Name of the Project
Dewey Burdock in situ recovery (ISR) project.

Location
South Dakota, in the US.

Project Owner/s
Powertech Uranium (USA) Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of enCore Energy Corp.

Project Description
The advanced-stage uranium exploration project has robust economics, amenable for extraction of uranium using ISR technology, which dissolves uranium underground using a water-based solution and pumps it to the surface for processing. The company has said that the technique limits surface disturbance, compared with traditional openpit or underground mining.

The project’s central processing plant (CPP) is to be built on the Dewey portion of the project area; it will have ion-exchange (IX) recovery trains and yellowcake processing facilities.

A satellite facility is proposed to be built on the Burdock portion of the project area, where IX resin is to be transported to the CPP for processing into yellowcake.

Total flow capacity is estimated at 4 000 gallons per minute.

The operation will have a capacity to process one-million pounds of uranium a year, with more than 14-million pounds of uranium expected to be recovered, based on current plans.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
At an 8% discount rate, the project’s net present value is estimated at $180.1-million, with an internal rate of return of 39%. 

Capital Expenditure
Capital costs are estimated at $264.2-million. 

Planned Start/End Date
Construction of the project’s ISR uranium CPP, along with wellfield construction, is expected to start in early 2027.

Latest Developments
A US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) board has rejected a challenge from Native American and environmental groups over permits for the project, advancing the mine closer to development.

The EPA Environmental Appeals Board denied a petition from the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Black Hills Clean Water Alliance and NDN Collective. The ruling upholds the agency’s earlier decision to grant Class III and Class V Underground Injection Control permits.

The project, which has been tied up in regulatory reviews and litigation for more than a decade, is now in possession of all major federal authorisations, including a source materials licence from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. enCore plans to start state permitting in 2025.

The Dewey Burdock development has also been accepted into the federal Fast-41 permitting programme, created to accelerate reviews of infrastructure and critical mineral projects deemed important for US energy security.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None disclosed.

Contact Details for Project Information
enCore Energy Corp, email info@encoreuranium.com.