb *  
All-in costs U3O8 USD 32.3 / lb *  
Assumed price U3O8 USD 55 / lb *  
* According to 2019 study / presentation.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Initial CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Sustaining CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Closure costs $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Well Field OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Processing OpEx $M USD 73.4
G&A costs $M USD 17.5
Total OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Gross revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Net revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 10% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 10% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
After-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscribe

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 21, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 21, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 21, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 3, 2019

Total WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2019

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