Latest news with #DonaldProject
Cision Canada
07-08-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Energy Fuels Announces Q2-2025 Results
Record-breaking performance at U.S. uranium mine to drive lower-cost U 3 O 8 production; advancement of world class rare earth element and heavy mineral sands projects, including receipt of final major regulatory approval for the Company's Donald Project and advancement of heavy rare earth oxide separations; significantly improved rare earth element pricing environment; improved financial results and strengthened balance sheet compared to Q1 2025. DENVER, Aug. 6, 2025 /CNW/ - Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) ("Energy Fuels" or the "Company"), a leading U.S. producer of uranium, rare earth elements (" REEs"), and other critical minerals, today reported its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2025. The Company previously announced details for its upcoming August 7, 2025, earnings call. "This quarter delivered proof that our long-term commitment to the Pinyon Plain uranium mine has been worth the effort, as the mine continues to be one of the highest, if not the highest, grade uranium mine in U.S. history," said Mark Chalmers, Energy Fuels' Chief Executive Officer. "The exceptional production at this mine is a 'once in a lifetime event' and has come at the perfect time for Energy Fuels as it places us in the enviable position of increasing production while lowering costs. "Based on the high mined grades and production so far, we anticipate sustained production and high grades at Pinyon Plain for several additional years beyond our initial estimates, which offers sustained low unit costs - possibly around $23 - $30 per pound U 3 O 8 for dramatically higher expected uranium margins. While our uranium segment showed a loss this quarter due to limited uranium sales, revenue from upcoming contract deliveries, along with possible spot market sales during the remainder of 2025, is expected to provide substantial cash flow starting this year and getting into full swing in 2026 and subsequent years, to be offset against our global operating and capital costs. "Equally important, is our progress as a leader in the U.S. REE industry as we continue to advance our rare earth processing capabilities and heavy mineral sands assets towards production, particularly in light of significant recent improvements in REE markets. Chinese neodymium-praseodymium prices have increased approximately 19.5% from $61.88 to $73.93 per kg over the last month, and recently published European dysprosium and terbium oxide prices of $800 per kg and $3,625 per kg exceed the published Chinese prices of $230 per kg and $988 per kg, respectively, by 348% and 367%, reflecting the scarcity of these REE oxides outside of China and their importance to markets in the United States and Europe. "We are also very pleased that the Government of Victoria, Australia has approved the Work Plan for the construction and operation of the Company's Donald Rare Earth and Mineral Sand Project located in the Wimmera region of Victoria, which we believe is one of the best, near-term sources of 'mid' and 'heavy' REEs needed for numerous commercial and defense applications. This is the final major regulatory approval required to construct and operate the Donald Project and enables the finalization of critical activities, including arrangements for debt and equity financing, before a final investment decision can be made. "Naturally, we are also very excited about having successfully developed the technology that we believe is required to commercially produce 'heavy' REEs at scale through expansion of our existing REE production capability in Utah, particularly in light of these rising dysprosium and terbium prices. In fact, we are now in the process of producing dysprosium oxide at pilot scale at the Company's White Mesa Mill in Utah, with our first kilogram of dysprosium oxide expected in August 2025, our first production of terbium oxide expected in November 2025, and our first production of samarium oxide expected in Q1 2026. Assuming the pilot scale production continues to be successful, the Company could be in a position to produce dysprosium, terbium and samarium on a commercial scale at its existing Phase 1 rare earth element separation circuit at the Mill, with minor modifications, as early as Q4 2026 from existing feed sources and, if a positive final investment decision is made in 2025, as early as Q4 2027 from monazite feed produced at our permitted Donald Project in Australia. "These commodity lines are complementary to our core uranium business with the expected ability to provide consistent cash flow and long-term shareholder growth value." Q2-2025 Highlights Unless noted otherwise, all dollar amounts are in U.S. dollars. Financial Highlights: Robust Balance Sheet with Over $250 million of Liquidity and No Debt: As of June 30, 2025, the Company had $253.23 million of working capital including $71.49 million of cash and cash equivalents, $126.41 million of marketable securities (short-term interest-bearing securities and uranium equities), $7.79 million of trade and other receivables, $76.50 million of inventory, and no debt, which puts the Company in a strong position as it advances its projects. Over $13 Million of Additional Liquidity from Market Value of Inventory: At August 1, 2025 commodity prices, the Company's product inventory has a market value of approximately $56.25 million, while the balance sheet reflects product inventory carried at historical cost of $43.00 million. Net Loss of $21 Million Shows Improved Financial Results Compared to Q1 2025: During Q2-2025, the Company incurred a net loss of $21.81 million, or $0.10 per common share, which is an improvement compared to a net loss of $26.32 million, or $0.13 per common share during Q1-2025. Well-Stocked to Capture Market Opportunities and to Meet Long-term Contract Obligations: As of June 30, 2025, the Company held a total of 1,875,000 pounds of U 3 O 8 in inventory, including 725,000 pounds of finished U 3 O 8, 1,100,000 pounds of U 3 O 8 in ore and raw materials, and 50,000 pounds of work-in-progress U 3 O 8. Inventory increased from last quarter due to Pinyon Plain, La Sal and Pandora mine ore production. The Company expects these uranium inventories to continue increasing, as we continue to mine additional ore and purchase ore from third parties, offset by upcoming contract uranium sales and potential spot sales. The Company continues to elect to retain most of its finished uranium product in inventory in anticipation of higher uranium prices. The Company also held 905,000 pounds of finished vanadium (" V 2 O 5"), 37,000 kilograms (" kg") of finished separated neodymium-praseodymium (" NdPr") oxide and 9,000 kg of finished high purity, partially separated mixed "heavy" samarium-plus (" Sm +") rare earth carbonate (" RE Carbonate") in inventory. Uranium Milestones: Finished U 3 O 8 Production: The Company produced a total of 180,000 pounds of finished U 3 O 8 at its White Mesa Mill (the " Mill") in Utah during the three months ended June 30, 2025, from newly mined ore and stockpiled alternate feed materials. U 3 O 8 Sales: The Company sold a total of 50,000 pounds of U 3 O 8 during Q2-2025 on the spot market for $77.00 per pound realizing total gross proceeds of $3.85 million and a gross margin of 31%. Spot uranium prices during the quarter were relatively weak, with weekly prices averaging $70.26 during Q2 2025. Therefore, as the Company believes prices will improve later in 2025, the Company elected to make only one small sale of U 3 O 8 during the quarter. Q2 2025 Uranium Mine Production: During Q2-2025, the Company mined ore containing approximately 665,000 pounds of uranium from its Pinyon Plain and La Sal mines with an average grade of 2.23% U 3 O 8 at the Pinyon Plain mine, which the Company believes is one of the highest-grade uranium mines in U.S. history. Production rates at the mine have steadily increased over the past several months, with ore being stockpiled for a large-scale ore processing run at the Mill beginning in Q4 2025. Expected 2025 Uranium Mine Production: The Company continues to mine and stockpile ore from its Pinyon Plain, La Sal and Pandora mines, which is expected to total approximately 875,000 to 1,435,000 pounds of U 3 O 8 contained in approximately 55,000 to 80,000 tons of ore from these mines during 2025, subject to market conditions, mining rates and other factors. The Company also expects to purchase uranium ore from third-party miners in the region, and there is the potential to receive additional alternate feed materials and mine cleanup materials, expected to add a total of approximately 160,000 to 200,000 pounds of additional contained uranium to ore inventories, all of which will be processed as market conditions, Mill schedules, and contract requirements may warrant. Expected FY 2025 Finished Uranium Product Production: The Company currently expects to process up to approximately 670,000 pounds of U 3 O 8 in Q4 2025 from stockpiled ore mined from its Pinyon Plain, La Sal and Pandora mines. This ore processing run is expected to continue through Q1 2026. Expected Q4 2025 production, combined with the Company's 330,000 pounds of production during Q1 and Q2 2025, will result in the production of up to approximately 1,000,000 pounds of finished U 3 O 8 for 2025. Uranium Sales During the Remainder of 2025: The Company expects to sell 140,000 pounds of uranium during Q3 2025 and 160,000 pounds in Q4 2025, under the Company's existing long-term contracts with utilities. The Company may sell additional uranium on the spot market during the remainder of 2025, depending on market conditions. In 2026, the Company expects to sell between 620,000 and 880,000 pounds of U 3 O 8 under its current portfolio of long-term uranium sales contracts. Expected Year End U 3 O 8 Inventory: As a result of these sales, plus planned 2025 mine production, at the end of 2025, the Company expects to hold a total of 1,985,000 to 2,585,000 pounds of U 3 O 8 in ore inventories, including approximately 925,000 to 1,225,000 pounds of finished U 3 O 8 inventory, subject to any additional spot sales that may be made in 2025. This expected finished goods uranium inventory is expected to be sufficient to satisfy the Company's 2025, 2026 and a large portion of the Company's current 2027 delivery requirements under existing contracts. Changes in Guidance: As a result of the spot sale of 50,000 pounds of U 3 O 8 during Q2 2025 and the flex-up by the Company's utility customers of deliveries under the Company's long-term contracts from 220,000 pounds of U 3 O 8 to 300,000 pounds of U 3 O 8 in 2025, the Company is changing its sales guidance for 2025 from 220,000 pounds to 350,000 pounds of U 3 O 8, not counting additional spot sales the Company may make depending on market conditions. No other changes have been made to the Company's previously published guidance. The Company's revised guidance for 2025 is as follows: (1) "Other" includes ore purchases from 3rd party miners and potential cleanup from historic abandoned uranium mines. (2) The Company may sell inventory into the spot market in addition to these sales, subject to market conditions. Uranium Costs Expected to Decline in Q4 2025 and FY 2026: The Company plans to begin processing low-cost Pinyon Plain mine ores commencing in Q4 2025 through Q1 2026, during which we expect to produce 1.1 to 1.4 million pounds of finished U 3 O 8. During that Mill run, the average mining and transportation costs to the Mill for Pinyon Plain ore are expected to be $10 to $14 per pound of recovered U 3 O 8, which together with an expected milling cost of approximately $13 to $16 per pound U 3 O 8, are expected to result in a total weighted average cost of goods sold of approximately $23 to $30 per pound of U 3 O 8 recovered, ranking among the lowest costs for mined uranium production in the world. These high-grade Pinyon Plain ores will be blended and processed with the lower grade, higher cost, La Sal/Pandora ores through early 2026, after which the Company can choose to process Pinyon Plain ores alone to maximize absolute margin, or in conjunction with La Sal/Pandora ores, purchased ores, and alternate feed materials at the Company's discretion. Low Uranium Production Costs Expected for 2025: The Company's inventories of finished U 3 O 8 had an approximate weighted average cost of $53.00 per pound U 3 O 8 as at June 30, 2025, reflecting the weighted average cost of production and purchase of finished inventories from various sources over the years, as the Company continues to ramp up production and maximize economies of scale, including from alternate feed materials, the La Sal/Pandora mines, low-grade mine clean-up materials, and spot purchases of uranium on the open market. These costs do not reflect the expected lower costs of recently mined ores from the Pinyon Plain mine, which have not yet been processed. As the Company accounts for cost of goods sold as the weighted average cost of its finished product inventories, sales of uranium produced in 2025 and into 2026 will reflect the blended average of the existing 725,000 pounds of U 3 O 8 finished inventories, plus the cost of additional finished U 3 O 8 produced from blended stockpiled Pinyon Plain and La Sal/Pandora ores. This is expected to result in costs of goods sold of approximately $50 to $55 per pound for U 3 O 8 sales through the end of 2025, which is expected to drop to the $30 to $40 per pound range in Q1 2026, depending on the quantity of any additional spot sales of inventory that may be made in Q3 and Q4 2025. The Company's ability to blend and match various sources of uranium feeds to satisfy contract delivery requirements is a unique element of the Company's production capabilities that no other producer has in North America. Increasing Gross Margins on Uranium Production: Based on expected decreasing cost of goods sold and conservative uranium price forecasts, gross margins from the Company's uranium sales are expected to increase over time. Exploration at Pinyon Plain: The Company has been performing underground drilling in the "Juniper Zone" of the Pinyon Plain mine, with exceptional drill results from its 2024 – 2025 underground drill program showing high-grade intercepts within the previously defined Mineral Resource as well as above the existing mineralized zone, which exceed previous expectations (linked here). The Company is in the process of completing a U.S. Subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K ("S-K 1300") and Canadian National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") compliant technical report, which is expected to significantly add to the uranium resources at Pinyon Plain. Nichols Ranch and Whirlwind Update: The Company continues to observe positive results from ongoing drilling at its Nichols Ranch in-situ recovery (" ISR") Project in Wyoming. Both the Nichols Ranch Project and Whirlwind Mine in Colorado are being prepared for production, as market conditions warrant. Production from these mines, when combined with production from Pinyon Plain, La Sal and Pandora, alternate feed materials, uranium from monazite, and third-party uranium ore purchases, would be expected to increase the Company's production run-rate to roughly two million pounds per year by as early as 2026. Roca Honda, Bullfrog, and Sheep Mountain Update: The Company continued advancing permitting and other pre-development activities on its large-scale Roca Honda and Bullfrog uranium projects during the three months ended June 30, 2025, which together with its Sheep Mountain Project, have the potential to expand the Company's uranium production to a run-rate of up to five million pounds of U 3 O 8 per year in the coming years. Uranium Market Update: As of August 1, 2025, the spot price of U 3 O 8 was $71.50 per pound and the long-term price of U 3 O 8 was $82.00 per pound, according to data from TradeTech. Rare Earth Element Milestones: Significant Improvements in REE Market: REE markets have improved significantly over the last month, with Chinese NdPr prices increasing approximately 19.5% from $61.88 per kg on June 30, 2025 to $73.93 on August 1, 2025. As of July 31, 2025, recently published European dysprosium (" Dy") and terbium (" Tb") prices of $800 per kg and $3,625 per kg exceed the published Chinese prices of $230 per kg and $988 per kg, respectively, by 348% and 367%. Donald Project Receives Final Major Regulatory Approvals: On June 25, 2025, the Company announced that the Government of Victoria, Australia had approved the Work Plan for the construction and operation of the Company's Donald Rare Earth and Mineral Sand Project (the " Donald Project") located in the Wimmera region of Victoria. This is the final major regulatory approval required to construct and operate the Donald Project. It enables the finalization of critical activities, including arrangements for debt and equity financing, before a final investment decision (" FID") can be made. Energy Fuels and its joint venture partner Astron are currently working towards an FID for the Donald Project, which could be made as early as the end of 2025. With the Work Plan approval, construction on the Donald Project could begin within weeks of a positive FID. Energy Fuels believes the Donald Project is one of the best, near-term sources of "mid" and "heavy" REEs needed for numerous commercial and defense applications, due to the high relative concentrations of xenotime associated with the monazite from the mine. Xenotime is a phosphate mineral like monazite, which is enriched in "mid" and "heavy" REE oxides, and is found alongside monazite in many mineral sand deposits. Monazite and xenotime can be processed together in the Mill's circuits. Development of Technical Ability to Commercially Produce Heavy REEs: On April 17, 2025, Energy Fuels announced that it had successfully developed the technical ability it believes is required to commercially produce samarium (" Sm"), gadolinium (" Gd"), Dy, Tb, lutetium (" Lu"), yttrium (" Y"), and other oxides, at scale through expansion of its existing REE production capability in Utah. On April 4, 2025, the Chinese government announced export restrictions on these REEs, which are needed for key defense technologies. Pilot Scale Production of Heavy REEs Currently Underway: The Company is now in the process of producing Dy oxide at pilot scale at the Mill. Energy Fuels expects to complete production of its first kilogram of Dy oxide in August 2025. The Company expects to continue producing Dy oxide on a pilot scale until the end of September 2025, at which time it expects to have produced approximately 15 kilograms of Dy oxide, enabling the production of Tb oxide starting the beginning of October 2025. The Company expects to produce one kilogram of Tb oxide by the end of November 2025. The Company also expects to be able to start producing Sm oxide on a pilot scale at the Mill in January of 2026. Commercial Scale Production of Heavy REEs: Assuming the pilot scale production continues to be successful, the Company could be in a position to produce Dy, Tb and Sm on a commercial scale at its existing Phase 1 rare earth element separation circuit at the Mill, with minor modifications, as early as Q4, 2026 from existing feed sources and, if a positive final investment decision and production decision is made in 2025, as early as Q4 2027 from monazite feed produced at its permitted Donald Project in Australia. Technology Applicable to a Wide Range of Feedstocks: Unlike others who are experimenting with heavy REE production via recycling, Energy Fuels is the only U.S. company producing separated heavy REE oxides from commercial rare earth ores. The rare earth separation techniques being utilized by Energy Fuels can also be applied to a wide range of feedstocks, including rare earth concentrates and recycled materials. Qualification of REE Product: Samples of the Company's NdPr product have been sent to permanent magnet manufacturers and other companies around the world for product qualification, including POSCO International. Initial testing responses have been positive. Planned Expansion of Commercial Throughput of REEs: The Company continues the process of updating the Mill's AACE International (" AACE") Class 4 Pre-Feasibility Study (not a Pre-Feasibility Study subject to or intended to be compliant with NI 43-101 or S-K 1300), originally released in Q2-2024 to increase throughput to a total of 50,000 tonnes per annum ("tpa") of monazite, producing roughly 5,000 tpa of NdPr, 150 to 225 tpa of Dy, and 50 to 75 tpa of Tb. The Mill PFS referenced above can be viewed on the Company's website, Heavy Mineral Sands: Toliara Project: The Company continues to work with the Government of Madagascar to formalize the terms and conditions set out in the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Malagasy government in December 2024 relating to the Toliara Project (the "Toliara Project") in Madagascar, and to establish the necessary legal regime that will support development of the Project. To achieve this, the Company and the Government of Madagascar have been negotiating the terms of an investment agreement that would be submitted to the Madagascar Parliament for approval as a law. The investment agreement is intended to provide the key pillars for a bankable large-scale project, including legal and fiscal stability, select tax and customs benefits, necessary adjustments to foreign exchange rules, protections from expropriation, and access to international arbitration for dispute resolution. The investment agreement under discussion would also clarify existing procedures for adding monazite to the Project's mining permit, which currently allows for the production of ilmenite, rutile, and zircon. The Company could make an FID on the Toliara Project as early as 2026, conditional upon finalization of the investment agreement or other suitable stability arrangements with the Malagasy government, to which there can be no guarantee of success. Donald Project: The Company continued to advance the Donald Project, a large monazite-rich HMS project in Australia, pursuant to its joint venture with Astron Corporation Limited. Having received the final major regulatory approval required to construct and operate the Donald Project, the Company expects that an FID could be made on the Donald Project as early as Q4 2025. The Donald Project is of particular interest as the monazite concentrate has exceptional concentrations of the "heavy" rare earth elements, including Dy, Tb and Sm. Medical Isotope Highlights: During Q2-2025, the Company continued to utilize its research and development (" R&D") license for the potential recovery of R&D quantities of Ra-226 at the Mill. During the remainder of 2025, Energy Fuels plans to complete its process development engineering and, upon successful completion of such engineering, expects to set up the first stages of the pilot facility and produce R&D quantities of Ra-226 for testing by end-users of the product. Upon successful production of R&D quantities of Ra-226, Energy Fuels plans to develop capabilities at the Mill for the commercial-scale production of Ra-226 in 2027-2028, conditional on completion of engineering design, securing sufficient offtake agreements for final radium production, and receipt of all required regulatory approvals and project financing. At the same time, parallel with its Ra-226 process development activities, the Company has applied for a license to concentrate R&D quantities of Ra-228 at the Mill and is currently performing engineering on its process development and R&D pilot facility for Ra-228 production. Appointment of New Officers: To bolster the Company's global expertise within the executive management team, the Company recently hired Oscar German into the newly expanded role of Vice President of Global Human Resources, effective July 7, 2025, and Mike van Akkooi into the newly created position of Senior Vice President of Global External Affairs, effective July 21, 2025. Mr. German brings to the Company a deep understanding of the human resources function at a senior level with extensive expertise in the energy and mining sectors. Ms. Dee Ann Nazarenus, the Company's former Vice President of Human Resources and Administration and a longtime employee of the Company, retired effective August 1, 2025, but will continue to consult with the Company through December 31, 2026 as an invaluable source of institutional knowledge. Mr. van Akkooi brings to the Company over 25 years of leadership and management experience in highly complex, multi-cultural, international political and business environments. As previously announced on July 31, 2025, the Company appointed Mr. Ross R. Bhappu as President of the Company, effective August 4, 2025. Mr. Chalmers continued: "We invite all stakeholders to join us in our upcoming August 7, 2025, earnings call, details of which are below, to learn more about our exciting achievements." Conference Call and Webcast at 9:00 AM MT (11:00 AM ET) on August 7, 2025: Conference call access with the ability to ask questions: To instantly join the conference call by phone, please use the following link to easily register your name and phone number. After registering, you will receive a call immediately and be placed into the conference call. Alternatively, you may dial in to the conference call where you will be connected to the call by an Operator. North American Toll Free: 1-800-715-9871 To view the webcast online: Audience URL: Conference Replay Conference Replay Toronto: 1-647-362-9199 Conference Replay North American Toll Free: 1-800-770-2030 Conference Replay Entry Code: 6329279# Conference Replay Expiration Date: 08/14/2025 The Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (" SEC") and may be viewed on the Electronic Document Gathering and Retrieval System (" EDGAR") at on the System for Electronic Data Analysis and Retrieval + (" SEDAR+") at plus. ca, and on the Company's website at Unless noted otherwise, all dollar amounts are in U.S. dollars. Selected Summary Financial Information: (In thousands) June 30, 2025 December 31, 2024 Percent Change Financial Position: Working capital $ 253,229 $ 170,898 48 % Property, plant and equipment, net 57,259 55,187 4 % Mineral properties, net 293,832 278,330 6 % Current assets 288,900 230,187 26 % Total assets 702,474 611,969 15 % Current liabilities 35,671 59,289 (40) % Total liabilities 57,705 80,292 (28) % Qualified Person Statement The scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release was reviewed and approved by Daniel D. Kapostasy, PG, Registered Member SME and Vice President, Technical Services for the Company, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined in S-K 1300 and National Instrument 43-101. ABOUT ENERGY FUELS Energy Fuels is a leading US-based critical minerals company, focused on uranium, REEs, HMS, vanadium and medical isotopes. The Company has been the leading U.S. producer of natural uranium concentrate for the past several years, which is sold to nuclear utilities that process it further for the production of carbon-free nuclear energy and owns and operates several conventional and in-situ recovery uranium projects in the western United States. The Company also owns the White Mesa Mill in Utah, which is the only fully licensed and operating conventional uranium processing facility in the United States. At the Mill, the Company also produces advanced REE products, vanadium oxide (when market conditions warrant), and is evaluating the recovery of certain medical isotopes from existing uranium process streams needed for emerging cancer treatments. The Company also owns the operating Kwale HMS project in Kenya which ceased mining and commenced final reclamation activities at the end of 2024, and is developing three (3) additional HMS projects: the Toliara Project in Madagascar; the Bahia Project in Brazil; and the Donald Project in Australia in which the Company has the right to earn up to a 49% interest in a joint venture with Astron Corporation Limited. The Company is based in Lakewood, Colorado, near Denver. 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 Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "EFR." For more information on all we do, please visit Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains certain "Forward Looking Information" and "Forward Looking Statements" within the meaning of applicable United States and Canadian securities legislation, which may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: any expectation that the Company will maintain its position as a leading U.S.-based critical minerals company or as the leading producer of uranium in the U.S.; any expectation with respect to timelines to production; any expectation as to rate, quantities or duration of production; any expectations as to uranium or other mineral grades and whether such grades will continue or change over time; any expectation as to costs of goods sold, costs of production or gross profits, gross margins or other margins; any expectation as to future sales or sales prices; any expectations as to future inventory levels or changes to inventory levels; any expectation that the Company will be profitable; any expectation that the Company has the required technology and will be successful in producing Sm, Gd, Dy, Tb, Lu, Y, and/or other oxides, at scale through expansion of its existing REE production capability in Utah, or otherwise; any expectation that the Company could be in a position to produce Dy, Tb and Sm on a commercial scale as early as Q4, 2026, or at all; any expectation that the REE separation techniques being utilized by Energy Fuels can also be applied to a wide range of feedstocks, including rare earth concentrates and recycle materials; any expectation that the Company will develop its planned expansion of REE separation capacity at the Mill; any expectation that the Company's permitting efforts will be successful and as to any potential future production from any properties that are in the permitting or development stage; any expectation with respect to the Company's planned exploration programs; any expectation that any of the critical minerals the Company produces will have a valuable upside; any expectation that the Company's Toliara Project or Donald Project will advance to an FID within the expected timeframes or at all; any expectation that NdPr produced at the Mill will successfully qualify for use by permanent magnet manufacturers and other potential customers or set the stage for potential offtake in the future; any expectations as to future commodity prices; any expectation the Company will update its AACE Class 4 Pre-Feasibility Study to increase throughput, or at all; any expectation that the Company will complete an updated S-K 1300 and NI 43-101-compliant report on the Pinyon Plain mine; any expectation that the average uranium grade and resource may increase at the Pinyon Plain mine as a result of recent drill results; any expectation that the average cost per pound will decrease at the Pinyon Plain mine as a result of recent drilling results; any expectation that Energy Fuels will be successful in agreeing on fiscal terms with the Government of Madagascar or in achieving sufficient fiscal and legal stability for the Toliara Project; any expectation that the Company will be successful in its engineering and test work for the production of Ra-226 at the Mill; any expectation that the Company's evaluation of radioisotope recovery at the Mill will be successful; any expectation that any radioisotopes that can be recovered at the Mill will be sold on a commercial basis; any expectation as to the quantities to be delivered under existing uranium sales contracts; and any expectation as to future uranium, vanadium, REE or HMS prices or market conditions. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans," "expects," "does not expect," "is expected," "is likely," "budgets," "scheduled," "estimates," "forecasts," "intends," "anticipates," "does not anticipate," or "believes," or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "would," "might" or "will be taken," "occur," "be achieved" or "have the potential to." All statements, other than statements of historical fact, herein are considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements express or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks associated with: commodity prices and price fluctuations; engineering, construction, processing and mining difficulties, upsets and delays; permitting and licensing requirements and delays; the inclusion or exclusion, or change in listing status, of one or more Company projects on the U.S. Federal Infrastructure Project's Permitting Dashboard, list of FAST-41 Transparency Projects; changes to regulatory requirements; the imposition of tariffs and other restrictions on trade; legal challenges; the availability of feed sources for the Mill; competition from other producers; public opinion; government and political actions or inactions; the failure of the Government of Madagascar to agree on fiscal terms for the Toliara Project or provide the approvals necessary to achieve sufficient fiscal and legal stability on acceptable terms and conditions or at all; the failure of the Company to obtain the required permits for the recovery of Monazite from the Toliara Project; the failure of the Company to provide or obtain the necessary financing required to develop the Toliara Project, the Donald Project, the Bahia Project and/or its expanded REE separations capacity; available supplies of monazite; the ability of the Mill to produce RE Carbonate, REE oxides or other REE products to meet commercial specifications on a commercial scale at acceptable costs or at all; market factors, including future demand for REEs; actual results differing from estimates and projections; the ability of the Mill to recover radium or other radioisotopes at reasonable costs or at all; market prices and demand for medical isotopes; and the other factors described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is available for review on EDGAR at on SEDAR+ at and on the Company's website at Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as otherwise required by law. SOURCE Energy Fuels Inc.
Cision Canada
17-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Energy Fuels Now Producing Heavy Rare Earth Element Oxides
Energy Fuels has commenced producing heavy rare earth element oxides at its White Mesa Mill at pilot scale, and could be in a position to produce separated heavy rare earth oxides on a commercial scale as early as Q4 2026 from existing feed sources and, if a production decision is made in 2025, from its permitted Donald Project by the end of 2027, thereby providing much-needed U.S.-produced heavy rare earth oxides. DENVER, July 17, 2025 /CNW/ - Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) (" Energy Fuels" or the " Company"), a leading U.S. producer of uranium, rare earth elements (" REEs"), and other critical minerals, is pleased to provide an update on its heavy rare earth element (" HREE") oxide production, which is the only heavy rare earth oxide production occurring from mined ores at a commercial facility in the United States at this time. Energy Fuels is now in the process of producing Dysprosium (" Dy") oxide, at a minimum purity of 99.5% and potentially exceeding 99.9% purity, at pilot scale at its White Mesa Mill in Utah (the " Mill"). Energy Fuels expects to complete production of its first kilogram (" kg") of Dy oxide within the next 30 days. The Company expects to continue producing Dy oxide on a pilot scale until the end of September 2025, at which time it expects to have produced approximately 15 kg of Dy., generating enough residuals to feed its Terbium (" Tb") circuit starting the beginning of October 2025. The Company expects to have produced one kg of Tb on a pilot scale by the end of November 2025. If progress continues as planned, the Company expects to be able to start producing samarium (" Sm") oxide on a pilot scale at the Mill in January of 2026. Assuming the pilot scale production continues to be successful, the Company could be in a position to produce Dy, Tb and Sm on a commercial scale at its existing Phase 1 rare earth element separation circuit at the Mill, with minor modifications, as early as Q4, 2026 from existing feed sources and, if a production decision is made in 2025, as early as Q4 2027 from its permitted Donald Project in Australia. Unlike others who are experimenting with HREE production via recycling, Energy Fuels is the only U.S. company producing separated HREE oxides from commercial rare earth ores. The rare earth separation techniques being utilized by Energy Fuels can also be applied to a wide range of feedstocks, including rare earth concentrates and recycled materials. "Energy Fuels is in a unique position to produce the heavy rare earth oxides needed by other U.S. producers to make rare earth metals, alloys and magnets", said Mark Chalmers, President and CEO of Energy Fuels. "The Company has demonstrated its ability to separate NdPr on a commercial scale through the commissioning of its Phase 1 REE separations circuit at the Mill in April 2024. Piloting of our HREE production is going very well, with our first kg of Dy oxides expected shortly. With minor modifications to the Mill's existing Phase 1 separations circuit, the Company could be in commercial production of Dy, Tb and Sm as early as Q4 2026. The Company's permitted Donald Project, in Australia, is one of the richest deposits of HREEs in the world, which we could bring into production by the end of 2027, thereby providing much-needed U.S.-produced heavy rare earth oxides to other U.S. rare earth producers. The Company's Donald Project joint venture in Victoria Australia is a world-class permitted heavy mineral sand and REE development project containing the rare earth-bearing minerals monazite and xenotime, under which the Company has the right to offtake all the monazite and xenotime. While monazite contains light and heavy rare earth elements, xenotime contains more of the heavy rare earth elements including Tb, Dy and Sm. Tb and Dy are required in the rare earth magnet industry to allow the magnets to operate at higher temperatures. The Donald Project is a world-class source of HREEs, because it has high relative concentrations of xenotime. The monazite + xenotime rare earth element concentrate (" REEC") that will be produced at the Donald Project contains approximately 3.02% Sm, 0.37% Tb and 2.15% Dy on a 100% total rare earth oxides (" TREO") basis. This compares to typical bastnaesite ores, which contain approximately 0.79% Sm, 0.02% Tb and 0.03% Dy and other monazite properties that typically contain approximately 1.80% Sm, 0.10% Tb and 0.20% Dy. At the average Phase 1 production rate at the Donald Project of 7,100 tonnes of REEC per year, the REEC would contain 129 tonnes of Sm, 16 tonnes of Tb and 92 tonnes of Dy per year for the next 40+ years, representing 250%, 23% and 34% respectively of current annual U.S. requirements. Those oxides could be produced at the White Mesa Mill commencing as soon as Q4 2027, if a production decision is made in 2025. Phase 2 production at the Donald Project would be expected to increase the annual tonnage to approximately 13,000 tonnes of REEC, with corresponding increases in annual production of HREEs. Chalmers continued: "And, of course, we also have the Toliara Project in Madagascar, which is a world-class heavy mineral sands and rare earth development project, currently targeted to come on line as early as 2028, subject to receipt of Madagascar government approvals and acceptable stability arrangements, and our Bahia Project in Brazil, which is a heavy mineral sands and REE exploration and permitting project targeted to come on line in 2029. Both of these projects contain significant quantities of light and heavy REE oxides which can be supplied to U.S. and European manufacturers." The Company's HREE production would represent the only commercial scale heavy rare earth element production in the United States from an economically viable feedstock and would position Energy Fuels to supply U.S. – based manufacturers with the heavy rare earth oxides required to make rare earth metals, alloys and permanent magnets. Qualified Person Statement The scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release was reviewed and approved by Daniel D. Kapostasy, PG, Registered Member SME and Vice President, Technical Services for the Company, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined in S-K 1300 and National Instrument 43-101. About Energy Fuels Energy Fuels is a leading U.S.-based critical minerals company, focused on uranium, rare earth elements, heavy mineral sands, vanadium and medical isotopes. Energy Fuels, which owns and operates several conventional and in-situ recovery uranium projects in the western United States, has been the leading U.S. producer of natural uranium concentrate for the past several years, which is sold to nuclear utilities that process it further for the production of carbon-free nuclear energy. Energy Fuels also owns the White Mesa Mill in Utah, which is the only fully licensed and operating conventional uranium processing facility in the United States. At the Mill, Energy Fuels also produces advanced rare earth element products, vanadium oxide (when market conditions warrant), and is evaluating the potential recovery of certain medical isotopes from existing uranium process streams needed for emerging Targeted Alpha Therapy cancer treatments. Energy Fuels is also developing three (3) additional heavy mineral sands projects: the Toliara Project in Madagascar; the Bahia Project in Brazil; and the Donald Project in Australia in which Energy Fuels has the right to earn up to a 49% interest in a joint venture with Astron Corporation Limited. Energy Fuels is based in Lakewood, Colorado, near Denver, with its heavy mineral sands operations managed from Perth, Australia. The primary trading market for Energy Fuels' common shares is the NYSE American under the trading symbol "UUUU," and its common shares are also listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "EFR." For more information on all Energy Fuels does, please visit CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain "Forward Looking Information" and "Forward Looking Statements" within the meaning of applicable United States and Canadian securities legislation, which may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: any expectation that the Company's pilot scale production of HREE oxides will continue to be successful; any expectation of the purity of any of the REE or HREE oxides to be produced at the Mill; any expectation as to the timing of pilot and/or commercial scale production of REEs or HREEs at the Mill; any expectation that commercial scale production of HREEs can be achieved at the existing Phase 1 separation circuit at the Mill, with minor modifications; any expectation that t he rare earth separation techniques being utilized by Energy Fuels can also be applied to a wide range of feedstocks, including rare earth concentrates and recycled materials; any expectation that market conditions may support rare earth production; any expectation as to the Company's production capacity or expected timelines to production; any expectation as to when a production decision may be made at the Donald Project, if at all, or at any of the Company's other projects; any expectation as to the actual production of rare earth concentrates that may be achieved at the Donald Project during any phase of production; any expectations as to the contained REEs or HREEs at the Donald Project; any expectation as to estimated recoverable rare earth oxides; and any expectation that the Company will receive all necessary approvals, stability arrangements, financing and development required for the Donald Project, Toliara Project or Bahia Project to go into production. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects," "does not expect," "is expected," "is likely," "budgets," "scheduled," "estimates," "forecasts," "intends," "anticipates," "does not anticipate," or "believes," or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "would," "might" or "will be taken," "occur," "be achieved" or "have the potential to." All statements, other than statements of historical fact herein are considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements express or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks associated with: commodity prices and price fluctuations; engineering, construction, processing and mining difficulties, upsets and delays; permitting and licensing requirements and delays; changes to regulatory requirements; legal challenges; competition from other producers; government and political actions or inactions; market factors, including future demand for rare earth elements, titanium and zirconium; and the other factors described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is available for review on EDGAR at on SEDAR at and on the Company's website at Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release, and Energy Fuels disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Energy Fuels assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as otherwise required by law. SOURCE Energy Fuels Inc.
Canberra Times
26-06-2025
- Business
- Canberra Times
Farmer fury over rare earths mine approval
"Energy Fuels plans to import the rare earth minerals from the Donald Project into the USA, where we will process them into separated oxides at our mill in Utah for domestic and other customers," Energy Fuels chief executive Mark Chalmers said in a statement.
West Australian
26-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Farmer fury over rare earths mine approval
A state government has promised regional jobs and growth after rubber-stamping one of the world's largest rare earths mines, but farmers say their concerns and rights have been bulldozed. Mining company Astron's Donald Rare Earths and Mineral Sands Project won Victorian state government approval on Wednesday, the last regulatory hurdle for mine's first stage, which will upend more than 1100 hectares of broadacre and livestock farmland in the state's west. The majority of impacted farmers in the tiny town of Minyip, 320 kilometres northwest of Melbourne, first heard the news when they were contacted by the media after Astron's ASX announcement. "All we've seen is, frankly, fluff from the mining company and the government department has followed suit with very poor connection with the people directly affected," third-generation grain farmer Andrew Weidemann told AAP. "It's very disappointing, given that the government has always been saying the mining company was supposed to be good corporate citizen and meet with people." Mr Weidemann said farmers would be taking their fight to the steps of parliament, and to the courts over a failure to provide impacted farmers with key documentation. Farmers say Astron's plans to gradually rehabilitate land as mining progresses won't be enough to return it to pre-mining productivity, due to the soil's unique clay structures and water retaining ability in one of the driest parts of the state. "This soil type has not been mined before - they're open about that," Mr Weidemann said. "We've seen where other mines have operated, particularly up at Ouyen ... where the land has still not been repaired back to anywhere near its potential usable state for agricultural purposes." Dust contamination, including from radioactive dust, is also a major concern for neighbouring farmers. Rare earths elements and mineral sands are used in a number of high technology and defence applications, including batteries, electric cars and wind turbines. Donald Mineral Sands, which would become the fourth-largest mine of its kind in the world, is projected to produce 7000 tonnes of rare earth concentrate and 250,000 tonnes of heavy mineral concentrate each year, with a mine life of 41 years, Astron chief executive Tiger Brown said. "We've been working with the department (of energy and resources) on requirements and ensuring that our project stands up to Victoria's regulatory regime," he said. Roughly 200 jobs would be created during construction, along with another 180 to 200 full time jobs directly employed by the mine and Astron expected to inject $480 million of investment into the local economy. The Victorian government was kick-starting Victoria's "critical minerals boom", energy and resources minister Lily D'Ambrosio said. "All mining processes in Victoria are heavily regulated and the safety of the community, environment and infrastructure is built into key approvals," she said in a statement. The Donald Project's minerals will be sent straight to Astron's United States joint venture partner Energy Fuels for processing and sale in the US. "Energy Fuels plans to import the rare earth minerals from the Donald Project into the USA, where we will process them into separated oxides at our mill in Utah for domestic and other customers," Energy Fuels chief executive Mark Chalmers said in a statement.
Perth Now
26-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Farmer fury over rare earths mine approval
A state government has promised regional jobs and growth after rubber-stamping one of the world's largest rare earths mines, but farmers say their concerns and rights have been bulldozed. Mining company Astron's Donald Rare Earths and Mineral Sands Project won Victorian state government approval on Wednesday, the last regulatory hurdle for mine's first stage, which will upend more than 1100 hectares of broadacre and livestock farmland in the state's west. The majority of impacted farmers in the tiny town of Minyip, 320 kilometres northwest of Melbourne, first heard the news when they were contacted by the media after Astron's ASX announcement. "All we've seen is, frankly, fluff from the mining company and the government department has followed suit with very poor connection with the people directly affected," third-generation grain farmer Andrew Weidemann told AAP. "It's very disappointing, given that the government has always been saying the mining company was supposed to be good corporate citizen and meet with people." Mr Weidemann said farmers would be taking their fight to the steps of parliament, and to the courts over a failure to provide impacted farmers with key documentation. Farmers say Astron's plans to gradually rehabilitate land as mining progresses won't be enough to return it to pre-mining productivity, due to the soil's unique clay structures and water retaining ability in one of the driest parts of the state. "This soil type has not been mined before - they're open about that," Mr Weidemann said. "We've seen where other mines have operated, particularly up at Ouyen ... where the land has still not been repaired back to anywhere near its potential usable state for agricultural purposes." Dust contamination, including from radioactive dust, is also a major concern for neighbouring farmers. Rare earths elements and mineral sands are used in a number of high technology and defence applications, including batteries, electric cars and wind turbines. Donald Mineral Sands, which would become the fourth-largest mine of its kind in the world, is projected to produce 7000 tonnes of rare earth concentrate and 250,000 tonnes of heavy mineral concentrate each year, with a mine life of 41 years, Astron chief executive Tiger Brown said. "We've been working with the department (of energy and resources) on requirements and ensuring that our project stands up to Victoria's regulatory regime," he said. Roughly 200 jobs would be created during construction, along with another 180 to 200 full time jobs directly employed by the mine and Astron expected to inject $480 million of investment into the local economy. The Victorian government was kick-starting Victoria's "critical minerals boom", energy and resources minister Lily D'Ambrosio said. "All mining processes in Victoria are heavily regulated and the safety of the community, environment and infrastructure is built into key approvals," she said in a statement. The Donald Project's minerals will be sent straight to Astron's United States joint venture partner Energy Fuels for processing and sale in the US. "Energy Fuels plans to import the rare earth minerals from the Donald Project into the USA, where we will process them into separated oxides at our mill in Utah for domestic and other customers," Energy Fuels chief executive Mark Chalmers said in a statement.
