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New Mexico Uranium Mining: Who Are The Serious Players?
By James
Several uranium development companies have set their sights on New Mexico. Two are actively involved in permitting their properties for production. One was the first to be issued a drilling permit in about a decade; another awaits a permit in order to drill the company’s property. Another is an 800-pound gorilla in the nuclear fuel cycle. Three others have properties or continue to assemble a land package in New Mexico. The following is a brief review of the projects of these uranium development or exploration companies, currently holding property or moving forward.
The front runners include Uranium Resources, Strathmore Minerals and General Atomics. Companies moving forward include Laramide Resources and Western Uranium. Companies to also watch include Energy Metals, Max Resource Corp and Powertech Uranium. Each has various plans to advance their projects and should be reviewed on their merits.
Uranium Resources Inc.
Uranium Resources is the top front runner in New Mexico. The company has devoted a great deal of time and money to permit its Church Rock property. In an interview with Craig Bartels, president of HRI (a wholly owned subsidiary of Uranium Resources), he told us, “We hope we can begin construction at the property in 2007.” The company has cleared numerous hurdles, posed by local environmentalists, having successfully won every legal battle to date. Its parent company produces about 1 million pounds annually in Texas. Earlier this year, Uranium Resources announced a proposed joint venture on the company’s Church Rock property with Japanese conglomerate, Itochu Corporation.
Phillips Petroleum made the Church Rock uranium discovery in the 1950s, and later sold the project to United Nuclear (UNC). UNC constructed a mill and mine to the northeast. One HRI property, at Crownpoint, was developed by Mobil Oil as an In Situ Recovery (ISR) project. Earlier work at Crownpoint was done by Westinghouse and Conoco. Phillips developed HRI’s uranium property at Nose Rock; Kerr-McGee did the original uranium drilling at Roca Honda. Uranium Resources holds about 185,000 acres in the southern San Juan Basin of New Mexico.
Through the uranium depression, Uranium Resources was the “lone man” in New Mexico. Now times have changed. “It is great having other companies coming in here now,” said Bartels. “There is so much uranium, and the national attitude has changed so dramatically over the last year, that there is an actual excitement as to what can be done now.” Bartels looks forward to the success of the company’s first uranium projects in New Mexico, on the western end of the Grants Uranium Belt. He explained, “Using a pretty typical recovery rate of 75 percent for ISR, recovery would be about 4.9 million pounds on Section 8, and 6.3 million pounds recovered at Sec 17.” Bartels told us he has been advertising for employees in the northwestern New newspapers.
Strathmore Minerals Corp
Strathmore Minerals Corp controls a number of advanced uranium properties in New Mexico. The company’s most advanced efforts have been proceeding with the permitting phase on its Church Rock property. To date, the National Instrument 43-101 resource calculations on two properties, the Church Rock and Roca Honda deposits, total nearly 50 million pounds in measured indicated, and inferred categories. Historical uranium calculations on other Strathmore properties in New Mexico, which are non-compliant by National Instrument 43-101 standards, indicate there may a similar amount in addition to what has been reported. Strathmore Minerals President and Chief Operating Officer David Miller told us via email, “It is Strathmore’s intent to become the premier uranium producer in New Mexico.” The company has approximately C$40 million in the bank to advance its projects.
The company has followed the lead of Uranium Resources in the Church Rock area. Miller told us, “There are two ISR projects in various stages of permitting in the Church
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