Move follows president Trump’s emergency declaration on energy independence
Uranium Energy Corporation’s (UEC) Sweetwater uranium complex in the US state of Wyoming has been selected by the US government for a fast-tracked process of approval to add in-situ recovery capability, the company said.
In March US president Donald Trump said he would fast-track uranium projects under an emergency declaration to restore American energy independence.
He issued an executive order on immediate measures to increase US mineral production, directing federal agencies to fast-track permitting for certain infrastructure and critical mineral projects.
Soon afterwards, the US Interior Department announced it was fast-tracking environmental permitting for Anfield Energy’s proposed Velvet-Wood uranium mine project in Utah to boost president Trump’s efforts to increase domestic energy production.
Texas-based UEC wants approval to use in-situ recovery mining methods within the existing permit boundary at Sweetwater and to expand the boundary to include ISR-amenable deposits on nearby federally managed lands.
In-situ mineral extraction combines drilling, rock fracturing and chemical leaching directly at the drill site. It is said to be a lower-impact approach to uranium extraction.
“As the largest uranium complex in the US, Sweetwater’s inclusion [in the fast-track process] reflects its strategic importance in restoring domestic uranium production in support of president Trump’s goal of unlocking America’s mineral resources and rebuilding its nuclear industrial base,” UEC said.
UEC’s Sweetwater complex is anchored by the Sweetwater processing plant, a 3,000 ton per day conventional uranium mill. It has an existing licensed capacity of 4.1 million pounds of U3O8 per year. U3O8 – also known as yellowcake, or triuranium octoxide – is a type of uranium concentrate powder used to produce fuel for nuclear power reactors.
