Crow Butte
Crow Butte was discovered in 1980 and began production in 1991. It is the first uranium mine in Nebraska, and is a significant contributor to the economy of northwest Nebraska.
| Location | Nebraska, US |
| Ownership | 100% |
| End product | Uranium concentrates |
| ISO certification | ISO 14001 certified |
| Estimated reserves | 3.7 million pounds (proven) average grade U3O8: 0.13% |
| Estimated resources |
11.9 million pounds (indicated) average grade U3O8: 0.21% 6.0 million pounds (inferred) average grade U3O8: 0.12% |
| Mining method | in situ recovery (ISR) |
| Licensed capacity (processing plant and wellfields) |
1 million pounds per year |
| Total production 2002 to 2011 | 7.6 million pounds |
| 2011 production | 0.8 million pounds |
| 2012 forecast production | 0.7 million pounds |
| Estimated decommissioning cost | $35.6 million (US) |
2011 update
Production
Production this year was 14% higher than 2010 and our forecast for the year.
Licensing
The regulators continued to review our applications to expand and relicense Crow Butte. They are planning public hearings in 2012 to consider our application. We are allowed to continue with all previously approved activities during the licence renewal process.
Planning for the future
Production
In 2012, we expect to produce 0.7 million pounds.
We are seeking regulatory approvals to proceed with expansions at our various satellite operations; however, we are experiencing some delays in receiving the necessary regulatory approvals. We recognize the regulators have a large volume of permits to process. We are working with them to improve communications and ensure we better understand and meet their needs.
Managing our risks
The operating environment is becoming more complex as public interest and regulatory oversight increase. This may affect our plans to increase production. We also manage the risks listed here.