Uranium Energy Corp. (UEC) has announced a significant milestone at its Irigaray Central Processing Plant in Wyoming, with the first dried and drummed uranium concentrates produced since the resumption of in-situ recovery (ISR) operations at the Christensen Ranch project, Eurasia Review reports.
This achievement marks a crucial step in UEC’s phased ramp-up of operations, which began in August 2024.
The Irigaray plant serves as the central hub for 11 satellite ISR projects across the Powder River Basin. UEC acquired the plant and associated ore bodies through its purchase of Uranium One Americas Inc. from Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom in 2021.
In January 2024, UEC’s board approved the restart of ISR operations at the Christensen Ranch project, with uranium extracted from the site to be processed at Irigaray. By September 2024, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality authorized UEC to increase the plant’s production capacity from 2.5 million pounds of U3O8 (96.2 tU) per year to 4.0 million pounds. The Irigaray facility had last produced uranium in 2018.
Amir Adnani, President and CEO of UEC, expressed pride in the company’s achievement, stating that reaching this milestone was in line with the planned timeline. He emphasized that the success reflects the dedication and expertise of the team involved and underlined UEC’s position as a key player in the growing nuclear energy sector.
In-situ recovery, or in-situ leach (ISL), involves dissolving minerals from the orebody underground and bringing the resulting solution to the surface for processing at a central plant. UEC operates ISR platforms in both South Texas and Wyoming, with each platform consisting of a central processing plant and multiple ISR uranium projects.
The uranium concentrates produced at the Irigaray plant will be transported to the ConverDyn Conversion Facility in Metropolis, Illinois, for further processing.
