en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Dewey Burdock uranium project in the United States has recently completed the federal permitting process, entering a critical pre-operational phase. Earlier this month, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a license and completed an environmental assessment along with a "Finding of No Significant Impact." The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has also authorized the start of infrastructure construction on certain public lands within the project area.

According to enCore Energy, Dewey Burdock is an advanced-stage uranium project covering 10,580 acres (approximately 4,282 hectares), including 10,340 acres of private surface rights and 240 acres of surface rights managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The project initially received source and byproduct material licenses from the NRC in 2014. In 2022, enCore Energy acquired Azarga Uranium Corp., incorporating the project into its portfolio and consolidating assets, including the permitted in-situ recovery facilities at Rosita and Kingsville Dome in South Texas, as well as the Gas Hills project in Wyoming.

The project was approved in August 2025 for inclusion in the FAST-41 program of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (approved by the Permitting Council on August 28, 2025, with the NRC serving as the lead agency). Inclusion in this program helps accelerate permitting reviews for critical mineral projects. Emily Domenech, Executive Director of the Permitting Council, congratulated the NRC and enCore Energy on "bringing the Dewey Burdock in-situ recovery (ISR) uranium project to the federal permitting finish line... Increasing domestic uranium production is vital to national security and energy dominance, and will play a key role in accelerating the deployment of nuclear energy to meet growing electricity demand."

The company has initiated permitting efforts with South Dakota, a prerequisite for the Dewey Burdock project to achieve full operational status. William Sheriff, Executive Chairman of enCore Energy, stated that the FAST-41 program played a significant role in securing federal permits, and the company looks forward to finalizing state-level permits and commencing construction, thereby enabling production from this clean, reliable, and affordable key source of uranium. Through development and ongoing operations, the project is expected to generate positive economic impacts for both local and national economies.

EnCore plans to operate the Dewey Burdock project through its U.S. subsidiary, Powertech USA, using the in-situ recovery (ISR) process, which involves applying an oxygenated water-based solution at production wellfields to dissolve uranium minerals in place. ISR is sometimes referred to as in-situ leaching.