efr-20231231
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023
or
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from ___________________ to ___________________
Commission file number: 001-36204
ENERGY FUELS INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(303) 974-2140
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Shares, no par value UUUU NYSE American
EFR Toronto Stock Exchange
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
(Title of Class)
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐No☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:
Large Accelerated Filer☒ Accelerated Filer ☐
Non-Accelerated Filer ☐ Smaller Reporting Company ☐
Emerging Growth Company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b).
Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter: $954.99 million.
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
The number of common shares of the Registrant outstanding as of February 21, 2024 was 163,570,079.
DOCUMENTS TO BE INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Certain information required in Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is incorporated by reference from our proxy statement for our 2024 Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders, which will be filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
ENERGY FUELS INC.
FORM 10-K
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUBPARTS
ITEM III: GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS 10
ITEM IV: GLOSSARY OF REGULATORY AGENCIES AND EXCHANGES 12
PART I
ITEM 1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS 13
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS 36
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS 58
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY 58
ITEM 2. DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTIES 60
ITEM 2A. OVERVIEW 61
ITEM 2B. SUMMARY OF MINERAL RESERVES AND RESOURCES 64
ITEM 2C. THE NICHOLS RANCH PROJECT 68
ITEM 2D. THE WHITE MESA MILL 81
ITEM 2E. THE PINYON PLAIN PROJECT 88
ITEM 2F. THE ROCA HONDA PROJECT 96
ITEM 2G. THE SHEEP MOUNTAIN PROJECT 103
ITEM 2H. THE BULLFROG PROJECT 111
ITEM 2I. THE LA SAL PROJECT 116
ITEM 2J. THE BAHIA PROJECT 126
ITEM 2K. NON-MATERIAL MINERAL PROPERTIES 132
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 137
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE 137
PART II
ITEM 6. [RESERVED] 142
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK 156
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA 158
ITEM 8A. REPORTS OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 159
ITEM 8C. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS 162
ITEM 8D. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY 163
ITEM 8E. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS 165
ITEM 8F. NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 167
ITEM 8F(1). THE COMPANY AND DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS 167
ITEM 8F(2). SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES 168
ITEM 8F(3). MARKETABLE SECURITIES 173
ITEM 8F(4). RECEIVABLES 173
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ITEM 8F(5). INVENTORIES 174
ITEM 8F(6). INVESTMENTS 174
ITEM 8F(7). PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT AND MINERAL PROPERTIES 176
ITEM 8F(8). ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS AND RESTRICTED CASH 178
ITEM 8F(9). CAPITAL STOCK 179
ITEM 8F(10). BASIC AND DILUTED INCOME (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE 180
ITEM 8F(11). SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS 180
ITEM 8F(13). SUPPLEMENTAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION 187
ITEM 8F(14). COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES 188
ITEM 8F(15). FAIR VALUE ACCOUNTING 189
ITEM 8F(17). RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS 192
ITEM 8F(18). SUBSEQUENT EVENTS 192
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 193
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION 193
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS 194
PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 195
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION 195
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES 195
PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES 195
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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY
This Annual Report on Form 10-K and the exhibits attached hereto (the “Annual Report”) contain “forward-looking statements” and “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable United States (“U.S.”) and Canadian securities laws (collectively, “forward-looking statements”), which may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to Energy Fuels Inc.’s (the “Company's” or “Energy Fuels'”): anticipated results and progress of our operations in future periods; planned exploration; development of our properties; plans related to our business, such as the ramp-up of our uranium business in response to improved uranium prices, our rare earth element (“REE”) line of business, including work on our South Bahia heavy mineral sands (“HMS”) project in Brazil (the “Bahia Project”) and our planned development of capabilities for the commercial separation of REEs at our White Mesa Mill (the “White Mesa Mill” or the “Mill”) in Utah; plans related to our potential recovery of radioisotopes at the Mill for use in the production of targeted alpha therapy (“TAT”) medical treatments; any plans related to the acquisition of additional mineral properties; and any plans relating to the ramp-up of production or ongoing operations at any of our uranium, uranium/vanadium and/or HMS properties. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management.
Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, schedules, assumptions, future events, or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as “expects” or “does not expect,” “is expected,” “is likely,” “budgets,” “scheduled,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “anticipates” or “does not anticipate,” “continues,” “plans,” “estimates,” or “believes,” and similar expressions or variations of such words and phrases or statements stating that certain actions, events or results “may,” “could,” “would,” “might,” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. We believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct, and such forward-looking statements included in, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report should not be unduly relied upon.
Readers are cautioned that it would be unreasonable to rely on any such forward-looking statements as creating any legal rights, and that the forward-looking statements are not guarantees and may involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and that actual results are likely to differ (and may differ materially), and objectives and strategies may differ or change, from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: global economic risks, such as the occurrence of a pandemic, political unrest or wars; cybersecurity risks associated with critical and other highly sensitive minerals of international interest, which are key to national security; risks associated with the restart and subsequent operation of any of our uranium, uranium/vanadium and HMS mines; risks associated with our commercial production of an REE carbonate (“RE Carbonate”) or separated REE oxides and the planned expansion of such production, and risks associated with the exploration and development of our Bahia Project in Brazil; risks associated with the potential recovery of radioisotopes for use in the Company’s TAT initiatives; risks associated with potential mineral acquisitions internationally, including geopolitical considerations; risks associated with increased regulatory requirements applicable to our operations in response to pressure from special interest groups or otherwise; and risks generally encountered in the exploration, development, operation, closure and reclamation of mineral properties and processing and recovery facilities. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation the following risks:
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•global economic risks, including the occurrence of unforeseen or catastrophic events, such as political unrest, wars or the emergence of a widespread health emergency, which could create operational, economic and financial disruptions for an indeterminate period of time that could materially impact our business, operations, personnel and financial condition;
•risks associated with Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates, including the risk of errors in assumptions or methodologies and changes to estimate disclosure rules and regulations;
•risks associated with estimating mineral extraction and recovery, forecasting future price levels necessary to support mineral extraction and recovery, and our ability to increase mineral extraction and recovery in response to any increases in commodity prices or other market conditions;
•uncertainties and liabilities inherent to conventional mineral extraction and recovery and/or in situ recovery (“ISR”);
•risks associated with our commercial production of RE Carbonate, separated REE oxides, and potentially other REE and REE-related value-added products (collectively, “RE Products”) at the Mill or elsewhere, including risks: that we may not be able to produce RE Products that meet commercial specifications at commercial levels or at all, or at acceptable cost levels; of not being able to secure adequate supplies of uranium and REE-bearing ores in the future at satisfactory costs; of not being able to increase our sources of uranium and REE-bearing ores to meet future planned production goals; of not being able to sell our RE Products at acceptable prices; of not being able to successfully construct and operate potential other downstream REE activities, including metal-making and alloying, if pursued in the future; of legal and regulatory challenges and delays; and the risk of technological or market changes that could impact the REE industry or our competitive position;
•risks associated with the uranium reserve program for the U.S. (the “U.S.Uranium Reserve Program”) being subject to appropriation by the U.S. Congress, and the expansion of the U.S. Uranium Reserve Program;
•risks associated with current federal, state and local administrations and changes thereto, including a lack of support of mining, uranium mining, nuclear energy, REE recovery or other aspects of our business;
•geological, technical and processing problems, including unanticipated metallurgical difficulties, less than expected recoveries, ground control problems, process upsets and equipment malfunctions;
•risks associated with the depletion of existing Mineral Resources through extraction without comparable replacements;
•risks associated with identifying/obtaining adequate quantities of uranium-bearing materials not derived from conventional material sourced by third parties (“Alternate Feed Materials”) and other feed sources required for the operation of our Mill;
•risks associated with labor costs, labor disturbances and unavailability of skilled labor;
•risks associated with availability and/or fluctuations in the costs of raw materials and consumables used in our production;
•risks and costs associated with environmental compliance and permitting, including those created by changes in environmental legislation and regulation, changes in regulatory attitudes and approaches, and delays in obtaining permits and licenses that could impact expected mineral extraction and recovery levels and costs;
•risks associated with increased regulatory requirements applicable to our operations in response to pressure from special interest groups or otherwise;
•risks associated with our dependence on third parties in the provision of transportation and other critical services;
•risks associated with our ability to obtain, extend or renew land tenure, including mineral leases and surface use agreements, and to negotiate access rights on certain properties, on favorable terms or at all;
•risks associated with potential information security incidents, including cybersecurity breaches;
•risks that we may compromise or lose our proprietary technology or intellectual property in certain circumstances, which could result in a loss in our competitive position and/or the value of our intangible assets;
•risks associated with our ongoing ability to successfully develop, attract and retain qualified management, Board members and other key personnel critical to the success of our business, given limited significant experience in our key industries;
•competition for, among other things, capital, mineral properties and skilled personnel;
•the adequacy of, and costs of retaining, our insurance coverage;
•uncertainty as to reclamation and decommissioning liabilities;
•the ability of our bonding companies to require increases in the collateral required to secure reclamation obligations;
•the potential for, and outcome of, litigation and other legal proceedings, including potential injunctions pending resolution;
•our ability to meet our obligations to our creditors and to access credit facilities on favorable terms;
•risks associated with our relationships with our business and joint venture partners, including associated geopolitical risks;
•failure to obtain industry partner, government, and other third-party consents and approvals, when required;
•failure to complete and integrate proposed acquisitions, and/or to incorrectly assess the value or risks associated with of completed acquisitions, including our acquisition of mineral concessions at the Bahia Project and any future acquisitions;
•risks associated with a Brazilian federal or state government enacting or managing a conservation unit or environmental protection area or implementing a management plan in connection therewith that could impact planned production at or restrict the Company’s ability to or prevent the Company from mining significant portions of the Company’s Bahia Project;
•risks associated with fluctuations in price levels for HMS concentrate (“HMC”) and its components, including the prices for ilmenite, rutile, titanium and zircon, which could impact planned production levels or the feasibility of production of HMC and monazite from our Bahia Project and any other HMS project the Company may acquire or participate in, which could impact monazite supply for our RE Carbonate, separated REE oxide and any other REE value-added product production;
•risks posed by fluctuations in share price levels, exchange rates and interest rates, and general economic conditions;
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•risks inherent in our and industry analysts’ forecasts/predictions of future uranium, vanadium, copper (if and when produced) and REE price levels, including the prices for RE Carbonates, separated REE oxides, REE metals and REE metal alloys;
•market prices of uranium, vanadium, REEs and (if relevant) copper, which are cyclical with substantial price fluctuations;
•risks associated with future uranium sales, if any, being required to be made at spot prices, unless we are able to continue to enter into new long-term contracts at satisfactory prices in the future;
•risks associated with our vanadium sales, if any, generally being required to be made at spot prices;
•risks associated with our RE Carbonate sales and REE oxide sales, if any, being tied to REE spot prices;
•failure to obtain suitable uranium sales terms at satisfactory prices in the future, including spot and term sale contracts;
•failure to obtain suitable vanadium sales terms at satisfactory prices in the future;
•failure to obtain suitable copper (if and when produced) or REE sales terms at satisfactory prices in the future;
•risks that we may not be able to fulfill all our sales commitments out of inventories or production and may be required to fulfill deliveries through spot purchases at a loss or through other negotiable means that are unfavorable to the Company;
•risks associated with any expectation that we will successfully help in the cleanup of historic abandoned uranium mines;
•risks associated with asset impairment as a result of market conditions;
•risks associated with lack of access to markets and the ability to access capital;
•risks associated with our ability to raise debt financing as may be required or desirable for planned expansion of our operations or for the development of projects with third parties in which we have a joint venture or other interest;
•risks associated with public and/or political resistance to nuclear energy or uranium extraction and recovery;
•risks associated with inaccurate or nonobjective media coverage of our activities and the impact such coverage may have on the public, the market for our securities, government relations, commercial relations, permitting activities and legal challenges, as well as the costs to us of responding to such coverage;
•risks associated with potential impacts of public perceptions on our commercial relations;
•uranium industry competition, international trade restrictions and the impacts they have on world commodity prices of foreign state-subsidized production, and wars or other conflicts influencing international demand and commercial relations;
•risks associated with foreign government actions, policies and laws and foreign state-subsidized enterprises with respect to REE production and sales, which could impact REE prices, access to global and domestic markets for the supply of REE-bearing ores, and our sale of RE Carbonate, separated REE oxides or REE products and services globally and domestically;
•risks associated with our involvement in industry petitions for trade remedies and the extension of the Russian Suspension Agreement, including costs of pursuing such remedies and the potential for negative responses or repercussions from various interest groups, consumers of uranium, and participants in other phases of the nuclear fuel cycle domestically and abroad;
•risks associated with governmental or regulatory agency actions, policies, laws, regulations and interpretations with respect to nuclear energy or uranium extraction and recovery, as well as to REE and other mineral extraction and recovery activities;
•risks related to potentially higher than expected costs related to any of our projects or facilities;
•risks related to our ability to potentially recover copper from our Pinyon Plain Project, should we decide to pursue it;
•risks related to stock price, volume volatility and market events and our ability to maintain inclusion in various stock indices;
•risks related to our ability to maintain our listings on NYSE American and the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”);
•risks related to dilution of currently outstanding shares from additional share issuances, depletion of assets, etc.;
•risks related to our securities, including securities regulations, and our lack of dividends;
•risks related to our issuance of additional freely tradeable common shares of the Company (“Common Shares”) under our At-the-Market program (“ATM”) or otherwise to provide adequate liquidity in depressed commodity market situations;
•risks related to acquisition and integration issues, or related to defects in title to our mineral properties;
•risks related to our method of accounting for equity investments in other companies potentially resulting in material changes to our financial results that are not fully within our control;
•risks related to conducting business operations in foreign countries including heightened risks of expropriation of assets, business interruption, increased taxation, import/export controls, or unilateral modification of concessions and contracts;
•risks related to any material weaknesses that may be identified in our internal controls over financial reporting. If we are unable to implement/maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, negatively affecting the market price of our common stock;
•risks of amendment to mining laws, including the imposition of any royalties on minerals extracted from federal lands, the designation of national monuments, mineral withdrawals or similar actions, which could adversely impact our affected properties or our ability to operate our affected properties;
•risks related to proposed or completed land exchanges made between federal and state agencies that may impact our unpatented mining claims and other rights, including: undesirable changes to our mineral tenure on exchanged lands; and/or the application of production royalties not previously owed on the claims; and
•risks related to our potential recovery of radioisotopes at the Mill for use in our TAT initiatives, including a risk of technological or market changes that could impact the industry or our competitive position, and any expectation that: such potential recovery will be feasible or that the radioisotopes will be able to be sold on a commercial basis; all required licenses, permits and regulatory approvals will be obtained on a timely basis or at all; and the cancer treatment therapeutics will receive the required approvals and will be commercially successful.
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Such statements are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, the following assumptions: that there is no material deterioration in general business and economic conditions; that there is no unanticipated fluctuation in interest rates and foreign exchange rates; that the supply and demand for, deliveries of, and the level and volatility of prices of uranium, vanadium, REEs and our other primary metals, radioisotopes and minerals develop as expected; that uranium, vanadium and REE prices required to reach, sustain or increase expected or forecasted production levels are realized as expected; that our RE Carbonate production, planned production of separated REE oxides or any other proposed REE activities, our proposed radioisotope program, or other potential production activities will be technically or commercially successful; that we receive regulatory and governmental approvals for our development projects and other operations on a timely basis; that we are able to operate our mineral properties and processing facilities as expected; that we are able to implement new process technologies and operations as expected; that existing licenses and permits are renewed as required; that we are able to obtain financing for our development projects on reasonable terms; that we are able to procure mining equipment and operating supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis; that engineering and construction timetables and capital costs for our development and expansion projects and restarting projects on standby are not incorrectly estimated or affected by unforeseen circumstances; that costs of closure of various operations are accurately estimated; that there are no unanticipated changes in collateral requirements for surety bonds; that there are no unanticipated changes to market competition; that our Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates are within reasonable bounds of accuracy (including with respect to size, grade and recoverability) and that the geological, operational and price assumptions on which these are based are reasonable; that environmental and other administrative and legal proceedings or disputes are satisfactorily resolved; that there are no significant changes to regulatory programs and requirements or interpretations that would materially increase regulatory compliance costs, bonding costs or licensing/permitting requirements; that there are no significant amendments to mining laws, including the imposition of any royalties on minerals extracted from federal lands; that there are no designations of national monuments, mineral withdrawals, land exchanges or similar actions, which could adversely impact any of our material properties or our ability to operate any of our material properties; that there are no conservation units or environmental protection areas or management plans that could impact planned production at or restrict the Company’s ability to or prevent the Company from mining significant portions of the Company’s Bahia Project; and that we maintain ongoing relations with our employees and with our business and joint venture partners.
This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect our forward-looking statements. Some of the important risks and uncertainties that could affect forward-looking statements are described further under the following section headings in Part I of this Annual Report: Item 1. Description of the Business; Item 1A. Risk Factors; and Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by applicable law, we disclaim any obligation to subsequently revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. Statements relating to “Mineral Reserves” or “Mineral Resources” are deemed to be forward-looking statements, as they involve the implied assessment, based on certain estimates and assumptions, that the Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources described may be profitably extracted in the future.
Market, Industry and Other Data
This Annual Report contains estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business and the markets for our products. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties, and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances that are assumed in this information. Unless otherwise expressly stated, we obtained this industry, business, market and other data from our own internal estimates and research, as well as from reports, research surveys, studies and similar data prepared by market research firms and other third parties, industry and general publications, government data, and similar sources.
We qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report by the foregoing cautionary statements.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE TO INVESTORS CONCERNING
DISCLOSURE OF MINERAL RESOURCES AND RESERVES
We are a U.S. domestic issuer for United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) reporting purposes, a majority of our outstanding voting securities are held by U.S. residents, we are required to report our financial results under generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”) and our primary trading market is the NYSE American. However, because we are incorporated in Ontario, Canada and also listed on the TSX, this Annual Report also contains or incorporates by reference certain disclosure that satisfies the additional requirements of Canadian securities laws that differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws.
All mineral estimates constituting mining operations that are material to our business or financial condition included in this Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2023, and in the documents incorporated by reference herein, have been prepared in accordance with both 17 CFR Subparts 220.1300 and 229.601(b)(96) (collectively, “S-K 1300”), the SEC’s mining disclosure framework effective as of 2021, and Canadian National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”), a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators (the “CSA”) that establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Furthermore, all mineral estimates constituting mining operations that are material to our business or financial condition included in this Annual Report are supported by pre-feasibility studies and/or initial assessments prepared in accordance with both the requirements of S-K 1300 and NI 43-101. S-K 1300 and NI 43-101 both provide for the disclosure of: (i) “Inferred Mineral Resources,” which investors should understand have the lowest level of geological confidence of all mineral resources and thus may not be considered when assessing the economic viability of a mining project and may not be converted to a Mineral Reserve; (ii) “Indicated Mineral Resources,” which investors should understand have a lower level of confidence than that of a “Measured Mineral Resource” and thus may be converted only to a “Probable Mineral Reserve”; and (iii) “Measured Mineral Resources,” which investors should understand have sufficient geological certainty to be converted to a “Proven Mineral Reserve” or to a “Probable Mineral Reserve.” Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources will ever be converted into Mineral Reserves as defined by S-K 1300 or NI 43-101. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource exists or is economically or legally mineable, or that an Inferred Mineral Resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category.
For purposes of S-K 1300 and NI 43-101, as at December 31, 2023, the Company was classified as a development stage issuer because it was engaged in the preparation of Mineral Reserves for extraction on at least one material property. The Company will be considered a production stage issuer if it engages in material extraction of a Mineral Reserve from at least one material property. In late 2023, the Company commenced uranium production at three of its material properties, namely the Pinyon Plain Project and the La Sal and Pandora mines (each of the La Sal and Pandora mines constitutes a portion of the La Sal Project). The Pinyon Plain Project includes a Mineral Reserve. Accordingly, the Company is expected to be considered a production stage issuer in 2024 as a result of its commencing mining at the Pinyon Plain Project in late 2023 and its expected continuance of mining activities through 2024.
All mineral disclosure reported in this Annual Report has been prepared in accordance with the definitions of both S-K 1300 and NI 43-101.
S-K 1300 Definitions:
•Development Stage Issuer: is an issuer that is engaged in the preparation of mineral reserves for extraction on at least one material property.
•Development Stage Property: is a property that has mineral reserves disclosed, pursuant to S-K 1300, but no material extraction.
•Exploration Stage Issuer: is an issuer that has no material property with Mineral Reserves disclosed.
•Exploration Stage Property: is a property that has no mineral reserves disclosed.
•Feasibility Study: is a comprehensive technical and economic study of the selected development option for a mineral project, which includes detailed assessments of all applicable modifying factors, as defined in S-K 1300, together with any other relevant operational factors, and detailed financial analyses that are necessary to demonstrate, at the time of reporting, that extraction is economically viable. The results of the study may serve as the basis for a final decision by a proponent or financial institution to proceed with, or finance, the development of the project.
(1) A feasibility study is more comprehensive, and with a higher degree of accuracy, than a pre-feasibility study. It must contain mining, infrastructure, and process designs completed with sufficient rigor to serve as the basis for an investment decision or to support project financing.
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(2) The confidence level in the results of a feasibility study is higher than the confidence level in the results of a pre-feasibility study. Terms such as full, final, comprehensive, bankable, or definitive feasibility study are equivalent to a feasibility study.
•Indicated Mineral Resource: is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of adequate geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological certainty associated with an indicated mineral resource is sufficient to allow a qualified person to apply modifying factors in sufficient detail to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Because an indicated mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than the level of confidence of a measured mineral resource, an indicated mineral resource may only be converted to a probable mineral reserve.
•Inferred Mineral Resource: is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological uncertainty associated with an inferred mineral resource is too high to apply relevant technical and economic factors likely to influence the prospects of economic extraction in a manner useful for evaluation of economic viability. Because an inferred mineral resource has the lowest level of geological confidence of all mineral resources, which prevents the application of the modifying factors in a manner useful for evaluation of economic viability, an inferred mineral resource may not be considered when assessing the economic viability of a mining project and may not be converted to a mineral reserve.
•Initial Assessment: is a preliminary technical and economic study of the economic potential of all or parts of mineralization to support the disclosure of mineral resources. The initial assessment must be prepared by a qualified person and must include appropriate assessments of reasonably assumed technical and economic factors, together with any other relevant operational factors, that are necessary to demonstrate at the time of reporting that there are reasonable prospects for economic extraction. An initial assessment is required for disclosure of mineral resources but cannot be used as the basis for disclosure of mineral reserves.
•Measured Mineral Resource: is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of conclusive geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological certainty associated with a measured mineral resource is sufficient to allow a qualified person to apply modifying factors, as defined in this section, in sufficient detail to support detailed mine planning and final evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Because a measured mineral resource has a higher level of confidence than the level of confidence of either an indicated mineral resource or an inferred mineral resource, a measured mineral resource may be converted to a proven mineral reserve or to a probable mineral reserve.
•Mineral Reserve: is an estimate of tonnage and grade or quality of indicated and measured mineral resources that, in the opinion of the qualified person, can be the basis of an economically viable project. More specifically, it is the economically mineable part of a measured or indicated mineral resource, which includes diluting materials and allowances for losses that may occur when the material is mined or extracted.
•Mineral Resource: is a concentration or occurrence of material of economic interest in or on the earth's crust in such form, grade or quality, and quantity that there are reasonable prospects for economic extraction. A mineral resource is a reasonable estimate of mineralization, taking into account relevant factors such as cut-off grade, likely mining dimensions, location or continuity, that, with the assumed and justifiable technical and economic conditions, is likely to, in whole or in part, become economically extractable. It is not merely an inventory of all mineralization drilled or sampled.
•Modifying Factors: are the factors that a qualified person must apply to indicated and measured mineral resources and then evaluate in order to establish the economic viability of mineral reserves. A qualified person must apply and evaluate modifying factors to convert measured and indicated mineral resources to proven and probable mineral reserves. These factors include, but are not restricted to: mining; processing; metallurgical; infrastructure; economic; marketing; legal; environmental compliance; plans, negotiations, or agreements with local individuals or groups; and governmental factors. The number, type and specific characteristics of the modifying factors applied will necessarily be a function of and depend upon the mineral, mine, property, or project.
•Preliminary Feasibility Study (or Pre-Feasibility Study): is a comprehensive study of a range of options for the technical and economic viability of a mineral project that has advanced to a stage where a qualified person has determined (in the case of underground mining) a preferred mining method, or (in the case of surface mining) a pit configuration, and in all cases has determined an effective method of mineral processing and an effective plan to sell the product.
(1) A pre-feasibility study includes a financial analysis based on reasonable assumptions, based on appropriate testing, about the modifying factors and the evaluation of any other relevant factors that are sufficient for a qualified person to determine if all or part of the indicated and measured mineral resources may be converted to mineral reserves at the time of reporting. The financial analysis must have the level of detail necessary to demonstrate, at the time of reporting, that extraction is economically viable.
(2) A pre-feasibility study is less comprehensive and results in a lower confidence level than a feasibility study. A pre-feasibility study is more comprehensive and results in a higher confidence level than an initial assessment.
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•Preliminary Market Study: is a study that is sufficiently rigorous and comprehensive to determine and support the existence of a readily accessible market for the mineral. It must, at a minimum, include product specifications based on preliminary geologic and metallurgical testing, supply and demand forecasts, historical prices for the preceding five or more years, estimated long term prices, evaluation of competitors (including products and estimates of production volumes, sales, and prices), customer evaluation of product specifications, and market entry strategies. The study must provide justification for all assumptions. It can, however, be less rigorous and comprehensive than a final market study, which is required for a full feasibility study.
•Probable Mineral Reserve: is the economically mineable part of an indicated and, in some cases, a measured mineral resource.
•Production Stage Issuer: is an issuer that is engaged in material extraction of mineral reserves on at least one material property.
•Proven Mineral Reserve: is the economically mineable part of a measured mineral resource and can only result from conversion of a measured mineral resource.
•Qualified Person: is an individual who is:
(1) a mineral industry professional with at least five years of relevant experience in the type of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration and in the specific type of activity that person is undertaking on behalf of the registrant; and
(2) an eligible member or licensee in good standing of a recognized professional organization at the time the technical report is prepared. For an organization to be a recognized professional organization, it must:
(i) be either:
(A) an organization recognized within the mining industry as a reputable professional association; or
(B) a board authorized by U.S. federal, state or foreign statute to regulate professionals in the mining, geoscience or related field;
(ii) admit eligible members primarily on the basis of their academic qualifications and experience;
(iii) establish and require compliance with professional standards of competence and ethics;
(iv) require or encourage continuing professional development;
(v) have and apply disciplinary powers, including the power to suspend or expel a member regardless of where the member practices or resides; and
(vi) provide a public list of members in good standing.
CIM and NI 43-101 Definitions:
•Feasibility Study: A “feasibility study” is a comprehensive technical and economic study of the selected development option for a mineral project that includes appropriately detailed assessments of applicable modifying factors, together with any other relevant operational factors and detailed financial analysis that are necessary to demonstrate, at the time of reporting, that extraction is reasonably justified (economically mineable). The results of the study may reasonably serve as the basis for a final decision by a proponent or financial institution to proceed with, or finance, the development of the project. The confidence level of the study will be higher than that of a pre-feasibility study.
•Indicated Mineral Resource: An “indicated mineral resource” is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics are estimated with sufficient confidence to allow the application of modifying factors in sufficient detail to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Geological evidence is derived from adequately detailed and reliable exploration, sampling and testing and is sufficient to assume geological and grade or quality continuity between points of observation. An indicated mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than that applied to a measured mineral resource and may only be converted to a probable mineral reserve.
•Inferred Mineral Resource: An “inferred mineral resource” is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Geological evidence is sufficient to imply, but not verify, geological and grade or quality continuity. An inferred mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than that applied to an indicated mineral resource and must not be converted to a mineral reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to “indicated mineral resources” with continued exploration.
•Measured Mineral Resource: A “measured mineral resource” is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics are estimated with confidence sufficient to allow the application of modifying factors to support detailed mine planning and final evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Geological evidence is derived from detailed and reliable exploration, sampling, and testing and is sufficient to confirm geological and grade or quality continuity between points of observation. A measured mineral resource has a higher level of confidence than that applied to either an indicated mineral resource or an inferred mineral resource. It may be converted to a proven mineral reserve or to a probable mineral reserve.
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•Mineral Reserve: A “mineral reserve” is the economically mineable part of a measured and/or indicated mineral resource. It includes diluting materials and allowances for losses which may occur when the material is mined or is extracted and is defined by studies at pre-feasibility or feasibility level as appropriate that include application of modifying factors. Such studies demonstrate that, at the time of reporting, extraction could reasonably be justified. The reference point at which mineral reserves are defined, usually the point where the ore is delivered to the processing plant, must be stated. It is important that, in all situations where the reference point is different, such as for a saleable product, a clarifying statement is included to ensure that the reader is fully informed as to what is being reported. The public disclosure of a mineral reserve must be demonstrated by a pre-feasibility study or feasibility study.
•Mineral Resource: A “mineral resource” is a concentration or occurrence of solid material of economic interest in or on the Earth’s crust in such form, grade or quality and quantity that there are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction. The location, quantity, grade or quality, continuity and other geological characteristics of a mineral resource are known, estimated or interpreted from specific geological evidence and knowledge, including sampling.
•Modifying Factors: “Modifying factors” are considerations used to convert mineral resources to mineral reserves. These include, but are not restricted to, mining, processing, metallurgical, infrastructure, economic, marketing, legal, environmental, social, and governmental factors.
•PEA: A Preliminary Economic Assessment performed in accordance with NI 43-101. A Preliminary Economic Assessment is a study, other than a pre-feasibility study or feasibility study, which includes an economic analysis of the potential viability of mineral resources.
•Pre-Feasibility Study: A “pre-feasibility study” is a comprehensive study of a range of options for the technical and economic viability of a mineral project that has advanced to a stage where a preferred mining method, in the case of underground mining, or the pit configuration, in the case of an open pit, is established and an effective method of mineral processing is determined. It includes a financial analysis based on reasonable assumptions on the modifying factors and the evaluation of any other relevant factors which are sufficient for a qualified person, acting reasonably, to determine if all or part of the mineral resource may be converted to a mineral reserve at the time of reporting. A pre-feasibility study is at a lower confidence level than a feasibility study.
•Probable Mineral Reserve: A Probable Mineral Reserve is the economically mineable part of an Indicated, and in some circumstances, a Measured Mineral Resource. The confidence in the Modifying Factors applying to a Probable Mineral Reserve is lower than that applying to a Proven Mineral Reserve.
•Proven Mineral Reserve: A Proven Mineral Reserve is the economically mineable part of a Measured Mineral Resource. A Proven Mineral Reserve implies a high degree of confidence in the Modifying Factors.
•Qualified Person: means an individual who:
(a) is an engineer or geoscientist with a university degree, or equivalent accreditation, in an area of geoscience, or engineering, relating to mineral exploration or mining;
(b) has at least five years of experience in mineral exploration, mine development or operation or mineral project assessment, or any combination of these, that is relevant to his or her professional degree or area of practice;
(c) has experience relevant to the subject matter of the mineral project and the technical report;
(d) is in good standing with a professional association; and
(e) in the case of a professional association in a foreign jurisdiction, has a membership designation that
(i) requires attainment of a position of responsibility in their profession that requires the exercise of independent judgment; and
(ii) requires
A. a favorable confidential peer evaluation of the individual’s character, professional judgement, experience, and ethical fitness; or
B. a recommendation for membership by at least two peers and demonstrated prominence or expertise in the field of mineral exploration or mining.
GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS
The following defined technical terms are used in this Annual Report:
•% U3O8 Eq: Equivalent uranium grade calculated by combining uranium content and copper content by factoring in the grade, commodity price and metallurgical recovery for each metal.
•ANM Process Area: An area (up to 2,000 hectares) granted by the Federal Government of Brazil to a Brazilian Legal Entity for the exploration and or the extraction of minerals.
•APP: An Aquifer Protection Permit, issued by ADEQ (see “Glossary of Regulatory Agencies and Exchanges” below).
•Assay: The testing of a metal or natural material to determine its ingredients and quality.
•Breccia: A rock in which angular fragments are surrounded by a mass of fine-grained materials.
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•CAP: A Corrective Action Plan.
•Copper: A red-brown metal, the chemical element of atomic number 29.
•Cut-off grade: The grade (i.e., the concentration of metal or mineral in rock) that determines the destination of the material during mining. For purposes of establishing “prospects of economic extraction,” the cut-off grade is the grade that distinguishes material deemed to have no economic value (it will not be mined in underground mining or if mined in surface mining, its destination will be the waste dump) from material deemed to have economic value (its ultimate destination during mining will be the processing facility). Other terms used in similar fashion as cut-off grade include net smelter return, pay limit, and break-even stripping ratio.
•EA: Environmental Assessment prepared under NEPA for a mineral project.
•EIS: Environmental Impact Statement prepared under NEPA for a mineral project.
•eU3O8: This term refers to equivalent U3O8 grade derived by gamma logging of drill holes.
•Extraction: The process of physically extracting mineralized material from the ground. Exploration continues during the extraction process, and, in many cases, mineralized material is expanded during the life of the extraction activities as the exploration potential of the deposit is realized.
•FONSI: Finding of No Significant Impact under NEPA, as defined below, for a mineral project.
•Formation: A distinct layer of sedimentary or volcanic rock of similar composition.
•Grade: Quantity or percentage of metal per unit weight of host rock.
•GWDP: A groundwater discharge permit, issuable by UDEQ.
•Heavy Mineral: A mineral with a density greater than 2.9 g/cm3.
•Heavy Mineral Sand: A mineral deposit containing heavy minerals, silica sand, clay and other minerals.
•HMC: Heavy Mineral Sand concentrate, containing approximately 80-90% heavy minerals.
•HMS: Heavy Mineral Sand.
•Host Rock: The rock containing a mineral or an ore body.
•In-situ recovery or ISR: The recovery, by chemical means, of the uranium component of a deposit without the physical extraction of uranium-bearing material from the ground. ISR utilizes injection of appropriate oxidizing chemicals into a uranium-bearing sandstone deposit by injection wells, with the uranium-bearing solution being removed by extraction wells; also referred to as “solution mining.”
•Mineral: A naturally formed chemical element or compound having a definite chemical composition and, usually, a characteristic crystal form.
•Mineralization: A natural occurrence, in rocks or soil, of one or more metal yielding minerals.
•Mineralized material: Material that contains mineralization (e.g., uranium, vanadium and/or copper) and that is not included in an SEC Reserve as it does not meet all of the criteria for adequate demonstration of economic or legal extraction.
•Monazite: A phosphate mineral with a chemical composition of (Ce,La,Nd,Th)PO4. It is a naturally occurring uranium- and rare earth-bearing mineral.
•MT: A metric ton or tonne; one MT equals 1.102 tons.
•NEPA: The United States National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended.
•NOI: A Notice of Intent, filed by Energy Fuels to a regulatory agency as a part of a licensing or permitting action related to a mineral project.
•Open Pit: Surface mineral extraction in which the mineralized material is extracted from a pit or quarry.
•Ore: Mineral-bearing rock that can be mined, processed and concentrated profitably under current or immediately foreseeable economic conditions. A company may only refer to reserves (as that term is defined in S-K 1300) as “ore.”
•Ore body: A mostly solid and fairly continuous mass of in-ground mineralization estimated to be economically mineable.
•Outcrop: That part of a geologic formation or structure that appears at the surface of the Earth.
•PO: Plan of Operations for a mineral project prepared in accordance with applicable United States Bureau of Land Management or United States Forest Service regulations.
•Rare Earth Elements or REEs: a group of seventeen metallic elements consisting of the fifteen lanthanide elements along with scandium and yttrium.
•Reclamation: The process by which lands disturbed as a result of mineral extraction activities are modified to support beneficial land use. Reclamation activity may include the removal of buildings, equipment, machinery, and other physical remnants of mining activities, closure of tailings storage facilities, leach pads, and other features, and contouring, covering and re-vegetation of waste rock, and other disturbed areas.
•RoD or Record of Decision: The final approval issued by a public land management agency for a PO.
•Tonne: A metric ton (MT); one tonne equals 1.102 tons.
•Uranium: a heavy, naturally radioactive, metallic element of atomic number 92. Uranium in its pure form is a heavy metal. Its two principal isotopes are U-238 and U-235, of which U-235 is the necessary component for the nuclear fuel cycle. However, “uranium” used in this Annual Report refers to triuranium octoxide, also called “U3O8” and the
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primary component of “yellowcake,” and is produced from uranium deposits. It is the most actively traded uranium-related commodity.
•Uranium concentrate: a yellowish to yellow-brownish powder obtained from the chemical processing of uranium-bearing material. Uranium concentrate typically contains 70% to 90% U3O8 by weight. Uranium concentrate is also referred to as “yellowcake.”
•V2O5: Vanadium pentoxide, or the form of vanadium typically produced at the White Mesa Mill, also called “black flake.”
•Valuable Heavy Minerals: The portion of heavy minerals (density greater than 2.9 g/cm3) that have economic value. Examples include ilmenite, rutile, zircon and monazite.
•Yellowcake: Another name for Uranium Concentrate (U3O8).
GLOSSARY OF REGULATORY AGENCIES AND EXCHANGES
•ADEQ: The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
•ANM: The Brazilian National Mining Agency (Agência Nacional de Mineração).
•BLM: The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
•CRA: The Canada Revenue Agency, an agency of the Government of Canada.
•DOC: The U.S. Department of Commerce, an executive department of the U.S. government.
•DOE: The U.S. Department of Energy, a cabinet-level department of the U.S. government.
•DOI: The U.S. Department of Interior, a federal executive department of the U.S. government.
•DWQ: The Utah Division of Water Quality.
•EIA: The U.S. Energy Information Administration, a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System.
•EPA: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an independent agency of the U.S. government.
•MSHA: The Mine Safety and Health Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor.
•NRC: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an independent agency of the U.S. government.
•NYSE American: The NYSE American stock exchange, a stock exchange based in New York, New York.
•OSC: The Ontario Securities Commission.
•OSHA: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor.
•SEC: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, an independent agency of the U.S. government.
•TCEQ: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
•TSX: The Toronto Stock Exchange, a stock exchange located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
•UDAQ: The Utah Division of Air Quality.
•UDEQ: The Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
•UDOGM: The Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining.
•USACE: TheU.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense.
•USFS: The U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
•USFW: TheU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
•WDEQ: The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.
•WDEQ-AQD: The Air Quality Division of the WDEQ.
•WDEQ-LQD: The Land Quality Division of the WDEQ.
•WDEQ-WQD: The Water Quality Division of the WDEQ.
•WSEO: The Wyoming State Engineer’s Office.
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PART I
ITEM 1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
General Development of the Business
Corporate Structure
Energy Fuels Inc. is an Ontario corporation with its corporate offices located in Lakewood, Colorado (a city in the Denver metropolitan area). It was incorporated on June 24, 1987 in the Province of Alberta under the name “368408 Alberta Inc.” In October 1987, 368408 Alberta Inc. changed its name to “Trevco Oil & Gas Ltd.” In May 1990, Trevco Oil & Gas Ltd. changed its name to “Trev Corp.” In August 1994, Trev Corp. changed its name to “Orogrande Resources Inc.” In April 2001, Orogrande Resources Inc. changed its name to “Volcanic Metals Exploration Inc.” On September 2, 2005, the Company was continued under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (the “OBCA”). On March 26, 2006, Volcanic Metals Exploration Inc. acquired 100% of the outstanding shares of “Energy Fuels Resources Corporation.” On May 26, 2006, Volcanic Metals Exploration Inc. changed its name to “Energy Fuels Inc.” On November 5, 2013, the Company amended its Articles of Incorporation to consolidate its issued and outstanding, freely tradable Common Shares on the basis of one post-consolidation Common Share for every 50 pre-consolidation Common Shares (the “Consolidation”).
The Company’s U.S.-based assets, which include uranium, vanadium and REE extraction, recovery, permitting, evaluation and exploration assets, are held directly and indirectly, as the case may be, by the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries Energy Fuels Holdings Corp. (“EF Holdings”) and Strathmore Minerals Corp. (“Strathmore”). The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary Energy Fuels Brazil Ltda., acquired the Bahia Project in the State of Bahia, Brazil on February 10, 2023, which consists of 17 mineral concessions totaling approximately 37,300 acres or 58.3 square miles. See “Part I, Item 1. Description of Business - Material Transactions,” “Part I, Item 1. Description of Business - 2023 Corporate Developments” and Part I, Item 2. “Description of Properties - The Bahia Project,” below. On February 14, 2023, the Company sold its Alta Mesa Project in Texas through the sale of its three Texas subsidiaries, Leoncito Project, LLC, Leoncito Plant, LLC and Leoncito Properties, LLC. See “Part I, Item 1. Material Transactions,” below. All of the Company’s U.S.-based employees are employed by its subsidiary Energy Fuels Resources (USA) Inc. (“EFUSA”), a wholly owned subsidiary of EF Holdings, which also serves as operator of all of the Company’s U.S. properties. A diagram depicting the organizational structure of the Company and its subsidiaries, including the name, U.S. state, Canadian province or Brazilian state of incorporation, and proportion of ownership interest of each, is included as Exhibit 21.1 to this Annual Report. Energy Fuels owns a number of inactive subsidiaries which have no material assets or liabilities and do not engage in any material business activities.
Each of the Company’s subsidiaries has its principal place of business and corporate office at 225 Union Blvd., Suite 600, Lakewood, Colorado 80228, USA, though additional support offices are located at a number of Company properties. The registered office of EFUSA and principal place of business for the Company is at 225 Union Blvd., Suite 600, Lakewood, Colorado 80228, USA, and the registered office of the Company is located at 82 Richmond Street East, Suite 308 Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1P1, Canada. The Company’s website address is www.energyfuels.com.
The primary trading market for Energy Fuels’ Common Shares is the NYSE American under the trading symbol “UUUU,” and the Company’s Common Shares are also listed on the TSX under the trading symbol “EFR.” Energy Fuels is a U.S. domestic issuer for SEC reporting purposes and, in addition, is a reporting issuer in all Canadian provinces. Options on Energy Fuels’ Common Shares are traded on The Chicago Board Options Exchange. The Designated Primary Market Maker for the Options is Group One Trading, LP. Citadel Securities is the Company’s Market Maker on the NYSE American.
On December 5, 2023, IsoEnergy Ltd. (TSXV: ISO; OTCQX: ISENF) (“IsoEnergy”) and Consolidated Uranium Inc. (TSXV: CUR; OTCQB: CURUF) (“CUR”) announced the successful completion of a previously announced arrangement whereby IsoEnergy acquired all the issued and outstanding common shares of CUR (the “CUR Shares”). Pursuant to the arrangement, CUR’s shareholders received 0.500 common shares of IsoEnergy for every one common share of CUR. At the time of the arrangement, the Company held 16,189,548 CUR Shares, which, when converted, resulted in an approximate ownership interest in IsoEnergy’s common shares of 5.0%. Concurrently, IsoEnergy engaged in a marketed private placement offering of 8,134,500 subscription receipts. In order to maintain its post-arrangement ownership interest in IsoEnergy, the Company agreed to invest additional capital in IsoEnergy by purchasing 406,650 additional common shares as a part of the capital raise. As a result, the Company now holds a total of 8,501,424 common shares of IsoEnergy, constituting an approximate 5.0% ownership interest of IsoEnergy common shares upon completion of the merger and private placement offering.
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Business Overview
We responsibly produce several of the raw materials needed for clean energy and advanced technologies, including uranium, rare earth elements and vanadium.
Our primary product is U3O8 (also known as natural uranium concentrate or yellowcake), which, when further processed, becomes the fuel for the generation of clean nuclear energy. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, nuclear energy provides nearly 20% of the total electricity and 50% of the clean, carbon-free electricity generated in the U.S. The Company generates revenues from extracting and processing materials for the recovery of uranium, vanadium and REEs for our own account, as well as from toll processing materials for others.
Energy Fuels is engaged in conventional and ISR uranium extraction and recovery, along with the exploration, permitting, and evaluation of uranium properties in the U.S. The Company also extracts and recovers vanadium from certain of its uranium projects, as market conditions warrant. In 2021, the Company commenced its ramp-up to commercial production of RE Carbonate, another byproduct of the uranium recovery process, and produced and sold commercial quantities of RE Carbonate in 2021, 2022 and 2023. To further its REE initiatives, the Company is currently undertaking enhancements and modifications to existing circuits at the Mill for the planned commercial separation of neodymium-praseodymium (“NdPr”) oxide from its RE Carbonate, while at the same time producing a “heavies” (Sm+) RE Carbonate. The Company also continues to evaluate the potential to recover radioisotopes from its existing process streams needed for emerging TAT cancer therapeutics. The Company’s Mill is the only conventional uranium mill, and the only uranium, vanadium and REE recovery facility operating in the U.S., and has a licensed capacity to produce over 8 million pounds of U3O8 per year.
The Company is also securing its own sources of uranium- and REE-bearing monazite sands, and in February 2023 acquired the Bahia Project in Brazil (see “Part I, Item 1. Description of Business - Material Transactions,” “Part I, Item 1. Description of Business - 2023 Corporate Developments” and “Part I, Item 2. Description of Properties - The Bahia Project” below) in furtherance of a fully integrated U.S.-based REE supply chain. The Company continues to engage in active discussions to secure other sources of monazite sands, thereby diversifying its supply base and strengthening its REE business. In addition, Energy Fuels recovers uranium from other uranium-bearing materials not derived from natural or native ores, referred to as “Alternate Feed Materials,” at its Mill, thereby recycling materials back into the market that would otherwise be lost to direct disposal.
With its uranium, vanadium, REE and potential radioisotope production, the Mill is working to establish itself as a critical minerals hub in the U.S. Uranium is the fuel for carbon-free, emission-free baseload nuclear power, and one of the cleanest forms of energy in the world. The REEs we are now producing are used to manufacture permanent magnets for electric vehicles (“EVs”), wind turbines and other clean energy technologies. The radioisotopes we are evaluating for recovery from our REE and uranium processing streams have the potential to provide materials needed for emerging TAT cancer-fighting therapeutics. The very heart of our business – uranium and rare-earth production and recycling – helps us play a part in addressing global climate change, reducing air pollution, and making the world a cleaner and healthier place.
The Company owns conventional uranium, uranium/vanadium and HMS properties and projects in various stages of operation, development, exploration and permitting, as well as fully permitted uranium and uranium/vanadium projects on standby.
Energy Fuels also owns the Nichols Ranch Uranium Recovery Facility in Wyoming (the “Nichols Ranch Project”), which is a fully permitted uranium ISR facility with a licensed capacity to produce 2 million pounds of U3O8 per year. While production at the Nichols Ranch Project is currently being maintained on standby, the Company is undertaking exploration and development activities to expand the resources at the Nichols Ranch Project and to further develop a wellfield to be ready for potential recommencement of production in 2025. See “The Nichols Ranch ISR Project” under Item 2 below.
ISR Operations
The Company conducts its ISR activities through its Nichols Ranch Project in northeast Wyoming, which it acquired in June 2015 through its acquisition of Uranerz Energy Corporation (“Uranerz”).
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The Nichols Ranch Project includes: (i) a licensed and operating ISR processing facility (the “Nichols Ranch Plant”); (ii) licensed and operating ISR wellfields (the “Nichols Ranch Wellfields”); (iii) additional licensed ISR wellfields planned for future production (the “Jane Dough Property”); and (iv) a licensed satellite ISR uranium project (the “Hank Project”), which, if and when put into production would include an ISR satellite processing plant (the “Hank Satellite Plant”) that, when constructed, would produce loaded-resin, and associated planned wellfields (together, the “Hank Property”). See “The Nichols Ranch ISR Project” under Item 2 below. Also through the acquisition of Uranerz, the Company acquired the West North Butte property (the “West North Butte Property”) and the North Rolling Pin property (the “North Rolling Pin Property”), as well as the Arkose Mining Venture (the “Arkose Mining Venture”), which is a joint venture of Wyoming ISR properties held 81% by Energy Fuels and 19% by United Nuclear, LLC (see “Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data - Note 17 Related Party Transactions”).
The Nichols Ranch Project is an ISR facility with production currently on standby that recovers uranium through a series of injection and recovery wells. Using groundwater fortified with oxygen and sodium bicarbonate, uranium is dissolved within a deposit. The uranium-bearing groundwater is then collected in a series of recovery wells and pumped to the Nichols Ranch Plant where the uranium is extracted from the water. The Nichols Ranch Plant creates a yellowcake slurry that is transported by truck to the Mill, where it is dried and packaged into drums that are shipped to uranium conversion facilities.
Construction of the Nichols Ranch Plant, other than the elution, drying and packaging circuits, was completed in 2013, and it commenced uranium recovery activities in 2014. In 2015, the Company commenced construction of an elution circuit at the Nichols Ranch Plant, which was completed and began operations in early 2016. The Nichols Ranch Project was placed on standby in 2020. As a result, the Company recovered de minimis pounds of U3O8 from the Project in 2023 and expects to recover de minimis quantities of U3O8 in 2024. Nichols Ranch is expected to be able to ramp back up to commercial production levels with limited required capital within approximately six to twelve months of a decision to recommence production. While production at the Nichols Ranch Project is currently being maintained on standby, the Company is undertaking exploration and development activities to expand the resources at the Nichols Ranch Project and to further develop a wellfield to be ready for potential recommencement of production in late 2024 or in 2025. See “Part II, Item 7. Operations Update and Outlook for 2024: ISR Extraction and Recovery Activities.”
The Company sold its Alta Mesa ISR Project for total consideration of $120 million, which closed on February 14, 2023 (see “Part I, Item 1. Description of Business - Material Transactions” and “Part I, Item 2. Description of Properties - ISR Uranium Activities” below).
Conventional Operations
The Company conducts its conventional uranium, REE, vanadium and potential medical radioisotope extraction and recovery activities through the Mill, which is the only operating conventional uranium mill, and the only uranium, REE and vanadium processing facility in the United States. The Mill located near Blanding, San Juan County, Utah, is centrally located such that it can conveniently and cost-effectively be fed by a number of the Company’s uranium and uranium/vanadium projects in Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, as well as by ore purchases or toll milling arrangements with third parties in the region, as market conditions warrant.
The Mill is licensed to process 2,000 tons of ore per day and over 8 million pounds of U3O8 per year. It is primarily a uranium recovery facility but can also recover REEs and vanadium along with uranium from various uranium ores. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company did not recover any pounds of uranium at the Mill, other than uranium from its monazite processing that is expected to remain in circuit and not be packaged in 2024. The Mill can recycle other uranium-bearing materials not derived from natural or native ores, known as Alternate Feed Materials, for the recovery of uranium, alone or in combination with other metals. In addition, the Mill is also evaluating the potential to recover certain radioisotopes from its existing process streams that can be used for TAT medical purposes.
The Mill has historically operated on a campaign basis, whereby mineral processing occurs as mill feed, contract requirements and/or as market conditions warrant. Over the years, Company-owned and third-party owned conventional uranium properties in Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico have been both active and on standby in response to changing market conditions. Since 2007, the Mill has primarily recovered U3O8 from conventional sources, including its La Sal Complex (the “La Sal Project”), Daneros Project and Tony M property in Utah (the latter two of which were sold in 2021); its Arizona 1 project (the “Arizona 1 Project”) and its Pinenut project (the “Pinenut Project”) (which is currently in an advanced state of reclamation) in Arizona, as well as from a number of Alternate Feed Materials in furtherance of its core recycling program of third-party materials otherwise subject to direct disposal.
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In 2023, the Company focused on preparing its La Sal, Beaver, Whirlwind and Pinyon Plain Projects for future potential production, while maintaining its Nichols Ranch Project and other conventional mining properties on standby. In late 2023, the Company commenced uranium production at its Pinyon Plain Project and its La Sal and Pandora mines (the La Sal and Pandora mines each comprise a portion of the La Sal Project). Once production is fully ramped up at the three mines, which is currently planned for mid- to late-2024, the Company expects to be producing uranium at a run-rate of approximately 1.1 to 1.4 million pounds per year. Ore mined from the three mines during 2024 will be stockpiled at the Mill for processing that is anticipated to start in late 2024 or in 2025, subject to market conditions, contract requirements and/or the Mill’s schedule. The Company is also preparing two (2) mines (the Whirlwind mine and the Nichols Ranch ISR project) to commence uranium production within one (1) year, which would increase Energy Fuels' uranium production to a run-rate of over two (2) million pounds of U3O8 per year starting in 2025, if strong market conditions continue as expected.
At the same time, the Company will continue to produce uranium from its Alternate Feed Material recycling program, which is expected to result in an estimated 150,000 pounds of finished U3O8 in 2024, while the Company stockpiles ore as raw materials from its conventional mines pending the upcoming Mill run. The Company also expects to commence an ore-buying program from third-party miners in 2024, which is expected to increase the Company’s short-term uranium production profile even further. In 2024, the Company also plans to advance permitting on the Roca Honda, Sheep Mountain and Bullfrog Projects, which could expand the Company’s uranium production to a run-rate of up to five million pounds of U3O8 per year in the coming years. Furthermore, the Company expects to produce at a run-rate of 1.0-2.0 million pounds of vanadium per year, which could be held as in-process inventory or processed into finished V2O5 available for sale into improving markets.
During 2024, Energy Fuels expects to sell 200,000 pounds of uranium into its existing portfolio of long-term contracts, which is expected to occur in Q1-2024. In addition, a utility customer has the option to purchase a further 100,000 pounds of uranium from Energy Fuels in 2024. The Company has already sold an additional 100,000 pounds of U3O8 on the spot market during Q1-2024 at a weighted average sales price of $102.88 per pound. The Company holds uncommitted inventory and, with the benefit of future production, will continue to evaluate additional spot and/or long-term uranium sales opportunities during 2024 and beyond. The Company expects uranium inventories to total between approximately 585,000 to 935,000 pounds of U3O8 at year-end 2024, subject to unknown potential other uranium spot sales and purchases and the amount and time of ore production from the Pinyon Plain mine and Alternate Feed stockpiles in 2024.
In addition to the Company’s uranium business, the Company will also continue to advance its REE program at the Mill in 2024, along with the Mill’s uranium production, to fully capitalize on the Mill's unique and valuable capabilities. As previously announced, the Mill is in the process of installing the capacity to produce up to 1,000 tonnes of neodymium-praseodymium (“NdPr”) oxide per year, subject to receipt of sufficient monazite feed. This capacity is expected to be completed in Q1 2024. This quantity of NdPr oxide could power up to 1 million electric vehicles (“EVs”) per year. At the current time, the Company expects to produce roughly 25 – 35 tonnes of NdPr oxide, plus approximately 10 – 20 tonnes of an Sm+ RE Carbonate, in Q2 2024 as it ramps-up and optimizes the newly installed circuit, after which the Mill currently plans to focus solely on uranium and uranium/vanadium production through at least mid-2026. Subject to successful exploration, permitting and development of the Bahia Project and market conditions, the Company currently expects that monazite produced from the Company’s Bahia Project could be available for processing at the Mill commencing as early as 2026 to produce uranium, NdPr oxide and an Sm+ RE Carbonate (or separated Terbium (“TB”) and Dysprosium (“DY”) oxides instead of an Sm+ RE Carbonate) along with continued uranium production from the Company’s Pinyon Plain, La Sal, Pandora and potentially Whirlwind mines. Similarly, if the Company successfully completes its previously announced potential joint venture on the Donald Rare Earth and Mineral Sands Project, located in the Wimmera Region of the State of Victoria, Australia (the “Donald Project”) (see “Part I, Item 1. 2023 Corporate Developments,” below), monazite production from that project could also be available at the Mill as early as 2026, subject to market conditions, successful development of that project and successful development of the Company’s Phase 2 crack and leach and Separation Facility (see “Part I, Item 1. Development of REE Separation Capability,”below). The Company is also in active discussions with several parties globally to acquire additional quantities of natural monazite, which, if secured and delivered to the Mill, could result in significant additional quantities of uranium and separated REE oxide production as early as 2028. The Company expects to sell all the NdPr it produces in 2024 to Neo Performance Materials (“Neo”) under an existing contractual arrangement with Neo. Potential REE production after 2024 is currently uncontracted. The Mill's REE production is complementary to its uranium production and is not intended to diminish the Mill's uranium production profile in any way.
The Company will continue to selectively sell its vanadium pentoxide (“V2O5”) inventory (approximately 905,000 pounds as of December 31, 2023) on the spot market as markets warrant, but will otherwise continue to maintain it in inventory. No vanadium production is currently planned for 2024, though the Company continually monitors its inventory and vanadium markets to guide future potential vanadium production.
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The Company currently has approximately 685,000 pounds of finished U3O8 inventory held at the Mill and at conversion facilities owned by ConverDyn and Cameco, along with approximately another 436,000 pounds of U3O8 contained in stockpiled Alternate Feed Materials and mineralized material inventory that is expected to be processed for recovery in the future. In addition, there remains an estimated 1.0 to 3.0 million pounds of solubilized recoverable V2O5 remaining in the Mill’s tailings facility awaiting future recovery, as market conditions may warrant. See Part II, Item 7 “Outlook: Conventional Extraction and Recovery Activities.”
The Company also owns the Sheep Mountain Project (the “Sheep Mountain Project”), which is a conventional uranium extraction project located in Wyoming. Due to its distance from the Mill, the Sheep Mountain Project is not expected to be a source of feed material for the Mill. The Sheep Mountain Project consists of permitted open pit and underground extraction components (the “Sheep Mountain Extraction Operation”) and a planned processing facility to process extracted mineralized material (the “Sheep Mountain Processing Operation”), which has not yet been permitted.
The Company’s principal conventional properties include the following:
•the Mill, which is an operating 2,000 ton-per-day uranium, vanadium and REE processing facility located in Utah and held through the Company’s subsidiary EFR White Mesa LLC. See “Part I, Item 2.D. The White Mesa Mill”;
•the Pinyon Plain Project, which is a fully permitted and operating uranium project with all surface facilities and a shaft in place (see “Part I, Item 2.E. The Pinyon PlainProject”);
•the Bahia Project, which is comprised of 17 heavy minerals concessions covering 37,300 acres or 58.3 square miles, held through the Company’s subsidiary Energy Fuels Brazil Ltda. (see “2023 Corporate Developments,” below);
•the Wate project (the “Wate Project”), which is a uranium deposit in the permitting stage; the Arizona 1 project (the “Arizona 1 Project”), which is a fully permitted uranium project on standby; and the EZ properties (“EZProperties”), which are uranium deposits in the exploration and evaluation stage. All of the Company’s Arizona Strip properties are held by the Company’s subsidiary EFR Arizona Strip LLC, with the exception of the Wate Project, which is held by the Company’s subsidiary Wate Mining Company LLC. See “Part I, Item 2K. Non-MaterialMineral Properties – Other Conventional Projects – Arizona Strip”;
•the Roca Honda Uranium Project (the “Roca Honda Project”), which is located near the town of Grants, New Mexico, held by the Company’s subsidiaries Strathmore Resources (US), Ltd. and Roca Honda Resources LLC. See “Part I, Item 2.F. The Roca Honda Project”;
•the Sheep Mountain Project, which is a uranium project located near Jeffrey City, Wyoming, including permitted open pit and underground components held by the Company’s subsidiary Energy Fuels Wyoming Inc. See “Part I, Item 2G. The Sheep Mountain Project”;
•the Bullfrog Project (the “Bullfrog Project”), which is located in south central Utah near the town of Ticaboo, and which is held by the Company’s subsidiary EFR Henry Mountains LLC. See “Part I, Item 2H. The Bullfrog Project”;
•the La Sal Complex of uranium and uranium/vanadium projects (the “La Sal Project”) (see “Part I, Item 2I. The La SalProject”) and the Whirlwind uranium/vanadium project (the “Whirlwind Project”), both of which are located near the Colorado/Utah border (the “Colorado Plateau”) and, in addition to nearby exploration properties, are held by the Company’s subsidiary EFR Colorado Plateau LLC. See “Part I, Item 2K. Non-Material Mineral Properties – OtherConventional Projects – Colorado Plateau”; and
•a number of non-core uranium properties, which are held in various of the Company’s subsidiaries. See “Part I, Item 2K. Non-Material Mineral Properties.”
Mineral Exploration
Energy Fuels holds a number of exploration properties in the Colorado Plateau, Arizona Strip, and Powder River Basin Districts. Energy Fuels conducted intermittent exploration drilling on numerous projects in the period from February 2007 through December 2013. Several of those projects have been abandoned or sold. No further exploration drilling has been performed at these properties since 2013. See “Part I, Item 2K. Non-Material Mineral Properties.” The Company plans to engage in an exploration and drilling program at its Nichols Ranch Project and further delineation at its Pinyon Plain Project in 2024. See “Part I, Item 2. The Nichols Ranch Project, The Company’s Planned Work” and “Part I, Item 2. The Pinyon Plain Project, The Company’s Planned Work.”
The Company’s Rare Earth Elements Business
REEs are a group of 17 chemical elements (the 15 elements in the lanthanum series, plus yttrium and scandium) that have a variety of industrial, energy, and defense uses, including advanced permanent magnets for EVs and wind turbines, communications technology, clean energy production, consumer electronics, defense systems, lasers and numerous other applications. See “The Rare Earth Element Market” below.
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On April 13, 2020, the Company announced its entry into the REE sector by embarking on a program to evaluate the production of REEs and uranium at the Mill from uranium and REE-bearing mineralized materials, thereby taking a step towards bringing the REE supply chain back to the U.S. Later that year, the Company successfully produced a mixed RE Carbonate on a pilot scale using existing Mill infrastructure and technologies, along with the contained uranium, from a sample of monazite sands. For reference, RE Carbonate is an intermediate product which is sent to an REE separation facility for separation into individual REE oxides, which is the next step in producing usable REE products. Additionally, in 2020, the Company secured a three-year supply agreement for natural monazite sands from The Chemours Company’s Offerman Mineral Sand Plant in Georgia, USA, which is currently in the process of being renegotiated after unexpected shortfalls in the monazite delivery schedule.
Then, in 2021, the Company and Neo announced a new rare earth production initiative spanning European and North American critical material supply chains, pursuant to which Energy Fuels processes natural monazite sands for the recovery of uranium and RE Carbonate at the Mill and ships the RE Carbonate to Neo’s NPM Silmet AS REE separations facility in Estonia (“Silmet”), where it is made into separated REE materials for use in REE permanent magnets and other REE-based advanced materials. This is the most advanced REE material being produced in the U.S. today at scale, since it is a high-purity product ready for REE separation without further processing, refining or purification.
In February 2023, the Company acquired the Bahia Project in Brazil, which holds significant quantities of heavy minerals, including monazite (see “Part I, Item 1. Description of Business - Material Transactions” below). The acquisition of the Bahia Project is a part of the Company’s efforts to build a large and diverse book of monazite supply for its advancing REE processing business. The Company expects to procure monazite through Company-owned mines like the Bahia Project, joint ventures or other collaborations, and open market purchases. The Company is currently in advanced discussions with several additional current and future monazite producers around the world to potentially supply Energy Fuels’ REE initiatives.
Development of REE Separation Capability
In producing its commercial RE Carbonate, the Company has been separating lanthanum (“La”) and cerium (“Ce”) from the RE Carbonate stream utilizing existing Mill infrastructure in order to produce an RE Carbonate product with higher concentrations of NdPr and “heavy” REEs. This is the first commercial-level REE separation to occur in the U.S. in many years. Energy Fuels is also proceeding with the modification and enhancement of its infrastructure at the Mill (“Phase 1”) to expand its REE separation facilities to be capable of producing commercial quantities of separated NdPr oxide by early 2024, followed by planned further enhancements to expand NdPr production capability (“Phase 2”) and to produce separated Dy, Tb and potentially other REE materials in the future (“Phase 3”) from monazite and potentially other REE process streams.
The Company began construction on its “Phase 1” REE separation facilities in 2023, which includes modifications and enhancements to the solvent extraction (“SX”) circuits at the Mill. “Phase 1” is expected to have the capacity to process approximately 8,000 to 10,000 MT of monazite per year from the Mill’s process streams, producing roughly 4,000 to 5,000 MT TREO, containing roughly 800 to 1,000 MT of recoverable separated NdPr oxide per year, subject to receipt of sufficient monazite supply. Because Energy Fuels is utilizing existing infrastructure at the Mill, “Phase 1” capital is expected to total between $16 million and $18 million, or approximately $7 million to $9 million less than our initial $25 million budget. “Phase 1” is expected to be operational in early 2024, subject to successful construction and commissioning. At the current time, the Company expects to produce roughly 25 – 35 tonnes of NdPr oxide plus approximately 10 – 20 tonnes of an Sm+ RE Carbonate in Q2 2024, as it ramps-up and optimizes the newly installed circuit. If these milestones are achieved, Energy Fuels believes it will be the ‘first to market’ among U.S. companies with commercial quantities of separated NdPr available to EV, renewable energy and other companies for offtake.
During “Phase 2,” Energy Fuels expects to expand its NdPr separation capabilities, with an expected capacity to process roughly 30,000 to 50,000 MT of monazite per year, depending on the availability of monazite and expected recovery of roughly 15,000 to 25,000 MT of TREO, containing roughly 3,000 to 5,000 MT of NdPr oxide per year, or sufficient NdPr for 1.5 to 5.0 million EVs per year. “Phase 2” is also expected to add a dedicated monazite “crack-and-leach” circuit to the Mill’s existing leach circuits, which may be constructed as the first stage of Phase 2, prior to construction of the expanded NdPr separation capabilities. The Company expects to complete “Phase 2” in 2027, subject to licensing, financing and receipt of sufficient monazite feed.
During “Phase 3,” Energy Fuels expects to add “heavy” REE separation capabilities, including the production of Dy, Tb, and potentially other REE oxides and advanced materials. The Company will also evaluate the potential to produce La and Ce products. Monazite naturally contains higher concentrations of “heavy” REEs, including Dy and Tb, versus other REE-bearing ores, like bastnaesite, mainly due to the presence of another REE-bearing phosphate mineral called “xenotime.” “Phase 3” is
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expected to enable Energy Fuels to produce separated Dy, Tb, and potentially other “light” and “heavy” products. The Company also expects to have additional “heavy” REE feedstock stockpiled from “Phase 1” and “Phase 2.” During these earlier phases, the Company expects to produce NdPr oxide and a samarium-plus (“Sm+”) ”heavy” REE concentrate, which the Company will either sell or stockpile as feed for “Phase 3” REE separation. For reference, the monazite the Company has analyzed to date contains roughly 1% to 3% Dy and Tb, so 10,000 MT of monazite is expected to contain roughly 100 to 300 MT of Dy and Tb. The Company expects to complete “Phase 3” in 2028, subject to licensing, financing, and receipt of sufficient feed. Alternatively, the Company may delay Phase 2 and combine Phase 2 and Phase 3 separation capability.
See also “The Rare Earth Element Market,” below, for further details on the REE market and “Part II, Item 7. Rare Earth Sales” and “Update on Rare Earth Element Initiative”for further details on the above-referenced REE developments.
There are a number of risks inherent to the Company’s REE activities. See “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
The Company’s Strategic Alliance for the Development of Radioisotopes for Medical Therapeutics
On July 28, 2021, the Company announced the execution of a Strategic Alliance Agreement with RadTran LLC (“RadTran”), a technology development company focused on closing critical gaps in the procurement of medical isotopes for TAT cancer therapeutics and other applications.
TAT is an in-development method of targeted radionuclide therapy for various cancers. It employs radioactive substances which undergo alpha decay to treat diseased tissue at close proximity. It has the potential to provide highly targeted treatment, especially to microscopic tumor cells. As in diagnostic nuclear medicine, appropriate alpha-emitting radionuclides can be chemically bound to a targeting biomolecule, such as a peptide, which carries the combined radiopharmaceutical to a specific treatment point (the cancerous cells). During the last decade, radiolabeled peptides that bind to different receptors on the tumors have been investigated as potential therapeutic agents both in the preclinical and clinical settings. Peptides, such as octreotide, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone analogues, arginine-glycine-aspartic acid-containing peptides, bombesin derivatives and others may all be feasible for use with alpha-emitters.
The primary advantage of alpha particle emitters over other types of radioactive sources is their very high linear energy transfer and relative biological effectiveness. By comparison, beta particle emitters such as yttrium-90 can travel considerable distances beyond the immediate tissue before depositing their energy, thereby causing damage to surrounding healthy tissues, while alpha particles deposit their energy in 70–100 μm long tracks, thereby causing significantly less harm to surrounding healthy tissues. Further, alpha particles are more likely than other types of radiation to cause double-strand breaks to DNA molecules, which is one of several effective causes of cell death. In other words, the high level of radiobiological effectiveness of alpha particles, in comparison with beta emissions, requires fewer particle tracks to induce cell death.
Though many alpha emitters exist, useful isotopes need to have sufficient energy to cause damage to cancer cells, while at the same time have a half-life that is long enough to provide a therapeutic dose without remaining long enough to damage surrounding healthy tissue. Clinically effective alpha particle-emitting isotopes for cancer therapy should therefore have a short half-life, which will limit long-term radiation exposure and allow for the production, preparation, and administration of these isotopes for clinical use and application. Radium 223 dichloride is the first-in-class, commercially available targeted alpha therapy approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with bone metastases. Given the established overall survival benefit conferred by radium 223 for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, several other targeted alpha therapies are being investigated in clinical trials across many tumor types.
Under its strategic alliance with RadTran, the Company is evaluating the feasibility of recovering Th-232 and Ra-226 from its existing RE Carbonate/uranium and uranium process streams at the Mill and, together with RadTran, is evaluating the feasibility of recovering Ra-228 from the Th-232 and potentially Th-228 from the Ra-228 and concentrating Ra-226 to commercial specifications at the Mill. Recovered Ra-228, Th-228 and Ra-226 would then be sold to pharmaceutical companies and others to produce Pb-212, Ac-225, Bi-213, Ra-224 and/or Ra-223, which are the leading medically attractive TAT isotopes for the treatment of cancer at this time. Existing supplies of these isotopes for TAT applications are in short supply, and methods of production are costly and currently cannot be scaled to meet the demand created as new drugs are developed and approved. This is a major roadblock in the research and development of new TAT drugs as pharmaceutical companies wait for scalable and affordable production technologies to become available. Under this initiative, the Company has the potential to recover valuable isotopes from its existing process streams, thereby recycling back into the market material that would otherwise be lost to disposal for use in treating cancer.
Activities being undertaken by the Company at this time include evaluations of the technical feasibility of recovering Th-232, Ra-228 and Th-228 from the Mill’s RE Carbonate/uranium process streams, and Ra-226 from the Mill’s uranium process
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streams; the permitting and licensing required to separate and recover Th-232, Ra-228, Th-228 and Ra-226 at the Mill; and the commercial feasibility of this project.
There are a number of risks inherent to the Company’s isotope activities. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” under Item 1A, below.
San Juan County Clean Energy Foundation
On September 16, 2021, the Company announced its establishment of the San Juan County Clean Energy Foundation (the “Foundation”), a fund specifically designed to contribute to the communities surrounding the Mill in southeastern Utah. Energy Fuels deposited an initial $1 million into the Foundation at the time of formation and now provides ongoing funding equal to 1% of the Mill’s revenues, thereby providing an ongoing source of funding to support local priorities. The Foundation focuses on supporting education, the environment, health/wellness, and local economic development in the City of Blanding, San Juan County, the White Mesa Ute Community, the Navajo Nation and other area communities.
A seven-person Advisory Board, comprised of local citizens from San Juan County, evaluates grant applications on a quarterly basis and is making its recommendations to the Foundation’s Managers for final review and approval, who are currently the President and Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of the Company. As of the 2024 year-end, the Foundation has awarded 15 grants totaling $323,210, of which $236,710 was committed to American Indian initiatives. The Foundation’s website address is: https://sanjuancountycleanenergy.org/. The Foundation’s website and the contents thereof should not be considered to be incorporated by reference into this Annual Report.
Material Transactions
Sale of the Alta Mesa ISR Project
On February 15, 2023, the Company announced that it had closed on its sale of three wholly owned subsidiaries that together held Energy Fuels’ Alta Mesa ISR Project to enCore Energy (“enCore”) for total consideration of $120 million, paid as follows:
a.$60 million cash at or prior to closing; and
b.$60 million in a secured convertible note (the “Convertible Note”), payable in two years from the closing, bearing annual interest of eight percent (8%). The Convertible Note was convertible at Energy Fuels’ election into enCore shares at a conversion price of $2.9103, being a 20% premium to the 10-day volume-weighted average price of enCore's common shares ending the day before the closing. enCore is currently traded on the TSXV and NYSE American stock exchanges. The Convertible Note was guaranteed by enCore Energy Corp. and was fully secured by Alta Mesa. Except where the Company executed a block trade or similar distribution to sell the enCore common shares received on conversion of the Convertible Note, Energy Fuels was limited to converting the Convertible Note into a maximum of $10 million principal amount of the Convertible Note per thirty (30)-day period.
In addition, enCore was required to replace the existing reclamation bonds for the Alta Mesa project (approximately $10.3 million) shortly after the closing of the transaction, which resulted in Energy Fuels receiving an additional $3.6 million cash as a return of collateral from those bonds. The Company estimates that the sale of Alta Mesa reduced Energy Fuels’ cash burn by approximately $2 million per year, which affords the Company additional resources to allocate to Energy Fuels’ uranium, REE, vanadium and medical isotope business plans for the next two to three years.
During 2023, enCore redeemed $40.0 million of the principal amount of the Convertible Note and paid $1.8 million of interest to the Company in partial fulfillment of its obligations under the Convertible Note. On November 9, 2023, the Company sold the remaining $20.0 million principal amount of the Convertible Note for $21.0 million plus $1.5 million in unpaid accrued interest, less a sales commission of $0.1 million paid to a third-party broker. As a result, the Company received net cash proceeds of $64.2 million related to the redemptions, sale and interest received.
Acquisition of the Bahia Project in Brazil
On February 13, 2023, the Company announced that it had completed its previously announced acquisition of seventeen (17) mineral concessions between the towns of Prado and Caravelas in the State of Bahia, Brazil, totaling 15,089.71 hectares (or approximately 37.300 acres or 58.3 square miles) (the “Bahia Project”), for total cash consideration of $27.50 million. The Bahia Project is a well-known HMS deposit that has the potential to supply 3,000 to 10,000 metric tons of natural monazite concentrate per year for decades to the Mill for processing into high-purity REE oxides and other materials. The Company is currently in the midst of a sonic drilling program on the property to further define and quantify the HMC resource. The Company is also sampling the material and sending the material to laboratories for testing, including metal assay, mineralogic
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characterization and process testing. The Company expects to announce drilling results this year, and to engage industry experts to calculate an initial mineral resource estimate compliant with S-K 1300 (U.S.) and NI 43-101 (Canada).
2023 Corporate Developments
In addition to the Material Transactions detailed above, the Company saw the following corporate developments in 2023:
On January 19, 2023, the Company sold 300,000 pounds of U3O8 to the U.S. Uranium Reserve Program for $18.47 million, or $61.57 per pound. During 2023, the Company sold a total of 560,000 pounds of uranium to the U.S. Uranium Reserve Program and into its portfolio of long-term contracts for a weighted-average sales price of $59.42 per pound.
During Q1-2023, the Company began modifying and enhancing its existing SX circuits at the Mill to be able to produce separated REE oxides (see “Phase 1” discussion under “Part I, Item 1. Description of Business - Development of REE Separation Capability,” above). Phase 1, which is expected to be completed in Q1-2024 and commissioned in Q2-2024, is expected to have the capacity to produce 800 to 1,000 metric tons of separated NdPr oxide, subject to successful commissioning and ramp-up and receipt of sufficient monazite feed.
On December 21, 2023, the Company announced that, in response to strong uranium market conditions, it had commenced uranium production at three of its permitted and developed uranium mines located in Arizona and Utah. In addition, the Company announced that it is preparing two additional mines in Colorado and Wyoming for expected production within one year and advancing permitting on several other large-scale U.S. mine projects in order to increase uranium production in the coming years. Once production is fully ramped up at the three mines, including the Pinyon Plain Project and the La Sal and Pandora mines (each of the La Sal and Pandora mines constitutes a portion of the La Sal Project), the Company expects to be producing uranium at a run-rate of approximately 1.1 to 1.4 million pounds per year. Ore will be stockpiled at the Mill for processing in 2024 or 2025, subject to market conditions, contract requirements and/or the Mill’s schedule.
On December 27, 2023, the Company announced that it had entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Astron Corporation Limited (“Astron”) to jointly develop the Donald Project in Australia. The Donald Project is a well-known and “shovel-ready” critical mineral deposit that the Company believes could provide it with another near-term, low-cost, and large-scale source of monazite sand in an REE concentrate (“REEC”) that would be transported to the Company’s Mill for the recovery of REE oxides and along with the contained uranium. The Donald Project has most licenses and permits in place (or at an advanced stage of completion). The MOU contemplates that the joint venture (the “Venture”) would initially consist of operations to mine 7.5 million metric tons of ore per year to produce approximately 200,000 to 250,000 metric tons of HMC per year and approximately 7,000 to 8,000 metric tons of REEC (“Stage 1”). It is contemplated that, as soon as practicable after commencing Stage 1 commercial production, the Venture would double ore production to 15 million metric tons per year to produce approximately 400,000 to 500,000 metric tons of HMC per year and approximately 13,000 to 14,000 metric tons of REEC per year (“Stage 2”). The MOU sets out in broad terms the basis upon which the parties would enter into an Australian incorporated Venture covering the tenements MIN5532 and RL2002, which together form the Donald Project. The MOU provides for the continuation of due diligence by Energy Fuels and the negotiation of definitive and binding agreements governing the venture. The MOU provides for Energy Fuels to invest Aus$180 million (approximately $117 million at current exchange rates) to earn a 49% interest in the Venture. In addition, the Company would issue to Astron common shares having a value of $17.5 million in consideration of RL2002 being included in the Venture. There can be no assurance that the Company will enter into definitive agreements to govern the Venture, or if entered into, that the terms will be as set out in the MOU.
Corporate Officers
Effective July 14, 2023, John L. Uhrie departed from the Company and ceased to be its Chief Operating Officer. Effective December 31, 2023, Tom L. Brock departed from the Company and ceased to be its Chief Financial Officer. Effective January 1, 2024, Nathan R. Bennett assumed his appointment as the Company’s Chief Accounting Officer/Interim Chief Financial Officer.
Company Strategy
Energy Fuels intends to continue to strengthen its position as a leading uranium extraction and recovery company in the U.S., supporting that goal through uranium recovery from mined ore, Alternate Feed Materials processing, third-party processing, monazite processing, and potential land cleanup work on abandoned uranium mines (“AUM”) throughout the western U.S. and elsewhere. The Company’s strategy is to maintain and advance its ability to increase uranium production in current and improved market conditions through the Mill (currently operating), the Pinyon Plain Project and the La Sal and Pandora mines
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(each of the La Sal and Pandora mines constitutes a portion of the La Sal Project) (currently operating) and the Nichols Ranch Project (mining operations currently on standby, maintained in a ready-state), as well as through a large uranium resource base, its Alternate Feed Materials recycling program, and existing conventional projects under construction and/or in permitting. The Company will also be performing exploration activities to increase its resource base. In addition, the Company intends to continue producing vanadium as a co-product of uranium from certain of its vanadium-base properties, as market conditions warrant. In 2024, the Company expects to continue production from the three above-mentioned conventional uranium mines now in operation, to prepare two additional conventional uranium mines for potential production as soon as 2025, to complete, commission and optimize its Phase 1 REE separation circuit in early 2024 and produce separated NdPr oxide and an Sm+ RE Carbonate along with uranium from monazite sands through Q2 2024. The Company also expects to advance its Bahia Project in Brazil, to continue to evaluate entering into a Venture on the Donald Project with Astron in Australia, and to secure additional sources of monazite and potentially other feed for its emerging REE business. See “The Company’s Rare Earth Elements Business,” above. The Company will also continue to evaluate the potential for recovering certain radioisotopes from its existing process streams for use in making medical isotopes for emerging TAT cancer treatments. See “The Company’s Strategic Alliance for the Development of Radioisotopes for Medical Therapeutics,”above.
As a result of the foregoing, we are now or intend to engage in the following activities in 2024:
•in response to improving uranium market conditions, the Company recently began ramping up commercial uranium ore production at its conventional uranium Pinyon Plain and Pandora mines and its conventional uranium/vanadium La Sal Project. By mid- to late-2024, the Company expects to be producing uranium at a run-rate of approximately 1.1 to 1.4 million pounds per year. Uranium-bearing ore will be stockpiled at the Mill and processed later in 2024 or 2025;
•the Company expects to produce between 150,000 and 500,000 pounds of finished U3O8 during 2024 from conventional ore and Alternate Feed Materials, depending on the timing of ramp up of production at the Company’s Pinyon Plain, La Sal and Pandora mines;
•the Company expects to sell between 300,000 and 600,000 pounds of uranium during 2024, of which between 200,000 and 300,000 pounds will be sold under its existing long-term contracts with utilities, with the remaining sales occurring on the spot market;
•the Company expects to perform exploration activities at its Nichols Ranch Project and further delineation drilling at its Pinyon Plain Project to increase its resource base;
•the Company expects to prepare two additional uranium mines (the Nichols Ranch ISR Project and the Whirlwind Project) to be ready to resume uranium ore production as soon as 2025. The exact timing for resumption of production from each of these projects will be subject to current and future uranium market conditions and/or procurement of additional long-term contracts;
•continue the Company’s ongoing efforts to develop a fully integrated U.S. REE supply chain, including the development of the Company’s Bahia Project in Brazil; the potential acquisition of additional sources of monazite sands; the completion, commissioning, and optimization of the Phase 1 REE separation capabilities at the Company’s Mill in early 2024; and the production of NdPr oxide and an Sm+ RE Carbonate, along with uranium, from monazite sands through Q2 2024 (see “The Company’s Rare Earth Elements Business,” above);
•continue to pursue additional Alternate Feed Materials, third-party processing and other sources of feed for the Mill (including potential material recovered from AUM and other land cleanup work) and, when market conditions warrant, pursue the recovery of uranium and/or vanadium dissolved in the Mill’s tailings pond solutions;
•continue to maintain projects and facilities in a state of readiness for the purpose of restarting mining activities on an expedited basis, as contract obligations and market conditions may warrant;
•advance permitting and evaluation activities for the Sheep Mountain, Roca Honda and/or Bullfrog Projects; and
•continue to evaluate the potential for recovering and selling certain radioisotopes from the Mill’s existing process streams for use in making medical isotopes for emerging TAT cancer treatments.
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Uranium Sales
With recent uranium market improvements, existing long-term sales commitments and the improved prospect of procuring additional long-term sales commitments, the outlook for sustained profitable production for the Company has improved significantly from the weak uranium market conditions that lasted until mid-2021.
As of the date of this Annual Report, the Company has entered into three uranium sales contracts with U.S. nuclear utilities, with 200,000 pounds of deliveries that occurred in January 2024 at an average price of $75.13 per pound (totaling $15.0 million). The Company has also entered into agreements to sell 100,000 pounds to each of two customers at an average price of $102.88 per pound, with deliveries expected to occur in March 2024 (totaling $10.29 million). In addition, a utility customer has the option to purchase an additional 100,000 pounds of uranium from the Company in 2024 by providing notice to the Company on or before October 1, 2024. The Company holds uncommitted inventory and, with the benefit of production in 2024 and beyond, will continue to evaluate additional spot and/or long-term uranium sales opportunities up to 300,000 pounds during 2024 and beyond. The Company may also evaluate the purchase of uranium on the spot market, subject to market conditions and contract requirements. The Company also completed the purchase of 100,000 pounds of U.S. origin U3O8 during Q4-2023 at a price of $81.00 per pound (totaling $8.10 million).
The Company expects uranium inventories to total between approximately 585,000 and 935,000 pounds of U3O8 at year-end 2024, subject to 2024 production levels and uranium sales and purchases. Energy Fuels’ uranium inventory provides the Company with financial flexibility, and the Company believes its existing inventories, purchases and new production will be sufficient to meet contract requirements through 2024 and over the life of the supply contracts, along with discretionary spot sales in 2024, as market conditions may warrant.
Overview of Uranium Market
The primary use of uranium is to fuel nuclear power plants for the generation of carbon- and emission-free electricity.
According to the World Nuclear Association (“WNA”), as of January 2024, there were 437 operable nuclear reactors world-wide, which required approximately 170.7 million pounds of U3O8 annually at full operation. Worldwide, there are currently 61 new reactors under construction with an additional 115 reactors on order or in the planning stage and 326 having been proposed.
According to data from TradeTech LLC (“TradeTech”), the world continues to require more uranium than it produces from primary extraction. The gap between demand and primary supply is being filled by stockpiled inventories and secondary supplies, which the Company believes have dwindled significantly in recent years.
According to the WNA, the U.S. currently has 93 operating reactors, one reactor under construction, and another 21 reactors on order, planned or proposed. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (“EIA”), in 2022, the U.S. produced approximately 18.2% of its electricity from nuclear technology, while, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute (“NEI”), the U.S. achieved an average capacity factor of 92.7%, leading all other carbon-free sources by a wide margin. According to the EIA, U.S. utilities purchased approximately 40.5 million pounds of U3O8 in 2022 (the last year reported). However, in 2022, U.S. uranium production was only 0.19 million pounds, of which 0.16 million pounds were produced by Energy Fuels.
In 2023, interest in the uranium and nuclear sectors continued to grow substantially, which the Company believes was driven by: (1) global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and a growing focus on electrification; (2) geopolitical tensions, particularly regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; and (3) speculation based on supply and demand fundamentals. The Company believes that nuclear energy is essential to the global economy and addressing climate change, as it reliably and affordably provides electricity 24/7 and 365 days per year while generating lower life-cycle carbon emissions than other baseload energy sources (NREL, September 2021).
The Company believes the geopolitical uncertainty and market tightness experienced in the 2023 uranium and nuclear fuel markets will continue in 2024. Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in 2022 continues to create uncertainty across the nuclear fuel sector, including uranium mining, conversion, and enrichment, due to Russia’s control of a significant amount of global uranium capacity across these nuclear fuel sectors. According to World Nuclear News, Russia controls 14% of the global supply of U3O8, 27% of uranium conversion, and 39% of enrichment (WNN, May 5, 2022). Furthermore, it is the Company’s belief that nuclear utilities, particularly in the U.S. and Europe, are seeking to reduce or eliminate their reliance on Russia for their supply of uranium and nuclear fuel due to the potential effects of sanctions (including pending legislation in Congress to ban Russian uranium and nuclear fuel imports), transportation, public and investor relations and other concerns. According to data from TradeTech, during 2023, uranium enrichment prices rose from $110.00 per separative work unit (“SWU”) to $155.00
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per SWU (up 40%); uranium conversion prices rose from $40.00 per KgU to $46.00 per KgU (up 15%); and U3O8 prices rose from $47.60 per pound of U3O8 to $91.00 per pound of U3O8 (up 91%).
Uranium is not traded on an open market or organized commodity exchange, although the CME Group provides financially settled uranium futures contracts. Typically, buyers and sellers negotiate transactions privately, either directly or through brokers and intermediaries. Spot uranium transactions typically involve deliveries that occur immediately and up to 12 months in the future. Term uranium transactions typically involve deliveries that occur more than 12 months in the future, with long-term transactions involving delivery terms of at least three years. Uranium prices, both spot and term, are primarily published by two independent market consulting firms, TradeTech and UxC, LLC, on a weekly and monthly basis, along with daily price indicators. Other brokers, including Uranium Markets LLC, Evolution Markets Inc. and Numerco Ltd., also publish daily average uranium prices.
Historically, most nuclear utilities have sought to purchase a portion of their uranium needs through mid- and long-term supply contracts, while other portions are bought on the spot market. According to EIA data, in 2022, U.S. utilities purchased 15% of their uranium on the spot market with the remaining 85% purchased under mid- and long-term contracts; through 2032, U.S. utilities have approximately 179.2 million pounds of unfilled uranium requirements (EIA, Uranium Marketing Annual Report, 2022). Buyers seek to balance the security of supply with the opportunity to take advantage of lower prices. For this reason, both buyers and sellers track current spot and term prices for uranium carefully, make considered projections as to future prices, and negotiate with one another on transactions which each deems favorable to their respective interests.
The graph, below, shows the monthly spot (blue line) and long-term (red line) uranium price from August 1969 up to January 2024 as reported by TradeTech (not adjusted for inflation):
To give a more recent perspective over the last five years, the graph below shows the monthly spot (blue line) and long-term (red line) uranium price from January 2020 up to January 2024, as reported by TradeTech (not adjusted for inflation):
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According to monthly price data from TradeTech, uranium prices during 2023 were up $43.40, or 91%, for the year. Monthly spot prices began the year at $47.60 per pound of U3O8 on December 31, 2022 and ended the year at $91.00 per pound on December 31, 2023, reaching a high of $91.00 per pound for the month of December 2023 and a low of $47.60 per pound at the beginning of the period. According to TradeTech, the spot price was $102.00 per pound as of February 16, 2024. TradeTech price data also indicated that long-term U3O8 prices began 2023 at $53.00 per pound and ended 2023 at $68.00 per pound. The high long-term price for 2023 was $68.00 per pound in December 2023, and the low long-term price was $53.00 per pound for the months beginning with December 2022 through March 2023. The long-term price as of February 16, 2024 was $72.00 per pound.
According to TradeTech, U3O8 prices rose significantly in December 2023 due to:
“[T]he confluence of a number of factors that were building within the market. A combination of exceptional growth expectations for future nuclear power following the United Nations’ COP 28 climate conference in Dubai earlier [in December], along with a supply deficit set against the backdrop of growing geopolitical uncertainty, accelerated the rise in prices that characterized recent months.” TradeTech, The Nuclear Review – January 2024, January 31, 2024.
In addition, on December 11, 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation which would ban the import of Russian low-enriched uranium, or “LEU.” While the legislation is currently stalled in the U.S. Senate, “many market participants [are] of the opinion that the Senate is likely to pass a ban similar to that passed in the House .... [and] most market participants believe it is a question of ‘when, not if’ regarding whether the Senate will take up the issue of the Russian ban on nuclear fuel in January. If this is the case, then it is very likely that sellers will respond by raising offer prices yet again.” As of the current time, the legislation remains stalled in the Senate.
It is the opinion of the Company that the Russian ban is likely to result in a further increase in uranium prices in the short term. However, there is significant uncertainty around the mechanisms and criteria for the U.S. government to grant waivers from the import ban, including how much Russian uranium will be allowed to be imported into the U.S. under waivers. Therefore, the market response to the Russian ban over the medium- to long-term is unknown at this time. In addition, because uranium is a global commodity, and Russia will continue to export uranium to other nations, including China, it is the Company’s belief that any price increase could be temporary and partially driven by speculation.
It is the Company’s belief that the price increase seen in early-February 2024 was driven by market fundamentals. On February 1, 2024, Kazatomprom, the state-owned Kazakh uranium company and the world’s largest uranium producer, stated that it’s 2024 and 2025 production “will be about 20% below the amount stipulated in subsoil use agreements” (World Nuclear News, Kazatomprom confirms 2024 production plans as acid woes continue, February 1, 2024). In August 2022, Kazatomprom stated that “it planned to increase its 2024 uranium production to a 90% level relative to its subsoil use agreements”, versus 80% in 2023. But that plan was adjusted “because of the challenges it is now facing”, primarily acid prices and availability, with Kazatomprom experiencing a 33.6% increase in the cost of sulfuric acid in 2023. Kazatomprom further stated that “[p]roduction plans for 2025 could be ‘unfavourably’ influenced if access to sulfuric acid continues to be limited through 2024 and delays in construction at Kazatomprom’s newly developed deposits are not reduced.” Resolution or a continuation of issues in Kazakhstan are likely to influence uranium market sentiment and price forecasts in the coming months.
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As a result, the Company believes uranium prices are likely to continue to trend upward. This could be amplified by speculation surrounding the Russian uranium ban and other factors. However, the Company believes that there are risks to maintaining the currently elevated uranium prices, including a satisfactory conclusion to the Russia-Ukraine conflict causing Russia’s large nuclear fuel capacity to return to the global market, Kazatomprom resolving it’s production issues, and new uranium projects successfully coming online.
Uranium Market Outlook and Uranium Marketing Strategy
The Company believes that world demand for clean, carbon-free, reliable, and affordable baseload electricity is growing. As a result of the expected growth of nuclear energy, the depletion of existing uranium mines and inventories, and geopolitical events putting a greater focus by buyers on security of supply, the Company believes the current- and long-term fundamentals of the uranium industry remain positive. Uranium spot prices rose sharply in 2023, due to several factors, including geopolitical factors, improved long-term demand forecasts, depletion of existing mines, and demand by financial entities, all of which created significant tightness in spot markets. However, inflation, employment challenges and other factors are increasing the costs of uranium production. Therefore, the Company continues to believe that prices must remain at current levels or rise to higher levels to support the additional primary production that will be required to meet the increasing demand. We expect to see more nuclear units constructed around the world, while primary mine production drops due to depletion of resources, reduced production and low prices. According to TradeTech, world uranium requirements continue to exceed primary mine production, with the gap being bridged by dwindling secondary supplies and excess uranium inventories in various forms that have already been mined. At the same time, a large portion of global uranium production remains state-owned and state-subsidized, and therefore not subject to normal market fundamentals, which the Company believes present risks to the current strong market. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and continued attacks on civilian populations, has increased demand for non-Russian uranium. As a result, uranium prices exhibited strength throughout 2023, and the Company has observed significantly more interest in both spot transactions and long-term contracts for U3O8 from utilities.
The Company believes that certain uranium supply and demand fundamentals point to sustained market strength and potentially higher prices in the future, including significant production cuts and/or shortfalls, and increased demand from utilities, financial entities, traders, and producers. However, the Company also believes that while uranium market conditions have improved significantly since 2021, they still remain vulnerable, primarily as a result of secondary uranium supplies, excess inventories, and non-market activities of state-owned enterprises, primarily in Russia. While U.S. and European utilities are reducing their exposure to Russian supply, the Company believes that Russia maintains significant capabilities across the nuclear fuel cycle, which could re-enter the global market in the future upon resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, circumvention of trade restrictions, or other factors. As mentioned above, it remains to be seen whether Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will result in the U.S. and other western countries reducing Russian uranium supply over the long term, thereby increasing the demand for non-Russian sources of uranium, which could benefit the U.S. uranium mining industry.
The Company’s marketing strategy is to seek a base of earnings and cash flow through sales of a portion of its uranium into term contracts, to the extent such contracts are available at satisfactory prices. To gain exposure to increasing uranium prices, the Company seeks to sell a portion of its planned uranium extraction into contracts with market-related formulas, if available at satisfactory prices, and through future spot and term sales. Further exposure to increasing uranium prices can be generated through the Company’s ability to bring additional uranium extraction online in the future in response to increasing prices, which can be sold on a market-related or fixed basis at then prevailing prices.
During 2022, the Company entered into three long-term uranium sales contracts with U.S. nuclear utilities. Base quantities under these contracts total 3.0 million pounds with deliveries to occur during the 2023 – 2030 time period. So far, the Company delivered 260,000 pounds of uranium under these contracts in 2023 and another 200,000 pounds so far in 2024. If the buyers exercise all remaining options, total delivery quantities could increase to as much as 3.6 million pounds. Annual quantities vary year-to-year, with lower delivery quantities in the early years, and higher quantities in the later years. Contract pricing has a fixed price component (fully indexed to inflation) and a spot market component, along with floor and ceiling prices (fully indexed to inflation). The Company expects to fill deliveries during the early years of these contracts from its significant existing produced inventories. The Company also entered into contracts to sell an additional 100,000 pounds of uranium on the spot market in Q1-2024 at a weighted average price of $102.88 per pound.
In addition, during Q4-2023, the Company completed the purchase of 100,000 pounds of U3O8 for a price of $81.00 per pound.
The Company’s uranium inventories, along with expected uranium production in 2024 and subsequent years, are expected to provide the Company with the flexibility to complete spot sales in 2024 in response to improved market conditions, should the Company desire to do so. The Company will also continue to evaluate the potential to complete opportunistic purchases of uranium during 2024.
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The Rare Earth Element Market
REEs are a group of 17 chemical elements (the 15 elements in the lanthanum series, plus yttrium and scandium) that are used in a variety of clean energy and advanced technologies, including wind turbines, EVs, cell phones, computers, flat panel displays, advanced optics, catalysts, medicine and national defense applications. Monazite, the source of REEs currently utilized by the Company, also contains significant recoverable quantities of uranium, which fuels the production of carbon-free electricity using nuclear technology. According to industry analyst Wood-Mackenzie, most demand for REEs is in the form of separated REEs, “as most end-use applications require only one or two separated rare earth compounds or products.” (Wood Mackenzie, Rare Earths, Outlook to 2030, 20th Edition). The main uses for REEs include: (i) battery alloys; (ii) catalysts; (iii) ceramics, pigments and glazes; (iv) glass polishing powders and additives; (v) metallurgy and alloys; (vi) permanent magnets; (vii) phosphors; and (viii) others (Adamas Intelligence). By volume, REEs used for permanent magnets (neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), dysprosium (Dy), and terbium (Tb)) and catalysts (cerium (Ce) and lanthanum (La)) comprised 60% of total consumption, yet over 90% of the value consumed.
Typical natural monazite sands from the southeast U.S. average approximately 55% TREO and 0.20% uranium, which is the typical grade of uranium found in uranium mines that have historically fed the Mill. Of the 55% TREO typically found in the monazite sands, the NdPr comprises approximately 22% of the TREO. NdPr is among the most valuable of the REEs, as it is the key ingredient in the manufacture of high-strength permanent magnets, which are essential to the lightweight and powerful motors required in EVs and permanent magnet wind turbines used for renewable energy generation, as well as in an array of other modern technologies, including mobile devices and defense applications. Monazite concentrates also contains higher concentrations of “heavy” REEs, including dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb) used in permanent magnets, relative to other common REE ores.
The Company is currently primarily focused on NdPr, Tb, Dy and, to a lesser extent, La, Ce and Sm. The REE supply chain starts at a mine. REEs are mined both as a primary target, like the Mountain Pass REE mine in California, and as a byproduct, which is the case of Chemours’ Offerman Mineral Sand Plant, where the natural monazite sands are physically separated from the other mined sands. Mining creates an ore, which in the case of the Chemours material is the natural monazite sands that are physically separated from the other mined mineral sands. The ore then goes through a process of cracking and cleaning at the Mill that may include acids or caustic solutions, elevated temperature and pressure to recover the uranium and free the REEs from the mineral matrix. After removal of the uranium, which will be sold into the commercial nuclear fuel cycle for the creation of carbon-free nuclear energy, this solution is cleaned of any remaining deleterious elements (including remaining radioactive elements) and made into an RE Carbonate, which is a form acceptable as an SX feedstock for REE separation. SX facilities then use solvents and a series of mixer-settlers for the separation of the REEs in the RE Carbonate from each other and to create the desired purified REE products (often as oxides) for the market or particular end user. Separated REE products are typically sold to various markets, depending on the use. Separated REE products can be made into REE metals and metal-alloys, which are used for magnets and other applications.
To date, substantially all the RE Carbonate produced by the Mill has been sold to Neo. The Mill is currently modifying and enhancing its existing SX facilities to result in an SX REE separation circuit at the Mill, which, based on current engineering, is expected to be capable of producing up to 1,000 tonnes of separated NdPr oxide per year. The Company is also currently evaluating the potential to produce other downstream REE materials, including REE metals and alloys, in the future at the Mill or elsewhere in the U.S.
REEs are commercially transacted in a number of forms and purities. Therefore, there is no single price for REEs collectively, but numerous prices for various REE compounds and materials. The primary value that the Company expects to generate in the short- to medium-term will come from NdPr, Dy, Tb, Ce, and La, as the price the Company receives from the sale of its RE Carbonate is tied to the prices of those REE oxides. In addition, the Company expects to produce separated REE oxides in the future, commencing with NdPr expected in 2024. The following table sets forth certain REE compounds and materials mid-point prices in RMB¥/kg and their approximate value in USD$/kg, according to date from Asian Metal:
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Product (RMB¥/kg) ($/kg) (RMB¥/kg) ($/kg) Change (RMB¥/kg) ($/kg)
The REE market is dominated by China, which produces approximately nearly 90% of refined REE products according to the International Energy Agency. According to Wood Mackenzie, “The rare earths industry continues to evolve under the energy transition. Decarbonisation of key sectors such as transport and increasing renewable energy generation is driving demand for rare earth permanent magnets. Global supply also remains strong with diversification high on the agenda for governments around the world. Prices for neodymium-praseodymium oxide were comparatively low for much of 2023. This was caused by adequate supply and sustained market uncertainty caused by challenging economic conditions, particularly within China. As we move into 2024, short term prices remain under pressure, though we expect market sentiment to improve.”
While China consumes the most REEs in its manufacturing industries, much of it is consumed in the manufacture of end-use goods for export and by non-Chinese companies operating within China. REE separation facilities are additionally located in Vietnam, India, as well as Silmet in Estonia, and use a variety of feedstocks and sources with small-scale or experimental operational facilities located elsewhere (Russia included).
The Company sees its commercial production of RE Carbonate to date and its expected production of NdPr oxide in 2024 as the first steps in an effort to restore the REE supply chain in the U.S., where one currently does not exist. Multiple potential domestic sources of mined mineral sands, including monazite, exist in North America and are potential feedstocks for the Mill; in addition, there is one producer of REEs from hard rock mining in California, which currently ships its material to Asia. On a global level, there is a potential to acquire natural monazite sands from the following locations: Australia, South Africa, Madagascar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Russia and others.
As demand for clean energy technologies and other advanced technologies increases in the coming years, the Company expects demand and prices for REEs to increase. Increases in supply sources for REEs are expected in conjunction with this anticipated rising demand.
The Vanadium Market
Vanadium is a metallic element that, when converted into ferrovanadium (“FeV”) (an alloy of vanadium and iron), is used primarily as an additive to strengthen and harden steel and make it anti-corrosive. According to market consultant FastMarkets, over 90% of FeV is used in the steel industry. In addition, vanadium is used in the aerospace and chemical industries, and continues to see interest in energy storage technologies, including vanadium redox flow batteries. China is the largest global producer of vanadium, with additional production coming from Russia, South Africa and Brazil (Roskill).
Vanadium markets have “shown steady declines over much of 2023,” according to reporting by Fastmarkets. The same report indicated that the, “end of the seasonal summer shutdown period failed to reignite end-user demand.” European ferro-vanadium prices at lowest since February 2021, September 25. A lower pricing environment persisted in late 2023 as one trader noted to Fastmarkets, “the reason why the China vanadium pentoxide exports went up in November is mainly because many market participants feel the vanadium pentoxide price is at the bottom now, and they intended to stock some, which prompted more active spot deals.” China’s November vanadium pentoxide exports up 81.46% vs month prior; imports down 99.84%.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, the mid-point price of vanadium in Europe decreased by 31% from $9.44 per pound V2O5 as of December 31, 2022 to $6.53 per pound V2O5 as of December 31, 2023. The price of vanadium has ranged from a high of $10.80 per pound V2O5 between February 3, 2023 and February 16, 2023 and a low of $5.65 per pound V2O5 between December 1, 2023 and December 14, 2023. The Company believes one of the main drivers of V2O5 prices is demand for steel, including global prospects for economic growth, construction, infrastructure and auto manufacturing. According to Fastmarkets, “the continued decline in the Chinese vanadium pentoxide price comes amid fewer steel mill tenders in the run-up to the Lunar New Year holiday, as well as lower bids,” and “sluggish steel demand during the off-peak season has also weighed
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on China’s vanadium nitrogen prices.” Fastmarkets, China vanadium prices drop further on limited buying, January 25, 2024. The Company believes that V2O5 prices will increase once confidence in the Chinese and global economy returns. As of February 16, 2024, the price of vanadium was $6.88 per pound V2O5.
As a result of strong vanadium markets during Q1-2023, the Company opportunistically sold 79,344 pounds of V2O5 (contained in FeV) at a weighted average price of $10.98 per pound. The Company expects to continue to sell vanadium from its inventory into rising markets if they continue, failing which the Company plans to maintain its vanadium inventory for future sales at opportune times. The Company currently has 905,000 of pounds V2O5 in finished goods inventory and an estimated 1.0 to 3.0 million pounds of V2O5 in its tailings solutions, which are available for future recovery, as market conditions warrant.
Competition
The uranium industry is highly competitive. The Company competes with mining and exploration companies for uranium sales, the acquisition of uranium mineral properties, and the procurement of equipment, materials and personnel necessary to explore, develop, and extract uranium from such properties. There is competition for a limited number of uranium acquisition opportunities, including competition with other companies having substantially greater financial resources, staff and facilities than the Company. As a result, the Company may encounter challenges in acquiring attractive properties, and exploring and advancing properties currently in the Company’s portfolio. In addition, Energy Fuels competes with other uranium recovery companies, along with traders, brokers, financial institutions, converters, enrichers, and other market actors, including some that are state-owned and state-subsidized, for uranium sales. Due to the Company’s limited capital, personnel and the relative size of its operations, the Company may be at a competitive disadvantage compared to some other companies with regard to exploration and, if warranted, development of and production from mining properties and securing uranium sales. The Company believes that competition for acquiring mineral prospects and completing uranium sales will continue to be intense in the future.
The REE industry is also highly competitive, particularly to the extent it is dominated by China, which produces nearly 90% of refined REE products according to the International Energy Agency. Chinese companies bid aggressively to acquire monazite and other minerals to feed this production. The Company competes with Chinese companies and companies from other countries that are in or trying to break into the REE market, for sources of monazite and will be expected to compete with Chinese companies and companies from other countries as they develop production capacity at the RE Carbonate crack and leach, REE separation, REE metal and alloy making, REE magnet making, and REE product marketing and sales stages of the REE supply chain, as well as for the acquisition of monazite and other mineral properties, for mining and exploration on such properties, and for the procurement of equipment, materials and personnel necessary to explore, develop, and extract monazite from such properties. There is competition for a limited number of monazite acquisition opportunities, including competition with other companies having substantially greater financial resources, staff and facilities than the Company. As a result, the Company may encounter challenges in acquiring attractive properties, and exploring and advancing properties currently in the Company’s portfolio. In addition, Energy Fuels will compete with other REE companies, along with traders, brokers, financial institutions, and other market actors, including some that are state-owned or state-supported or subsidized, for RE Carbonate and REE oxide sales. Due to the Company’s limited capital, personnel and the relative size of its operations, the Company may be at a competitive disadvantage compared to some other companies with regard to the acquisition, exploration and, if warranted, development of and production from mining properties, production of REE products and securing REE product sales. The Company believes that competition for acquiring monazite prospects, production of REE products and completing REE product sales will continue to be intense in the future. To the extent many Chinese companies are state-subsidized or otherwise supported, the Company expects to continue to face tough competition in the REE space.
The availability of funds for the acquisition, exploration, evaluation, permitting and construction of monazite projects and the development of REE separation, metal and metal alloy making and magnet making is limited, and the Company may find it difficult to compete on an international scale with larger and more established and/or subsidized REE companies for capital. The Company’s inability to continue exploration, advancement, the acquisition of new properties, and the development of REE separation, metal and metal alloy making and magnet making, due to lack of funding, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s future operations and financial position.
However, the Company believes it has a competitive advantage over many of its peers in the U.S. domestic uranium space and in the world REE space, outside of China, to the extent it has diversified business opportunities, including its ability to produce uranium, its ability to recover RE Carbonate, along with uranium, from monazite sand ores and its expected ability to produce separated REE oxides at the Mill in 2024, its ability to recover vanadium as market conditions may warrant, and its potential ability to recover certain radioisotopes for use in TAT medical therapeutics.
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Government Regulation
The Company’s properties and facilities are subject to extensive laws and regulations which are overseen and enforced by multiple federal, state and local authorities. These laws govern exploration, construction, extraction, recovery, processing, exports, various taxes, labor standards, occupational health and safety, waste disposal, protection and remediation of the environment, protection of endangered and protected species, toxic and hazardous substances, and other matters. Uranium minerals exploration, extraction, recovery, and processing are also subject to risks and liabilities associated with the perceived potential for impacts to the environment and disposal of waste products occurring as a result of such activities.
Compliance with these laws and regulations may impose substantial costs on the Company and may subject the Company to significant potential liabilities. Changes in these regulations or changes in regulatory attitudes or interpretations could require the Company to expend significant resources to comply with new laws or regulations, attitudes or interpretations relating thereto, or changes to current requirements and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business operations. However, compliance with government regulations generally, including but not limited to environmental regulations, is an integral part of the Company’s day-to-day business and impacts virtually all the Company’s capital expenditure and operating decisions at its facilities, as the Company’s facilities and operations must comply with this extensive array of environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. The costs of compliance with these laws and regulations are therefore well understood and assumed by the Company in all its capital budgeting decisions, project analyses and cost and earnings projections. As all the Company’s competitors in the uranium mining industry in the U.S. face the same or similar regulatory requirements, the Company does not believe its need to comply with this extensive array of laws and regulations materially affects the Company’s competitive position within the U.S. uranium mining industry.
As monazite is a uranium ore and is processed through the White Mesa Mill for the recovery of uranium and REEs, and all separation activities are expected to take place at the Mill, all the regulations applicable to uranium recovery and processing at the Mill apply to the processing of monazite at the Mill, the production of RE Carbonate and the planned separation of REE oxides at the Mill.
Environmental Regulations