Name of the Project
Honeymoon uranium mine restart project.

Location
South Australia, about 80 km north-west of Broken Hill, near the border with New South Wales.

Project Owner/s
Australian uranium producer Boss Energy.

Project Description
In June 2021, Boss delivered an enhanced feasibility study (EFS) on the project. The EFS proposed the removing of the existing solvent extraction (SX) plant and replacing it with ion exchange (IX) capacity to increase the production profile to 2.45-million pounds a year over an 11-year life-of-mine (LoM).

Uranium produced over the LoM is estimated at 21.81-million pounds.

In situ recovery has been chosen as the preferred method of mining.

The EFS is based on only 36-million pounds of the total Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant resources of 71.6-million pounds, highlighting scope for significant growth.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Honeymoon has a pretax net present value of $308.7-million and a forecast internal rate of return of 47.1%.  Project payback is estimated at 3.5 years.

Capital Expenditure
$80.01-million – using IX as a replacement for the existing SX plant.

Planned Start/End Date
Boss started mining activities at the project in October 2023. 

Latest Developments
Boss Energy announced on June 18 that its Honeymoon operation had met its first-year production guidance of 850 000 lb of uranium oxide (U₃O₈).

The guidance, pertaining to the 2025 financial year, was achieved on June 17.

In the June quarter to date, 328 102 lb of U₃O₈ have been produced, representing a 11% increase from the March quarter. Boss has stated that, while production will continue over the remainder of June, it will be limited because of a short planned maintenance programme to prepare for the ongoing ramp-up in the 2026 financial year.

Boss will announce its 2026 production and cost guidance when it publishes its June quarterly report on July 28.  

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Boss Energy, tel +61 8 6263 4494 or email boss@bossenergy.com.