Mining Intelligence and News
United States

Centennial Project

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeIn-Situ
StagePreliminary Economic Assessment
Commodities
  • Uranium
Mining Method
  • Solution mining
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotIn 2006, the enCore Energy Corp. entered into an option agreement to purchase uranium rights on certain areas of the Centennial Project. Pursuant to the agreement, the contingent payments are payable upon receipt of regulatory permits and licenses allowing uranium production.

As of 2023, enCore Energy Corp. has neither obtained the required permits and licenses, nor has it been able to renegotiate the option agreement. The Company is attempting to renegotiate the option agreement and the seller has not exercised its option to have the uranium rights transferred back.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
enCore Energy Corp. Indirect
In 2006, enCore Energy Corp. entered into an option agreement to purchase uranium rights on certain areas of the Centennial Project for consideration of $1,895,000 plus contingent payments of $3,165,000. Pursuant to the agreement, the contingent payments are payable upon receipt of regulatory permits and licenses allowing uranium production.

If the enCore Energy does not obtain such permits and licenses by September 27, 2019, the uranium rights, at the option of the seller, can be transferred back to the seller. As of 2023, enCore Energy has neither obtained the required permits and licenses, nor has it been able to renegotiate the option agreement. enCore Energy is attempting to renegotiate the option agreement and the seller has not exercised its option to have the uranium rights transferred back.

Deposit type

  • Sandstone hosted

Summary:

The Centennial Project is located within the Cheyenne Basin, a sub-basin of the greater Denver-Julesburg Basin, which is bordered on the northwest by the Hartville Uplift in Wyoming and on the east and northeast by the Chadron Arch in Nebraska.

Uranium deposits in the Centennial Project are sandstone, roll front type typical of those in Wyoming, South Dakota and Texas. These type deposits are usually “C” shaped in cross section, a few tens of feet-to-100 or more-feet wide and often thousands of feet long. Uranium minerals are usually deposited at the interface of oxidizing solutions and reducing solutions or redox boundaries. Typical alteration associated with this redox boundary consists of limonitic and hematitic staining of the sandstones.

As the uranium minerals precipitate, they coat sand grains and fill the interstices between grains. As long as oxidizing groundwater movement is constant, minerals will be solubilized in the interior portion of the “C” shape, and precipitated in the exterior portion of the “C” shape, increasing the tenor of the ore body by multiple migration and accretion. The thickness of the ore body is generally a factor of the thickness of the sandstone host unit. Mineralization may be 10 to 15ft thick within the roll front while being inches to feet thick in the tail portions.

Ore mineralogy consists of uraninite, pitchblende, coffinite, and carnotite, 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.

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 k lbs 7009,523
All production numbers are expressed as U3O8.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsEstimated
Cash costs U3O8 USD 35 / lb *  USD
Assumed price U3O8 USD 65 / lb *  USD
* According to 2010 study / presentation.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Initial CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Sustaining CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Total CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Processing OpEx $M USD 61.9
Total OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Gross revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Net revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Operating margin (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Net Income (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 30, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 30, 2024

Aerial view:

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