Ur-Energy made the decision to “build out” the fully permitted and licensed project in Carbon County, Wyoming, in March 2024: the company estimated it would take about 24 months to finalise designs, order materials and construct the satellite plant and initial wellfield. On 23 April, the company announced that uranium-bearing solution is now being captured from Mine Unit 1 at Shirley Basin after the successful completion of significant construction, wellfield installation, and permitting.
In-situ recovery – or ISR – is a method of mining uranium by dissolving and recovering it via wells. It is also known as in-situ leaching. At Shirley Basin, uranium is captured on ion exchange resin which Ur-Energy will then ship to its Lost Creek facility – also in Wyoming – for final processing, drying, and packaging. It expects to begin transporting uranium-loaded resin from Shirley Basin to Lost Creek this summer, subject to an additional regulatory inspection and approval.
Ur-Energy CEO and President Matt Gili said the launch of initial operations at Shirley Basin marks a pivotal achievement in the company’s growth strategy and plan to expand US uranium production capacity. “Two years ago, we committed to building out this project. Today, we have successfully brought a historically significant uranium district back to life, demonstrating disciplined execution of our strategy. This accomplishment reflects the dedication and expertise of our teams, who have advanced Shirley Basin from development to operations. It is particularly meaningful as it supports the growing need for secure, domestic uranium supply and underscores our ability to move permitted projects toward production while strengthening our role in the US nuclear fuel cycle,” he said.
Shirley Basin has a resource base of about 9.1 million pounds U3O8 (3500 tU) in the measured and indicated categories) at an average grade of 0.22%. With a licensed annual wellfield and toll processing capacity of up to 2.0 million pounds equivalent of U3O8, it has an anticipated mine life of about nine years across three shallow mining units. The combined total annual licensed production and toll processing capacity of Lost Creek and Shirley Basin is 4.2 million pounds U3O8.
Uranium was mined at Shirley Basin using conventional methods from the 1960s until low uranium prices prompted its closure in 1992. Ur Energy acquired the project as part of its acquisition of the Pathfinder Mines Corporation from an Areva affiliate in 2013.
