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US approves Utah uranium mine after two-week environmental review

Reuters | May 23, 2025

The Trump administration approved Anfield Energy’s proposed Velvet-Wood uranium mine project in Utah on Friday after a rapid 14-day environmental review as part of a new process to fast-track permitting of energy and mining projects.

Such studies typically take years because of the large potential environmental consequences of uranium mining.

The Canadian company’s project is the first approved under an emergency process for the Interior Department to permit energy facilities on federal lands. The new procedures are in response to President Donald Trump’s national energy emergency declaration, made on his first day in office in January in an effort to boost domestic energy supplies, bring down fuel prices and bolster national security.

Anfield filed its plan of operations for the mine on April 1, according to documents on an Interior Department website.

“This approval marks a turning point in how we secure America’s mineral future,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. “By streamlining the review process for critical mineral projects like Velvet-Wood, we’re reducing dependence on foreign adversaries and ensuring our military, medical and energy sectors have the resources they need to thrive. This is mineral security in action.”

Anfield was not immediately available for comment.

The Velvet-Wood mine project in San Juan County will produce uranium, used in both nuclear energy and nuclear weapons production, as well as vanadium, a metal than can be used in batteries or to strengthen steel and other alloys.

It is located at the site of a previous mining operation.

États-Unis: pour alimenter l'IA, Trump veut faire renaître le nucléaire civil à marche forcée
Ce vendredi 23 mai, Donald Trump a signé quatre décrets destinés, selon un conseiller, à lancer une « renaissance » du nucléaire civil aux États-Unis, avec pour ambition de quadrupler la production d'énergie nucléaire dans les 25 années à venir. Pour le secrétaire à l'Intérieur, Doug Burgum, face à la Chine, il s'agit de « gagner le duel de l'intelligence artificielle » ; celle-ci étant une technologie particulièrement énergivore.

RFI le : 24/05/2025

« Le temps du nucléaire est venu » a déclaré Donald Trump durant un point presse. Et il a mis ses paroles à exécution. Les décrets signés ce vendredi 23 mai accélèrent d'abord les essais de réacteurs. Ceux-ci pourront désormais être construits plus facilement sur des terrains appartenant au gouvernement fédéral. Une prérogative donnée aux ministères de l'Énergie et de la Défense.

Donald Trump prévoit aussi de doper l'extraction et l'enrichissement d'uranium, que les États-Unis veulent produire à domicile depuis l'invasion russe en Ukraine. Enfin dernières mesures : l'examen d'une demande de construction d'un nouveau réacteur ne devra pas dépasser dix-huit mois et la Commission de réglementation nucléaire sera réformée.

Premiers tests d'ici janvier 2029 ?

Objectif de ces décrets : « Gagner le duel de l'intelligence artificielle avec la Chine », selon le ministre de l'intérieur Doug Burgum. Donald Trump promet des procédures « très rapides et très sûres ». Il ambitionne d' augmenter la capacité de production d'énergie nucléaire d'environ 100 à 400 gigawatts d'ici 2050. Les premiers tests et déploiements de réacteurs nucléaires pourraient avoir lieu d'ici janvier 2029.

Les Etats-Unis, écrit l'AFP, restent la première puissance nucléaire civile mondiale, avec 94 réacteurs opérationnels mais leur âge moyen croît (42 ans).

Google finance le développement de trois nouvelles centrales nucléaires

Par Kevin CHAMPEAU le 13 mai 2025

On connaissait l’intérêt de Google vis-à-vis des mini réacteurs nucléaires SMR. Le géant américain vient de montrer qu’il croyait également au nucléaire plus conventionnel, en finançant le développement de grandes centrales.

Google continue d’investir dans le nucléaire. Après un récent accord signé avec Kairos Power, pour l’installation de 6 à 7 mini réacteurs nucléaires SMR, le géant américain vient d’accepter de financer les premiers stades de développement de trois nouveaux sites nucléaires, portés par Elementl Power. Si aucun élément n’a été officialisé sur le montant de l’investissement, ou la localisation des trois sites, on sait que chacune des centrales aurait une puissance d’au moins 600 MW. Dans le cadre de cet accord, Google bénéficie d’une option d’exploitation commerciale une fois les sites opérationnels.

Pour l’heure, Elementl Power, qui a été fondée en 2022, n’a encore aucun site à son actif, et n’a pas annoncé de choix en matière de technologie de réacteur. L’entreprise se laisse donc la possibilité de choisir la technologie la plus avancée au démarrage de la construction. L’entreprise vise la mise en service de 10 GW de centrales nucléaires sur le réseau américain d’ici 2035.

Le nucléaire, porté par les géants de l’IA

Cette nouvelle témoigne, une nouvelle fois, de l’engouement des GAFAM pour l’énergie issue du nucléaire. Avec le développement massif de l’intelligence artificielle, les géants de la tech se sont lancés dans une course contre-la-montre pour augmenter les capacités de production d’énergie. Récemment, Jack Clark, le co-fondateur de la société Anthropic, spécialisée dans l’intelligence artificielle, a indiqué que pour suivre la croissance de l’IA, il faudrait pas moins de 50 GW de puissance électrique supplémentaire d’ici 2027.

Néanmoins, pour faire face à ces besoins grandissants, pas question d’avoir recours aux énergies fossiles. Les géants du numérique s’emploient donc, un à un, à multiplier les investissements dans la production d’énergie décarbonée, et en particulier celle issue du nucléaire. Ainsi, Microsoft vient de s’approprier la future production électrique du réacteur n° 1 de la centrale Three Mile Island, tandis qu’Amazon s’apprête à construire l’un de ses data center à proximité directe d’une centrale nucléaire, et vient d’investir 500 millions de dollars dans une startup spécialisée dans les SMR.

Utah uranium project fast-tracked under US emergency procedures

Wednesday, 14 May 2025

The US Department of the Interior has announced it will expedite the permitting review of Anfield Energy's Velvet-Wood mine in Utah under newly established emergency procedures, with a completion timeline of 14 days for an accelerated environmental review by the Bureau of Land Management.


The accelerated review is part of a strategic response to the national energy emergency declared by President Donald Trump in January, the department said, and is expected to "significantly contribute to meeting urgent energy demands" as well as addressing national energy security concerns. Velvet-Wood is the first uranium project to be prioritised under the emergency procedures.

"The expedited mining project review represents exactly the kind of decisive action we need to secure our energy future," said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. "By cutting needless delays, we’re supporting good-paying American jobs while strengthening our national security and putting the country on a path to true energy independence."

Anfield acquired the Velvet-Wood uranium and vanadium mine from Uranium One in 2015. Some 4 million pounds U3O8 (1539 tU) - as well as 5 million pounds of V2O5 - were recovered from the Velvet deposit between 1979 and 1984 by previous owner Atlas Minerals. The combined Velvet and Wood historical mines are currently estimated to contain 4.6 million pounds U3O8 of measured and indicated resources and inferred resources of 552,000 pounds U3O8.

Anfield submitted a Plan of Operation for the mine to the State of Utah and the Bureau of Land Management in May 2024. It is advancing Velvet-Wood towards production-ready status concurrently with the Shootaring Canyon mill. The Plan of Operation includes specific operating actions and controls, reclamation actions, an estimate of reclamation surety based on third-party costs and technical bases for how the actions meet state and federal regulatory requirements.

Anfield CEO Corey Dias said the company was pleased that Velvet-Wood had been selected for expedited permitting. "As a past-producing uranium and vanadium mine with a small environmental footprint, Velvet-Wood is well-suited for this accelerated review," he said. "This marks a major milestone for Anfield as we look to play a meaningful role in rebuilding America's domestic uranium and vanadium supply chain and reducing reliance on imports from Russia and China."

Scoping study confirms robust economics for Tallahassee uranium project

6th May 2025 By: Mariaan Webb

ASX-listed Global Uranium and Enrichment (GUE) has released a scoping study for the Hansen deposit, part of its Tallahassee uranium project in Colorado, US, confirming a technically viable and economically attractive development opportunity.

The study supports a seven-year mine life, with average production of 1.8-million pounds a year of uranium oxide (U₃O₈). The base case scenario at a uranium price of $90/lb delivers a pre-tax net present value (NPV) of $203-million and an internal rate of return (IRR) of 93%. At $110/lb, the NPV increases to $365-million and the IRR to 145%.

MD Andrew Ferrier described the Hansen deposit as a standout opportunity within the world-class Tallahassee project, which is home to one of the largest undeveloped uranium deposits in the US.

"This scoping study and the impressive results generated, highlighted by a pre-tax IRR of 93% and an NPV of $203-million at $90/lb for U₃O₈, sets out a technically and environmentally viable pathway for Global Uranium to progress its development as we continue to execute on our growth strategy of building a 100-million-pound uranium portfolio."

Pre-production capital costs are estimated at $76-million, with cash operating costs of $58.65/lb U₃O₈, based on a contract ore processing scenario. The mining target comprises 15.2-million pounds of U₃O₈ contained in 5.7-million tonnes of material grading 0.12% U₃O₈, of which 12.9-million pounds will be recovered after beneficiation.
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First concrete for US advanced reactor

Thursday, 8 May 2025

Kairos Power has announced the start of installation of nuclear safety-related concrete marking the start of "nuclear construction" for the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.


Concrete pouring begins in the first of Hermes' 51 foundational piers (Image: Kairos)

Kairos broke ground for the scaled demonstration of its KP-FHR fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor technology last July, with excavation works completed in October. Safety-related construction activities, which are subject to oversight from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), formally began on 1 May, with the start of work on the piers that will form part of the building's foundation. Hermes will have 51 such piers, which are six feet (just under 2 metres) in diameter and will extend about 40 feet below ground, anchoring the building to bedrock.

Kairos Power CEO and co-founder Mike Laufer described the first safety-related concrete pour for a US advanced reactor under an NRC construction permit as a major milestone. "This achievement reflects the value of our iterative development process to meet the necessary nuclear quality standards and provide crucial real cost information that gives confidence to our customers. It is a testament to the hard work of our dedicated team and represents an enormous amount of learning and progress," he said.


A large auger is used to drill the pier shafts (Image: Kairos)

The concrete pour was the culmination of several months of preparation, Kairos said, coming after programmes to test the drilled pier installation process and refine the company's nuclear quality assurance programme. A full-scale test pier was completed in November, and 70 piers have now been drilled for Kairos Power's ETU 3.0 non-nuclear engineering test unit, which is being built adjacent to the Hermes site as part of Kairos's iterative approach for the development of its KP-FHR technology. It says this has enabled the team, led by Barnard Construction Company, Inc, to become proficient at installing piers using quality control checklists similar to those that will be used for Hermes.


Quality checking rebar for the pier (Image: Kairos)

The Hermes reactor will use tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) uranium fuel and a mixture of lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride salts known as Flibe as its coolant. This combination yields robust inherent safety while simplifying the reactor's design, Kairos said.

Hermes, which is supported by risk reduction funding from the US Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, is the first non-light-water reactor to be permitted in the USA in more than 50 years. It will not produce electricity, but Hermes 2 - a two 35 MWt-unit plant for which the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a construction permit in November - will include a power generation system. The commercial deployment of the reactor is supported by a master plant development agreement signed with Google in October 2024, for power from a fleet of up to 500 MW of capacity by 2035.

Roca Honda Project

One of the largest and highest-grade uranium projects in the U.S.
Adjacent to General Atomics’ Mount Taylor Mine
Within trucking distance of the White Mesa Mill
Currently in advanced stages of permitting
Up to 2.7 million pounds of annual uranium production with a 9-year mine life

US to fast track Laramide’s uranium project

Maddison Elliott 07 May, 2025

Laramide Resources’ (ASX:LAM) La Jara Mesa Uranium Project, located in the Grants mineral Belt of New Mexico, has been added to the US Federal Permitting Dashboard, which prioritises reliable supplies of critical minerals.

This inclusion falls under President Donald Trump’s executive order to increase mineral production in North America.

Laramide says the designation identifies La Jara Mesa’s “strategic importance” to domestic uranium production.

The order paves the way for the secretary of defence to include mineral production as a priority industrial capability development area under the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program, positioning uranium and other critical minerals as a national security imperative.

By developing resources for domestic minerals, the government is aiming to lower barriers to entry and mobilise existing funding to support the private sector.

The designation is designed to enhance transparency and accountability by making environmental review timelines accessible to the public.

Laramide, which has a market capitalisation of $188.85 million, says government, industry and community stakeholders will be able to monitor progress of the project and it will ensure a more efficient and coordinated permitting process.

CEO Marc Henderson says the designation is a meaningful milestone that reflects both the strategic value of uranium to US energy security and the importance of developing domestic sources of supply.

“The enhanced transparency and coordination process will facilitate an efficient path forward to advancing La Jara Mesa to production,” he says.

Laramide Resources is an exploration company focusing on the development of high-quality uranium assets in Australia and the US.

enCore Energy accélère l’expansion du projet d’uranium Alta Mesa avec 32 puits opérationnels
La société américaine enCore Energy poursuit l’optimisation de son projet d’uranium au Texas avec une cadence record d’installation de puits et un renforcement de son équipe dirigeante.

Westinghouse's LEU+ fuel loaded into Vogtle 2

Tuesday, 15 April 2025

Westinghouse Electric Company's lead test assemblies with LEU+ fuel have been loaded into Unit 2 of the Vogtle nuclear power plant - a first for such fuel in a commercial reactor in the USA.


The delivery of LEU+ fuel to Vogtle (Image: Southern Nuclear)

Commercial reactors currently operate on fuel that typically contains 3-5% by weight of uranium-235 - the main fissile isotope that produces energy during a chain reaction, known as low-enriched uranium (LEU). LEU+ fuel is enriched to 5-10% uranium-235. The higher enrichment could help extend the length of fuel cycles, lead to power uprates, and lower costs by reducing the number of outages needed for refuelling.

The advanced fuel is enriched to 6% uranium-235 and was developed through the US Department of Energy (DOE) Accident Tolerant Fuel Program to help improve fuel cycle safety and lower operational costs. The DOE said: "The pellets, which also include additives expected to enhance safety performance, were derived from higher enriched uranium oxide powder that was first prepared by Idaho National Laboratory. The powder was further processed into fuel pellets and fabricated into pins before they were shipped to Vogtle Unit 2 for commercial testing."

The EnCore ATF Lead Test Assemblies with greater-than-5% LEU+ ADOPT fuel, chromium coated cladding and AXIOM cladding, were manufactured at Westinghouse’s Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Hopkins, South Carolina.


The LEU+ fuel loaded into Vogtle Unit 2 (Image: Southern Nuclear)

Tarik Choho, Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel President, said: “We are proud to have achieved this milestone alongside the US Department of Energy and Southern Nuclear. Our priority is to provide safe, reliable and high-performing fuel to support our customers in their long-term operational needs. LEU+ fuel is a perfect example of how we can help reduce the number of outages in nuclear power plants."

Pete Sena, Southern Nuclear Chairman, President and CEO said: "This achievement is a significant step forward for not only the resiliency of the entire US operating fleet, but future nuclear technologies. Our goal is to operate our units for longer periods with higher output, and with higher enriched fuel, we’re even better positioned to meet the growing energy demands of the state of Georgia."

The lead test assemblies will undergo testing for four and a half years at Plant Vogtle. The fuel will be examined after each fuel cycle.

TVA to submit SMR construction permit application
Thursday, 17 April 2025
The Tennessee Valley Authority intends to submit the Construction Permit Application for the Clinch River small modular reactor to the US regulator by June.


TVA has picked out the location for the first SMR at Clinch River (Image: TVA/X)

"The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) intends to submit a CPA to license construction of a GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) at TVA's Clinch River Nuclear Site (CRN Site)," the authority said in a Notification of Intent to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). According to the notification, it plans to submit the first part of the application, including the Clinch River Nuclear Site Environmental Report, this month and the remainder "by June 2025".

The Construction Permit Application - or CPA - is essentially the blueprint for the plant's design and safety systems. NRC approval must be granted before construction can begin.
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US uranium concentrate production in 2024 reaches highest levels since 2018
This surge was primarily driven by two in-situ recovery facilities in Texas and Wyoming, alongside the White Mesa Mill in Utah.

April 3, 2025

US uranium concentrate production reached a six-year high in 2024, surpassing levels not seen since 2018, according to the US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) quarterly Domestic Uranium Production Report.

This surge was primarily driven by two in-situ recovery facilities in Texas and Wyoming, alongside the White Mesa Mill in Utah, the only operational uranium mill in the US.

Energy Fuels’ White Mesa Mill is capable of producing not only uranium but also rare earth minerals and vanadium. The company’s recent annual financial disclosure indicates a strategic focus on uranium production for 2025.

In the fourth quarter of 2024 (Q4 2024), uranium concentrate production in the US reached a total of 375,401lb, more than three-times the production of 121,296lb recorded in Q3.

This uranium output was generated at seven facilities: four in Wyoming, including the Nichols Ranch ISR Project, Lost Creek Project, Ross CPP and Smith Ranch-Highland Operation; two in Texas, including the Alta Mesa Project and Rosita; and one in Utah, the White Mesa Mill.

Uranium concentrate is a key material for nuclear reactors and certain medical applications.

The increased demand for electricity in the US, fuelled by data centres, local manufacturing and the electrification of transport and buildings, has reignited interest in nuclear energy.

Efforts are under way to restart two completely shut-down nuclear reactors, including one at the historic Three Mile Island site, reported Reuters.

In response, the federal government has awarded contracts to six companies for the production of uranium fuel.

In contrast, the US uranium market is slowing as nuclear power companies postpone purchases and new contracts amid President Trump’s tariff threats.

Application lodged for construction of Texas SMR plant

Monday, 31 March 2025

Industrial giant Dow and X-Energy Reactor Company have submitted a construction licence application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the proposed advanced nuclear project at Dow's Seadrift site in Texas.
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Milestone for Wyoming uranium operation

20 February 2025

Uranium Energy Corp's Irigaray Central Processing Plant has produced its first dried and drummed uranium concentrates since the resumption of in-situ recovery operations at the company's Christensen Ranch project.
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Wyoming uranium project returns to production
Production operations at the Lance project have officially commenced after a five-year hiatus, with the first dry yellowcake product expected in March.

20 December 2024


The Lance Central Processing Plant (Image: Peninsula Energy)

Operations restarted within selected areas of Mine Unit 1 at the in-situ leach - also known as in-situ recovery - project on 18 December. The project is owned by Australia-based owner Peninsula Energy Ltd. Strata Energy Inc is the company's 100%-owned US subsidiary.

Since Lance last produced uranium commercially in 2019, it has transitioned to low-pH operations. In September last year, Peninsula decided to bring forward plans for a central resin processing plant at Lance after a toll-milling agreement to process loaded resins from the operation at Uranium Energy Corp's Irigaray central processing plant fell through. When complete, the process plant will be able to produce up to 2 million pounds U3O8 (76,929 tU) of dry yellowcake product per year.

The production stream from Mine Unit 1 is being routed to the rebuilt Phase 1 satellite plant ion exchange system for uranium capture, and the captured uranium will be stored on the ion exchange resin until the second phase of the new on-site recovery plant is completed in early 2025, the company said. It expects the resin elution and precipitation circuits in the Phase 2 plant area to be completed by mid-January, when first elutions and yellowcake precipitation can begin. The completed construction of the yellowcake filtration and drying circuits are currently scheduled for February, which would lead to production of the first dry yellowcake product by early March.


The processing plant interior (Image: Peninsula Energy)

"This is a very exciting moment for the team and our shareholders to have finally pressed the button on starting production," Peninsula Managing Director and CEO Yayne Heili said, adding that the milestone had been "years in the making, a lot of hard work, and with a fair share of challenges".

"Importantly, Peninsula is now North America's newest fully independent uranium producer. We have restarted Lance at an opportune time, with the long-term fundamentals and demand for uranium incredibly strong, as nuclear energy grows into the leading and most reliable clean energy solution," he said.