Photo by: Aurora Energy Metals
Name of the Project
Aurora uranium project.
Location
Malheur County, in Oregon, and Humboldt County, in Nevada, in the US.
Project Owner/s
Aurora Energy Metals.
Project Description
A scoping study has demonstrated a feasible pathway to developing the US’s largest, measured uranium deposit.
The mining study is based on 107.3-million tonnes at 214 parts per million uranium oxide (U3O8) for 50.6-milllion pounds of U3O8. The study shows that the project has the potential to be developed using industry-standard practices and technologies without any major environmental or social impacts.
It is targeting production of 12-million pounds of U3O8 from measured and indicated mineral resources within the 19.2-million-pound high-grade zone of the total resource, with average production estimated at 1.15-million pounds of U3O8 over an 11-year life-of-mine (LoM). A two-million-tonne-a-year run-of-mine production rate is targeted over the LoM, with a low strip ratio of 2.1:1.
The study has evaluated two options for the back end of the processing plant – contract treatment of loaded resin to produce uranium precipitate or the production of uranium precipitate at the plant site.
A contract resin treatment option has been adopted, owing to the significantly reduced capital requirement for plant construction.
Potential Job Creation
Not stated.
Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has a pretax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $151-million and an internal rate of return of 25.2%, assuming that the project uses contract resin treatment. Payback is estimated at 4.2 years.
Capital Expenditure
$161-million.
Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.
Latest Developments
None stated.
Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
Aurora Energy Metals, tel +61 8 6465 5500 or email info@auroraenergymetals.com.