Canadian uranium development company Denison Mines on Monday announced the successful recovery of uranium-bearing solution from the Phoenix in-situ recovery (ISR) feasibility field test (FFT) under way at the Wheeler River project, in the Athabasca basin.
President and CEO David Cates said the development was a “historic moment for uranium mining in Canada”, while VP of plant operations Kevin Himbeault described it as “history in the making”.
“This accomplishment reflects the culmination of several years of technical de-risking and provides tangible validation of the company's selection of the ISR mining method for Phoenix in our 2018 Wheeler River prefeasibility study. With this result, Denison has truly showcased its industry leadership in bringing the low-cost ISR mining method to the high-grade uranium deposits of the Athabasca basin,” said Cates.
Himbeault added that the initial analysis indicated the hydrogeological system had responded as expected with pH trends, flow characteristics and uranium recovery meeting expectations.
“I am extremely proud of our team's focus and dedication in getting us to this momentous stage safely and on schedule."
The leaching phase of the FFT started in September and preliminary results received to date demonstrated the successful acidification of the test pattern and recovery of uranium through the ISR mining method. Several samples of recovered solution have been collected during the leaching phase and remain subject to full lab assay and analysis, which will generate additional detailed information about the performance of the FFT.
Given the successful results of the FFT, lixiviant injection has ceased, and operators at the Phoenix FFT site are preparing to transition from the leaching phase of the FFT to the neutralisation phase, which is expected to be completed before the end of the year. The final phase of the FFT, which involves management of the recovered solution, is expected to start in the spring of 2023.