ENERGY FUELS INC

The mineral reserve is a shallow lying deposit with no overburden present and will therefore employ an open pit mining methodology. The mining cycle commences with vegetation and topsoil removal and storage for later rehabilitation use. This is followed by ore extraction, which will utilize Caterpillar D11 bulldozers feeding, initially one and ultimately two, DMUs. The DMUs are designed to be relocatable.

A coarse static grizzly (300 mm) on top of the DMU hopper ensures any large rocks do not enter the process stream. A large belt/apron feeder then transports the ore to a slurry box, where it is mixed with water and evenly deposited onto a screen with an aperture size of 35 mm. This screen removes oversize as well as organic matter such as sticks and roots which can cause issues by blocking pump suctions. The undersize from this screen is then pumped to the WCP for further processing.

An ex-pit tailings storage facility (TSF) has been designed to accommodate the first 24 months of tailings deposition prior to the commencement of in-pit disposal. Located north of the MSP, the facility is sized to store up to 20 Mt of co-disposed sand and slimes tailings and includes provision for tailings water recovery via return sumps. The TSF will be decommissioned once in-pit deposition becomes available. Mined-out areas that have been backfilled, will be contoured and then have topsoil returned for rehabilitation to native vegetation or seeded for farming purposes.

The mining method is a well-established methodology with a proven track record of delivering high throughput with low operating costs.