EnCore Energy and Azarga Uranium establish uranium ISR company

9 September 2021


US-based EnCore Energy Corp and Azarga Uranium Corp have entered into a definitive arrangement agreement whereby EnCore will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Azarga to consolidate “an industry leading pipeline of exploration and development staged in-situ recovery (ISR) focused uranium projects located in the United States”.

These include the licensed Rosita & Kingsville Dome past producing uranium production facilities in South Texas, the advanced stage Dewey Burdock development project in South Dakota, which has been issued its key federal permits, the PEA-staged Gas Hills Project located in Wyoming, and a portfolio of resource staged projects throughout the USA. The combined company will possess a uranium resource base of 90.0 million pounds in the measured & indicated category, 9.9 million pounds in the inferred category, as well as 68.4 million pounds in the historic category.

EnCore Energy Corp is a US domestic uranium developer focused on becoming a leading ISR uranium producer. The company is led by a team of industry experts with extensive knowledge and experience in the development and operations of ISR uranium operations. EnCore Energy’s opportunities are created from its acquisition of its two South Texas production facilities, the changing global uranium supply/demand outlook and opportunities for industry consolidation. “These short-term opportunities are augmented by our strong long term commitment to working with local indigenous communities in New Mexico where the company holds significant uranium resources,” the company said.

Azarga Uranium is an integrated uranium exploration and development company that controls ten uranium projects and prospects in the USA (South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado), with a primary focus of developing ISR uranium projects. The Dewey Burdock ISR uranium project in South Dakota, which is the company’s initial development priority, has received its Nuclear Regulatory Commission Licence and Class III and Class V Underground Injection Control permits from the Environmental Protection Agency and the company is in the process of completing other major regulatory permit approvals necessary for the construction of the Dewey Burdock Project.

The transaction will result in:

  • The creation of a top-tier American uranium ISR mining company with multiple assets at various stages of development;
  • Two licensed ISR production facilities and multiple potential satellite exploration and development projects in South Texas;
  • The advanced stage Dewey Burdock development project in South Dakota with key federal permits issued;
  • Recently published preliminary economic assessment for the Gas Hills project in Wyoming;
  • Large uranium resource endowment in New Mexico including the Marquez-Juan Tafoya project, for which a recent preliminary economic assessment was published and the Crownpoint and Hosta Butte project;
  • A company well positioned to benefit from America’s nuclear renaissance, which boasts bi-partisan political support; and
  • A management team and board with unrivalled experience in the permitting, development, and mining of ISR uranium deposits in the USA.

EnCore CEO Paul Goranson commented: “EnCore is delighted to combine our assets with those of Azarga. Dewey Burdock is an excellent ISR uranium project and we look forward to building upon Azarga’s successes to create additional value through development progress and eventually production. In addition to the execution of plans for near term production in Texas and a dominant mineral position in New Mexico, this combination will see EnCore take another leap forward towards realizing the goal of becoming a larger and more diversified uranium development company during a time of positive sentiment for nuclear energy.”

Blake Steele, President & CEO of Azarga, added: “We are pleased to partner with EnCore as a result of this transaction, while realising a material premium for shareholders in the process. Scale is important in the natural resource sector and this transaction will position the new company among the top uranium miners based in the USA.”

William Sheriff, Executive Chairman of EnCore, noted that the strategic acquisition "fills the gap in EnCore’s pipeline of projects with key intermediate development opportunities in Wyoming and South Dakota, in between initial production in Texas and longer-term opportunities in New Mexico."

 



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