Heathgate Resources affiliate Grants Energy is considering uranium production from the Grants Precision ISR project, twenty miles from the community of Grants, in the early 2030s.
The project scope includes both Cibola and McKinley counties, where Gulf Mineral Resources Corporation identified and validated a large uranium deposit in the 1960s and 1970s including the Mt Taylor deposit. The Mt Taylor deposit was conventionally mined between 1980 and 1990. General Atomics affiliate Rio Grande Resources purchased Mt Taylor in 1991, according to information from the New Mexico Environment Department.
Commercial inquiries and contracting will be managed by General Atomics' Nuclear Fuels Corporation. They told World Nuclear News that uranium production is planned to commence in the early 2030s with first permits and license applications due over the next 12-24 months.
The company's innovative production plan combines in-situ recovery, or ISR which is a widely used method of uranium extraction, with horizontal wells which is a method used in oil and gas production. Combining these two proven technologies means uranium extraction will be cleaner and more efficient than ever before according to Grants Energy. This approach will also reduce ground disturbance and carbon emissions from the equipment used to construct the wellfields.
From the mid-20th century to the 1980s, the state of New Mexico was a hub for U.S. uranium mining. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission currently lists only one New Mexico uranium recovery operation which is Crownpoint, now owned by Laramide Resources as licensed, although no operations have taken place. New Mexico is also home to Urenco U.S.’s uranium enrichment plant at Eunice, and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant repository for the disposal of transuranic wastes.
The Grants Precision ISR project could potentially create more than two hundred skilled, local jobs, and more than four hundred million dollars in state and local tax revenue while minimizing environmental impacts, and providing an affordable fuel for carbon-free domestic energy supply.
Janet Lee Sheriff is the director of communications for Grants Energy. She said in the company's January 6th announcement, “In this initial stage, Grants Energy is focused on reaching out to members of the community to provide more detailed information about our project and identify community issues and concerns. We truly understand and respect concerns surrounding uranium extraction through conventional mining technology and are dedicated to unlocking a strategic long-term energy resource responsibly and with the participation and involvement of the New Mexico community."
Clean Energy Association of New Mexico (CLEAN) is a new association committed to advocating for the nuclear energy industry and “empowering the people of New Mexico by fostering economic growth to benefit from their resources in a safe and sustainable manner”. Grants Energy is a member of CLEAN which was launched on January 3rd. CLEAN says it is “committed to focusing on education and awareness, providing valuable resources and advocating for the safe and environmentally responsible extraction of uranium through In-Situ Recovery technology as a key component of the state's clean energy future”.
Grants Energy is a subsidiary of Rio Grande Resources and an affiliate of Heathgate Resources Pty Ltd. It is the first uranium producer to use ISR in Australia, where the technique has now been in use for twenty-five years of production from the Four Mile/Beverley project.