Patented technology to be used at abandoned Colorado sites
Thor Energy has finalised a binding agreement with US-based DISA Technologies to treat abandoned uranium mine waste in Colorado to recover saleable uranium.
Under the agreement, DISA will deploy its patented high-pressure slurry ablation (HPSA) technology at Thor’s Colorado uranium projects, which are held through its US subsidiary, Standard Minerals. The company owns 25% of the uranium mineral rights, while the remaining 75% is held by London-listed Metals One.
Thor, which is registered in the UK, said it will receive a share of gross revenues generated from the sale of uranium and critical mineral concentrates recovered from the sites, with no capital or operating expenditures required on its part.
Thirteen waste sites across Thor’s Colorado properties have already been surveyed, with more sites potentially being added.
“This agreement finalises the details under which Thor will potentially generate revenue from the recovery of uranium and critical metals from its Colorado projects,” said Andrew Hume, Thor’s managing director and chief executive officer.
“It is also fantastic to report that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission [NRC ]has granted DISA a service provider’s licence to remediate abandoned uranium mine waste. DISA is now the first company in the US to receive such approvals.”
DISA’s licence from the NRC allows it to proceed with remediation of legacy uranium waste sites across the country.
The licence, secured after a multi-year review process that began in 2021, enables DISA to operate modular mobile treatment plants using HPSA technology, a process designed to recover valuable resources from waste while mitigating environmental hazards.
Beyond resource recovery, the process is expected to deliver environmental benefits by improving water quality and restoring legacy mine sites to productive use.
Thor Energy holds a 100% interest in three uranium-vanadium projects in the highly prospective Uravan mining belt on the border of Utah and Colorado.
