All the uranium produced in the USA during the first quarter of this year was from in-situ leach (ISL) operations, according to the latest US government update. But production from conventional mills as well as ISL looks set to ramp up over the coming months.
WORLD NUCLEAR NEWS | May 22, 2023 world-nuclear-news.org
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White Mesa is the only conventional uranium mill currently classed as “operating” by EIA (Image: Energy Fuels)
Total US production of uranium concentrates, at 2511 pounds U3O8 (0.97 tU), was 75% lower year-on-year and 99% down from fourth-quarter 2022 as no material was produced at Energy Fuels’ White Mesa Mill, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its quarterly report. All of the quarter’s production came from just three ISL facilities in Wyoming: Nichols Ranch, Ross, and Smith Ranch-Highland.
White Mesa is the only conventional mill in the USA to be classed as “operating” by the EIA. EnergyFuels said in a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing earlier this month that during the first quarter of this year the mill in Utah has focused on rare-earth carbonate production. “During the three months ended March 31, 2023 the uranium recovered from processing monazite ore was retained in circuit and was not packaged as final U3O8 product,” the company said.