enCore Energy Commences Work to Restart Production at its 2nd South Texas Uranium Processing Plant NYSE American:EU
enCore Energy Commences Work to Restart Production at its 2nd South
Texas Uranium Processing Plant
NYSE American:EU
TSXV:EU
www.encoreuranium.com
FUELING THE FUTURE
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas
,
March 15, 2023
/CNW/ -
enCore Energy Corp.
("
enCore
" or the "
Company
") (NYSE American: EU) (TSXV: EU) announced today
that it has made a formal production decision for the resumption of uranium production from the Alta Mesa Processing Plant ("Alta Mesa" or "Plant) in early 2024.
Alta Mesa will be enCore's second producing location following resumption of uranium production at the South Texas Rosita Uranium Processing Plant ("Rosita")
scheduled for 2023.
Work underway at the Alta Mesa Processing Plant includes the construction of equipment staging areas and drill pads in the fully permitted Production
Authorization Area (PAA), planned for initial production due to its proximal location adjacent to the Plant. Development drilling, production and injection well
installation will start this month. Concurrently, enCore's technical staff are identifying equipment maintenance and limited repair needs at the Alta Mesa Processing
Plant involving the ion exchange system, uranium precipitation, drying and packaging circuits in order to restart production after having been on standby since
2013.
Alta Mesa Processing Plant and Project highlights include:
The Alta Mesa Processing Plant is enCore's third fully licensed production facility, along with Rosita and Kingsville Dome, all located in the business-friendly
state of
Texas
. There are only 11 licensed and constructed uranium production facilities in all of
the United States
(US);
The Alta Mesa Processing Plant can reach commercial production levels with limited required capital, from funds on hand, within an estimated 10 months of
today's announced production decision;
Advancing the Alta Mesa Processing Plant, in conjunction with planned production in 2023 at the Rosita Uranium Processing Plant, will cement enCore
Energy's position as the early leader in In-Situ Recovery (ISR) uranium production in the US;
Alta Mesa's operations are located on private land, with 100% of minerals privately owned, and in a supportive jurisdiction with primary regulatory authority
residing with the
State of Texas
;
The Alta Mesa Processing Plant utilizes well-known ISR technology to extract uranium in a non-invasive process through the use of natural groundwater and
oxygen, coupled with a proven ion exchange process, to recover the uranium.
To view the Alta Mesa project maps and enCore Energy's
South Texas
projects please visit:
https://bit.ly/3fV9fTg
.
Paul Goranson
, the Company's Chief Executive Officer said, "My previous experience includes building and successfully operating Alta Mesa. I am confident that
we have everything necessary within our control for a production restart, and enCore can quickly advance the project. The enCore team began initial assessment
work in
November 2022
, preparing for the start of work immediately following the closing of the acquisition of the Alta Mesa Processing Plant and Project. It is an
exciting time at enCore. Our 2023 startup of production at Rosita and now, the decision to proceed at Alta Mesa, will bring a reliable domestic low carbon energy
source to
South Texas
and
the United States
when it is most needed."
Alta Mesa Processing Plant and Project
The Alta Mesa project is a fully licensed and constructed ISR uranium project and central processing facility currently on standby, located on over 203,000 acres
of private land in the state of
Texas
. Total operating capacity is 1.5 million lbs U
3
O
8
(uranium) per year. Alta Mesa historically produced nearly 5 million lbs of
U
3
O
8
between 2005 and 2013, when full production was curtailed as a result of low uranium prices at the time.
Alta Mesa & Mesteña Grande Mineral
Resource Summary (0.30 GT cut-off)
2
Tons
('000)
Avg. Grade
(% U
3
O
8
)
Pounds
('000)
Total Measured Mineral Resource
1
54
0.152
164
Alta Mesa Indicated Mineral Resource
1,397
0.106
2,959
Mesteña Grande Indicated Mineral Resource
119
0.120
287
Total Measured & Indicated Resources
1,570
0.109
3,410
Alta Mesa Inferred Mineral Resource
1,263
0.126
3,192
Mesteña Grande Inferred Mineral Resource
5,733
0.119
13,601
Total Inferred Resources
6,996
0.120
16,793
1
Represents that portion of the in-place mineral resource that are estimated to be recoverable within existing wellfields. Wellfield recovery factors have not been applied to indicated and inferred mineral resources.
2
As reported in the
NI-43-101 Technical Report Summary for the Alta Mesa Uranium Project, Brooks and Jim Hogg Counties, Texas, USA completed by Doug Beahm, PE, PG, of BRS Engineering. (Effective January 19, 2023)
.
Additionally, further to the Company's news release dated
February 15, 2023
announcing the conversion of 23,277,000 subscription receipts issued on
December
6, 2022
at a price of
C$3.00
per subscription receipt (the "
Subscription Receipt Offering
"), the Company advises that it paid an aggregate of
C$4,050,000
in
cash commissions to Canaccord Genuity Corp.
(C$2,025,000)
, Haywood Securities Inc.
(C$810,000)
, Cantor Fitzgerald Canada Corporation
(C$364,500)
, PI
Financial Corp.
(C$364,500)
, Clarus Securities Inc.
(C$324,000)
, and Red Cloud Securities Inc.
(C$162,000)
. 50% of the cash commission was paid on closing of
the Subscription Receipt Offering, and the balance of the cash commission (with interest earned thereon) has been released from escrow to the underwriters. The
Company also paid an aggregate of
C$24,600
in cash commissions to Haywood Securities Inc.
(C$12,000)
and Canaccord Genuity Corp.
(C$12,600)
in
connection with the non-brokered portion of the Subscription Receipt Offering. For additional information regarding the Subscription Receipt Offering, please see
the Company's news releases dated
December 6, 2022
and
February 15, 2023
.
The Company advises that it is not basing its production decisions at Alta Mesa or Rosita on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and
technical viability. The production decision is based on known past In-Situ Recovery (ISR) and processing operations at these two production facilities and
surrounding lands. However, the Company understands that there is increased uncertainty, and consequently a higher risk of failure, when production is
undertaken in advance of a feasibility study. In addition, the mineral resource at Alta Mesa includes inferred resources which are considered too speculative
geologically to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. The Company has determined to
proceed with a production decision based on past operations at Alta Mesa and Rosita, including past ISR operations on the known mineral resource areas.
John M. Seeley
, Ph.D., P.G., C.P.G., enCore's Manager of Geology and Exploration, and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the
technical disclosure in this news release on behalf of enCore.
About enCore Energy Corp.
enCore Energy Corp. is committed to providing clean, reliable, and affordable domestic nuclear energy by becoming the next
United States
uranium producer in
2023. enCore solely utilizes In-Situ Recovery (ISR) for uranium extraction, a well-known and proven technology co-developed by the leaders at enCore Energy.
In-Situ Recovery extracts uranium in a non-invasive process through the use of natural groundwater and oxygen, coupled with a proven ion exchange process, to
recover the uranium. Uranium production is planned at enCore's licensed and past-producing South Texas Rosita Processing Plant in 2023, and at its licensed and
past-producing South Texas Alta Mesa Processing Plant in 2024. Future projects in enCore's production pipeline include the Dewey-Burdock project in
South
Dakota
and the Gas Hills project in
Wyoming
, along with significant uranium resource endowments in
New Mexico
providing long-term opportunities. The enCore
team is led by industry experts with extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of ISR uranium operations and the nuclear fuel cycle. enCore diligently
works to realize value from other owned assets, including our proprietary uranium database that includes technical information from many past producing
companies, from our various non-core assets, and by leveraging our ISR expertise in researching opportunities that support the use of this technology as applied
to other metals. enCore is also committed to working with local communities and indigenous governments to create positive impact from corporate developments.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
Certain information contained in this news release, including: any information relating to the
Company being a leading uranium company; and any other statements regarding future expectations, beliefs, goals or prospects; may constitute "forward-
looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and
United States
securities legislation (collectively, "forward-
looking statements"). All statements in this news release that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "expects", "is
expected", "does not expect", "plans", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "scheduled", "forecast",
"budget" and similar expressions or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results
"may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken) should be considered forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to
important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the companies' ability to control or predict. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve
known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; future legislative and
regulatory developments; that results of past mining operations at the Alta Mesa and Rosita sites are indicative of the results of proposed mining activities at
those sites; that a production decision will result in actual production commencing and that such production will be economically viable over time; the ability of
enCore to implement its business strategies; and other risks. A number of important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those
indicated or implied by such forward-looking statements, including without limitation exploration and development risks, changes in commodity prices, access
to skilled mining personnel, the results of exploration and development activities; production risks; uninsured risks; regulatory risks; defects in title; the
availability of materials and equipment, timeliness of government approvals and unanticipated environmental impacts on operations; risks posed by the
economic and political environments in which the Company operates and intends to operate; increased competition; assumptions regarding market trends and
the expected demand and desires for the Company's products and proposed products; reliance on industry equipment manufacturers, suppliers and others; the
failure to adequately protect intellectual property; the failure to adequately manage future growth; adverse market conditions, the failure to satisfy ongoing
regulatory requirements and factors relating to forward looking statements listed above which include risks as disclosed in the companies' annual information
form filings. Should one or more of these risks materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results
may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company assumes no obligation to
update the information in this communication, except as required by law. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by the
Company with the various securities commissions which are available online at
www.sec.gov
and
www.sedar.com
. Forward-looking statements are provided
for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations, beliefs and plans of management. Such statements may not be appropriate for other
purposes and readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, that speak only as of the date hereof, as there can be no
assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management
at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in
this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
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For further information:
Please contact: William M. Sheriff, Executive Chairman, 972-333-2214, [email protected], www.encoreuranium.com
CO: enCore Energy Corp.
CNW 07:00e 15-MAR-23