Name of the Project
Rook I uranium project.

Location
Saskatchewan, Canada.

Project Owner/s
Uranium miner NexGen Energy.

Project Description
Rook I is the biggest development-stage uranium project in Canada.

The project hosts the Arrow deposit, which, in turn, hosts measured and indicated mineral resources of 256.7-million pounds of uranium contained in 3.75-million tonnes grading 3.1%.

The project has a mine life of 10.7 years, with average production estimated at up to 30-million pounds a year.

Average life-of-mine production is estimated at 21.7-million pounds a year of uranium.

Access to the underground Arrow deposit will be through two shafts, an 8-m-diameter production shaft (intake air) and a 5.5-m-diameter exhaust shaft (second egress). Access to the workings will be from the production shaft.

Conventional longhole mining will be used for production. The mining method will use mechanised equipment and conventional processes widely employed in the global mining industry.

The estimated mill capacity is targeted stated at 1 300 t/d of ore.

The key infrastructure contemplated includes:

• underground infrastructure, including materials handling systems, maintenance facilities, a fuel bay, an explosives magazine, ventilation, a paste backfill and a paste tailings distribution system, electrical and communications facilities, underground water supply and dewatering facilities.
• an underground tailings management facility.
• surface support infrastructure for the mine, including headframe and hoist facilities, a surface explosives magazine and ventilation fans.
• surface support infrastructure for the mill, including a process plant, a solvent-extraction plant, an effluent treatment plant and an acid plant.
• site support infrastructure, including an accommodation camp, liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, an LNG power plant, mine and mill dry facilities, analytical and metallurgical laboratory and maintenance, as well as warehouse and security buildings.
• a surface ore-storage stockpile facility, as well as waste-rock storage facilities for potentially acid-generating, nonpotentially acid-generating and special waste materials.
• water management facilities, consisting of two site water runoff ponds, six contact water process ponds, a potential acid-generating stockpile runoff collection pond, and conveyance and diversion structures.
• domestic and/or industrial waste management areas.
• an airstrip.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an after-tax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of C$6.32-billion and an internal rate of return of 45.2%, with a payback of one year, based on a uranium price of $95/lb.

Capital Expenditure
C$2.2-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has set dates for the commission hearing, marking a key milestone in the project’s regulatory process.

The hearing is scheduled in two parts, with the first part set for November 19, 2025, and the second from February 9 to 13, 2026. 

This marks the final stage in the approval process for the project, which has been under review for six years. 

While NexGen is pleased to see the hearing dates confirmed, the company and the Indigenous communities involved in the project are focused on ensuring the project remains on track for timely approval. 

The First Nations partners, including the Clearwater River Dene Nation (CRDN), Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and MN-S Northern Region II, have long supported the project and have signed impact benefit agreements with NexGen, covering the life and closure of operations.

CRDN Chief Teddy Clark, who represents the community most directly affected, has welcomed the announcement of the hearing dates. Clark has expressed a sense of urgency about the timeline and the delays in the approval process that have held back economic opportunities for his people.

“This is the only shovel-ready project in Canada fully supported not only financially and provincially but [also] by the Indigenous Nations impacted [on] by the project,” Clark has said. 

“No other project has had this level of support from Indigenous communities, and no other project will have such a positive impact on our community.”

The First Nations leadership and NexGen have been working closely together since the inception of the Rook I project, with the partnership seen as a model for reconciliation and economic development.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
NexGen Energy, tel +1 306 954 2275.