Move follows president Trump’s executive order to increase mineral production
EnCore Energy’s Dewey Burdock uranium project in South Dakota has been approved for the Fast-41 programme by federal officials to reduce permitting time.
Dewey Burdock, wholly owned by Texas-based enCore, is the first critical minerals project in South Dakota to be added to the federal fast-track system.
The project will recover uranium from subsurface sandstone ore bodies through in-situ recovery (ISR) technology, which uses a chemical-free, water-based solution in the production wellfield to dissolve uranium minerals in place and then pumps the uranium-bearing solution to a central processing plant for recovery.
The Fast-41 programme is part of the implementation of president Donald Trump’s recent executive order measures to increase US mineral production.
Trump said he would fast-track uranium projects under an emergency declaration to restore US energy independence.
In August, Uranium Energy Corporation’s Sweetwater uranium complex in Wyoming was selected by the US government for the fast-track process.
Washington has also announced it is fast-tracking environmental permitting for Anfield Energy’s proposed Velvet-Wood uranium mine project in Utah.
Earlier this year enCore announced it had shipped its initial shipment of uranium from the restarted Rosita central processing plant in South Texas.
EnCore is one of a number of mining companies that have restarted operations as the price of nuclear fuel have increased, driven by renewed interest in nuclear energy.
The company also confirmed it had executed the fifth commercial uranium sales contract, with a fourth US utility with deliveries from 2026 to 2032. It said the terms of the contract reflect the spot price at the time of delivery subject to pricing collars that ensure enCore’s revenue stream and allow for potential upside.
