US Ur-Energy Ships First Uranium from Wyoming Project

en.Wedoany.com Reported - US uranium producer Ur-Energy shipped its first load from the Shirley Basin mine in Wyoming to the Lost Creek processing facility on August 19, marking the mine's transition to full operations. Shirley Basin uses in-situ recovery (ISR) technology and began extraction operations in April this year, operating as a satellite mine to the Lost Creek hub. The State of Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality issued final authorization for full operations at the end of June, and the mine is currently ramping up to full production.

Ur-Energy President and CEO Matt Gili stated that the first shipment marks both the start of full operations at Shirley Basin and progress in the company's transformation into a multi-asset domestic US uranium producer. He noted that the project took only two and a half years from construction decision to production, validating the team's efficient execution in permitting, construction, and startup, while also affirming the capital-efficient "hub-and-spoke" development model, adding that this milestone solidifies Ur-Energy's position as a US uranium producer.

In-situ recovery is a mining method that dissolves and recovers uranium through wells, also known as in-situ leaching. At Shirley Basin, uranium is captured on ion-exchange resin and then transported to Lost Creek for final processing, drying, and packaging. The company stated that this "hub-and-spoke" model avoids redundant infrastructure construction, helping to improve capital efficiency and accelerate scaling.

Shirley Basin has licensed wellfields and toll processing capacity totaling up to 2 million pounds U3O8 (769 tonnes of uranium); the combined licensed production and toll processing capacity of Lost Creek and Shirley Basin is 4.2 million pounds U3O8 per year.