NexGen Energy Ltd. (“NexGen” or the “Company”) (TSX:NXE, NYSE MKT:NXE) is pleased to announce the acceptance of a Project Description (Technical Proposal) by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (“CNSC”) and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment (“MOE”). The acceptance marks the commencement of an Environmental Assessment (“EA”) on the Rook I Project (the “Project”) in accordance with the requirements of both The Environmental Assessment Act (Province of Saskatchewan) and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 “CEAA 2012” (Government of Canada). The EA will be conducted through a coordinated process between the MOE and the CNSC, which is the Federal life-cycle regulator for all uranium mine and mill projects in Canada.
NexGen has also filed an Initial Licence Application with the CNSC under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act in order to obtain a Licence to Prepare Site and Construct for the Project.
Project Summary
The Project is a proposed uranium mining and milling operation that will be 100% owned and operated by NexGen. It is in the southwestern Athabasca Uranium Basin region in northern Saskatchewan, Canada approximately 155 km north of the town of La Loche, 80 km south of the former Cluff Lakeuranium mine (currently in decommissioning) and 640 km by air north west of Saskatoon. The mineral resource base for the Project is the Arrow Deposit, a land-based, basement-hosted uranium Deposit.
Exploration at Rook I began in 2013 yet prior to this initial exploration NexGen engaged regularly with and established relationships with local Indigenous communities and has helped to facilitate a number of community advancement initiatives around three pillars: education, economic capacity building and health/wellness. The Company was recently recognized for their involvement in community outreach and environmental stewardship by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) with the 2019 Environment and Social Responsibility Award. NexGen respects the unique relationship Indigenous peoples have with the environment, the rights of Indigenous peoples with respect to the land and recognizes the importance of full, open and transparent discussion with interested and/or affected communities throughout the EA and all phases of the Project.
The Project as proposed will include underground and surface facilities to support the mining and processing of uranium ore from the Arrow Deposit. The main components included in the scope of the Project for the EA, include:
- Underground mine development;
- On-site mill to process uranium ore;
- Surface facilities to support the short and long-term storage of waste rock and ore;
- An underground tailings management facility to store all mining tailings underground (UGTMF);
- Water handling infrastructure and an effluent treatment circuit;
- Additional infrastructure that will include a camp for personnel, an airstrip for transporting personnel, supporting waste and water management facilities, maintenance shop, warehouse, and offices;
Leigh Curyer, Chief Executive Officer, commented, “The Company is excited to work with all stakeholders during the EA process to meet the Company’s objectives of setting a new elite standard in global environmental mine management and community advancement. With over 5 years of detailed data on the project being collected, analysed, verified independently and working alongside local communities, the Company is in a unique position to advance the next stage of this exciting project development optimally.”
With the commencement of the EA, NexGen is conducting required studies and building on comprehensive environmental baseline monitoring which is already well advanced. In addition to NexGen’s team of experienced professionals, NexGen has engaged leading experts to conduct and support these studies and to support the development and submission of the Environmental Impact Statement required by the Province of Saskatchewan and the CNSC. Throughout the various stages of project development, NexGen is committed to the incorporation of innovative environmental designs and is committed to setting elite standards for environmental mine performance globally.
New Website:
Please visit our Rook I project website at www.saskatchewanuranium.ca for much more detail on the project and initiatives underway.
For any inquiries regarding the EA process, please contact NexGen at: 1-833-333-8895 or by emailing the Company at: info@saskatchewanuranium.ca.
About NexGen
NexGen is a British Columbia corporation with a focus on the acquisition, exploration and development of Canadian uranium projects. NexGen has a highly experienced team of uranium industry professionals with a successful track record in the discovery of uranium deposits and in developing projects through discovery to production.
NexGen owns a portfolio of prospective uranium exploration assets in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada; including a 100% interest in Rook I, location of the Arrow Deposit discovered in February 2014, the Bow discovery in March 2015, the Harpoon discovery in August 2016 and the Arrow South discovery in July 2017. NexGen is the recipient of the PDAC’s 2018 Bill Dennis Award and the 2019 Environmental and Social Responsibility Award.
Source: NexGen Energy Ltd
