Smith Ranch-Highland & Satellite Facilities
We operate Smith Ranch and Highland as a combined operation. Each has its own processing facility, but the Smith Ranch central plant currently processes all the uranium, including uranium from satellite facilities. The Highland plant is currently idle. Together, they form the largest uranium production facility in the United States.
| Location | Wyoming, US |
| Ownership | 100% |
| End product | Uranium concentrates |
| ISO certification | ISO 14001 certified |
| Estimated reserves |
Smith Ranch-Highland: 4.8 million pounds (proven and probable), average grade U3O8: 0.09% North Butte-Brown Ranch: 2.9 million pounds (proven and probable), average grade U3O8: 0.08% |
| Estimated resources |
Smith Ranch-Highland: 21.6 million pounds (measured and indicated), average grade U3O8: 0.06% 7.9 million pounds (inferred), average grade U3O8: 0.05% North Butte-Brown Ranch: 8.8 million pounds (measured and indicated), average grade U3O8: 0.07% 0.4 million pounds (inferred), average grade U3O8: 0.07% |
| Mining methods | In situ recovery (ISR) |
| Licensed capacity |
Wellfields: 3 million pounds per year Processing plants: 5.5 million pounds per year, including Highland mill |
| License term | Pending renewal – see Production below |
| Total production: 2002 to 2014 | 19.7 million pounds |
| 2014 production | 2.1 million pounds |
| 2015 production outlook | 1.4 million pounds |
| Estimated decommissioning cost |
Smith Ranch-Highland: $198 million (US) North Butte: $22 million (US) |
2014 update
Production
Production this year was 5% higher than our forecast and 24% higher than 2013 production, with new mine units and the North Butte satellite contributing to production at Smith Ranch-Highland in 2014.
The regulators continue to review our licence renewal application. We are allowed to continue with all previously approved activities during the licence renewal process.
Planning for the future
Production
In 2015, we expect to produce 1.4 million pounds. The decrease is a result of market conditions, which led us to defer some wellfield development.
Managing our risks
We manage the risks listed here.