2024 production of 677,000 pounds U3O8 (260 tU) was a "significant increase" from 2023 production of 50,000 pounds U3O8, according to the Energy Information Administration's Domestic Uranium Production Report, published on 5 August.
Exploration drilling during 2024 of 1,324 holes with total footage of 613,000 feet (186,842 metres), was up considerably from the 877 holes totalling 512,000 feet drilled in 2023. Development drilling - 2,462 holes with total footage of 1,260,000 feet was also up from 1,053 holes and 556,000 feet in 2023. Exploration and development drilling activities in 2023 were at the highest levels since 2013, both for number of holes drilled and for total footage drilled, the EIA said.
At the end of 2024, the Shootaring Canyon Uranium Mill in Utah and the Sweetwater Processing Plant, in Wyoming, were on standby, while the White Mesa Mill in Utah began processing using an alternative feed. In Wyoming, the Sheep Mountain heap leach facility reached a partial permitting and licensed stage. In-situ recovery (ISR) facilities at the Alta Mesa Project, Rosita Project, Lost Creek Project, the Smith Ranch-Highland Operation, Ross Central Processing Project, and Willow Creek Project were all operating at year-end, with a combined capacity of 14.1 million pounds U3O8 per year: up significantly from the an industry-wide ISR capacity of 7.5 million pounds in 2023.
Total employment in the U.S. uranium production industry was 506 full-time person-years in 2024, up from 340 full-time person-years in 2023 and the highest employment total since 2016.
Total expenditure for land, exploration, drilling, production, and reclamation of USD160 million in 2024, up from USD107.4 million in 2023, was the highest since 2016.
The Energy Information Administration is a statistical and analytical agency within the US Department of Energy.
Sweetwater fast-tracked
Uranium Energy Corp's (UEC) Sweetwater ISR project is the latest to be designated as a "transparency project" by the US Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (the “Steering Council”) as part of the implementation of a presidential Executive Order on Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production, issued in March.
The Executive Order directed federal agencies to fast-track permitting for certain infrastructure and critical mineral projects selected by the Steering Council. Sweetwater has been selected for fast-tracking and added to the FAST-41 transparency dashboard, the company said. FAST-41 is a federal infrastructure permitting initiative established under Title 41 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act.
UEC President and CEO Amir Adnani said Sweetwater's selection "reinforces its national importance as a key project to achieve the United States' goals of establishing reliable infrastructure, supporting nuclear fuel independence."
UEC acquired Sweetwater from Rio Tinto in 2024. It is to be UEC's third "hub-and-spoke" production platform, Adnani said. "On completing this tack-on permitting initiative, Sweetwater will be the largest dual-feed uranium facility in the United States, licensed to process both conventional ore and ISR resin," he added.
The Sweetwater Complex features the Sweetwater Processing Plant, a fully licensed and permitted 3,000 tonne per day conventional uranium mill. With an existing licensed capacity of 4.1 million pounds of U3O8 per year, UEC said completion of the ISR permitting initiative will see it become the largest licensed uranium production facility in the USA with dual-feed capability.
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