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UComps: Project Generation Capability for Uranium Explorers

EXCLUSIVE TO SIGHTLINE U3O8 – This month’s UComparables edition will focus on the Uranium Explorers’ ability to be project generators and de-risk exploration by accessing capital from partners to fund the high-risk and expensive drilling phases of exploration. 

A project generator (“PG”) is defined as a company that acquires and maintains a portfolio of multiple projects they deem to have significant mineral potential and option them to, or obtain exploration financing with the support of, a partner; generally a mid-tier or major mining company.

By applying a PG model, exploration work is expedited, plus Exploration Companies will automatically de-risk their projects by: 

  • Spreading overhead between multiple projects;
  • Decreasing equity dilution and reliance on financing as major funding is covered by JV partners;
  • Spreading the odds of making a discovery to a portfolio of multiple properties rather than just focusing on a single project, which may or may not work out;
  • Attracting partners providing shareholders with heightened reassurance of the technical validity of prospects;
  • Providing revenues derived from partner cash payments in the form of option agreement payments and management fees, or in the case of a junior company partner, share issuances to complete the earn-in.

Uranium Exploration Projects

As stated in the past, it is not our intention to provide analysis or opinion as to the investment potential of these companies.  We are merely compiling and sharing metrics and data points, common across the companies that investors can utilize in their decision-making process.

On the list below, we have only accounted for uranium projects that are in good standing for the 17 uranium exploration companies we are tracking. UEX, ValOre, ALX Uranium, Forum Energy, CanAlaska, Roughrider and Uracan also hold other projects that are not uranium-related projects, therefore these projects were not included herein. 

We were disappointed to find that collecting this information was far more difficult than anticipated.  Many times we found that the projects listed in a Company’s marketing material differed from the information found in their financial statements.  Also, while we aspired to also highlight the operators and the ownership percentage for each project, we found several uranium exploration companies were very selective and inconsistent in what was disclosed. In many cases, they would highlight ownership for key projects only and would fail to disclose the operator. 

Exploration companies hold an average of just over 6 uranium projects each, with the largest project generator being Fission 3.0 with 21 uranium projects. On the other side, Uracan and Azincourt hold one uranium project each, therefore, for this exercise, they are not considered PGs. 

EXPLORATION COMPANIES TOTAL U PROJECTS
V.FUU Fission 3.0 Corp 21
V.AL ALX Uranium Corp 11
V.PTU Purepoint Uranium Group Inc 10
V.CVV CanAlaska Uranium Ltd 9
V.ISO ISO Energy Ltd 8
V.FMC Forum Energy Metlas Corp 7
V.EU enCore Energy Corp 7
AVERAGE AVERAGE 6.3
V.SKY Skyharbour Resources Ltd 5
V.API Appia Energy Corp 5
V.BSK Blue Sky Uranium Corp 4
T.UEX UEX Corporation 4
V.VO Valore Metals Corp 4
V.REL Roughrider Exploration Ltd 4
A.DYL Deep Yellow Limited 3
A.SMM Summit Resources Ltd (Australia) 2
V.AZZ Azincourt Energy Corp 1
V.URC Uracan Resources Ltd 1

Uranium Exploration Partners 

The second metric collected sets out to identify the nature, relationship and extent of these Companies’ financial partners. We identified not only partners participating in the advancement of specific projects, but also equity partners who enjoy a special relationship obviously structured to provide financial support to the exploration efforts of an Explorer.  Such relationships include NexGen’s 58% ownership of ISOEnergy and Paladin’s 82% ownership of Summit Partner.

We also identified partners as being a major mining company, a development company or another exploration company as a proxy to their relative financial clout. 

PROJECT SPECIFIC PARTNERS EQUITY PARTNERS
EXPLORATION COMPANIES MAJOR U-MINER/COMPANY U DEVELOPER U EXPLORER MAJOR U-MINER/COMPANY U DEVELOPER
A.SMM Summit Resources Ltd (Australia) Paladin Energy Paladin Energy
T.UEX UEX Corporation Orano / JCU
V.PTU Purepoint Uranium Group Inc Cameco / Orano
V.ISO ISO Energy Ltd NexGen Energy
V.FUU Fission 3.0 Corp Fission Uranium
V.AL ALX Uranium Corp Rio Tinto Denison Mines UEX / Pacton Gold / Acme Resources
V.FMC Forum Energy Metals Corp Cameco / Orano / Rio Tinto NexGen Energy Uracan Resources
V.CVV CanAlaska Uranium Ltd Cameco Denison Mines Northern Uranium
V.SKY Skyharbour Resources Ltd Orano Denison Mines Clean Commodities Denison Mines
A.DYL Deep Yellow Limited JOGMEG Epangelo Mining / Nova Energy (Africa) / Zixzone Investment Pty
V.AZZ Azincourt Energy Corp Skyharbour Resources / Clean Commodities / Fission 3.0
V.VO Valore Metals Corp Roughrider Exploration
V.REL Roughrider Exploration Ltd ValOre Metals
V.URC Uracan Resources Ltd Forum Energy
V.EU enCore Energy Corp
V.BSK Blue Sky Uranium Corp
V.API Appia Energy Corp

UComparables Table

In the attached table, we have assembled the results at a high level.  For simplicity sake, we have identified those companies in the top quartile of any particular metric with a green dot.  For those in the bottom quartile we have indicated that with a black dot.  The rest, falling within a safe margin of the average, are noted with a yellow dot. Feel free to click on the dots or headings to get more information. 

Again, we must stress that investors need to take care in evaluating any information pertaining to their investments and that this information is being provided only as a starting point to that evaluation.  We will continue to add new comparable categories and update these as necessary.

We invite any comments or questions pertaining to the information provided or companies we may have missed.  Such questions and comments can be sent to editor@sightlineu3o8.com.

MANAGEMENT FINANCIAL HEALTH PROJECT INFORMATION
EXPLORATION COMPANIES MONTHLY OVERHEAD COSTSEXPLORATION PER $1 OVERHEADCXO COMPENSATION/ MARKET CAPANNUAL CHURN OF SHARESJURISDICTION# OF PROJECTSPROJECT PARTNERS
V.PTU Purepoint Uranium Group Inc
T.UEX UEX Corporation
V.FUU Fission 3.0 Corp
V.CVV CanAlaska Uranium Ltd
V.AL ALX Uranium Corp
A.SMM Summit Resources Ltd (Australia)
V.SYH Skyharbour Resources Ltd
V.FMC Forum Energy Metals Corp
V.AAZ Azincourt Energy Corp
V.BSK Blue Sky Uranium Corp
V.VO ValOre Metals Corp
V.EU enCore Energy Corp
V.ISO ISOEnergy Ltd
V.REL Roughrider Exploration Ltd
V.API Appia Energy Corp
A.DYL Deep Yellow Limited
V.URC Uracan Resources Ltd
AVERAGE AVERAGE $63,4661.843.58%0.9980.396.3