Monday, August 12, 2024

Will Australia Reject a Proposal to Drill Under a Coral Reef?

DAMN WELL BETTER!

The sailboat is located on the approximate position of a proposed well site, with North Scott Reef in the background (Greenpeace)

Published Aug 11, 2024

[By Samantha Hepburn]

For decades, Australia’s largest independent oil and gas company, Woodside, has eyed off a prize: the largest known unconventional gas fields in the nation.

But there’s a problem. The enormous Brecknock, Calliance, and Torosa gas fields are hundreds of kilometers off the coast of Western Australia – buried underneath pristine coral reefs. To access it, the company would have to drill more than 50 wells around the Scott Reef system and pipe the gas 900 km along the ocean floor to a processing plant.

Now Woodside has an even larger problem. The state’s Environmental Protection Authority is signaling it will reject this A$30 billion project, known as Browse, which is part of Woodside’s much larger Burrup Hub project.

It would be unusual to see the state authority reject a project of this size – they’re more commonly approved with conditions. But the authority is clearly concerned about the potential damage the giant gas project could do. The project has been mired in controversy, attracting 800 public appeals and more than 400,000 signatures on a petition against it. Conservationists are elated at news of the rejection.

Has this project by Australia’s homegrown answer to Big Oil been shut down? Not quite. The authority has only made a preliminary decision. Woodside has vowed to keep pushing for a green light – and it has the support of federal Resources Minister, Madeleine King.

But because these reefs are on an important migration route for endangered pygmy blue whales, federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek may have to weigh in.

What happens next will tell us a great deal about who holds sway within the Albanese government.

How big is this project?

If approved, the Browse project would feed gas into Woodside’s proposed Burrup Hub, the company’s gas megaproject which would become one of the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing hubs in Australia. Conservationists have described Burrup as a “climate bomb”, which would produce twice the emissions of any other fossil fuel project seeking approval.

The Browse gas has high levels of carbon dioxide (12% CO?), and gas extraction commonly leads to escaped methane, a particularly potent greenhouse gas. Last year, Shell left the joint venture citing concerns about profitability and carbon.

But greenhouse gas emissions aren’t usually covered under an environmental authority’s remit. The Western Australian authority reportedly rejected the Browse project on conservation grounds. A freedom of information request by the Nine newspapers produced a letter the authority sent in February to Woodside, indicating the project was “unacceptable” due to the likely impacts on Scott Reef.

The concerns are well-founded. The project would threaten the habitat or migratory routes of endangered species such as pygmy blue whales, manta rays, whale sharks and nesting green turtles. Gas flaring would disorient migratory birds and young turtle hatchlings.

Noise pollution from drilling, piling and other infrastructure would cause stress and impact habitat. Chemical pollutants including drilling fluid and treated sewage would be released into the water.

High speed transfer boats could threaten whale migration paths. Then there’s the chance of an oil blowout. If this happened, it would be devastating for marine life.

There’s a chance gas extraction could cause Sandy Islet, the only part of Scott Reef above the high tide mark, to be submerged, risking the destruction of a popular nesting habitat for green turtles.

In the public interest?

Woodside argues exploiting these enormous gas fields is necessary to avoid a forecast gas shortage in WA – and to firm up energy security in Asia.

But the state doesn’t have a gas shortage. Even if it did, WA has a domestic reservation policy requiring LNG producers to reserve 15% for the domestic market. Given a recent WA parliamentary inquiry found major gas companies are only reserving 8% of the state’s gas at present, it would be far simpler to enforce the current reservation policy rather than crack open new gas under a coral reef.

What’s coming next?

A final decision by the state Environmental Protection Authority is yet to be handed down. But even if the decision is a clear no, it’s hard to see the company giving up.

In that case, Plibersek would likely have to weigh in. She is tasked with making determinations of national environmental significance under Australia’s main environment laws.

These laws don’t account for damage done by emissions, meaning Plibersek could not reject Woodside’s proposal on climate grounds. But the act does cover protection of endangered species, migratory species and the marine environment.

The endangered pygmy blue whale is found in Western Australian waters –including Scott Reef. Under Australia’s environment laws, endangered means the species has had a severe drop in population and has fallen by at least 50% over ten years or three generations.

Plibersek could stop the Browse project due to its impact on the pygmy blue whale, as this species has an existing species recovery plan.

When a recovery plan is in place, our laws state the federal minister cannot approve a project inconsistent with or in contravention of the plan. But the whale’s recovery plan expires next year.

Samantha Hepburn is a Professor at Deakin Law School, Deakin University. This article appears courtesy of The Conversation and may be found in its full form here.

The Conversation

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

Ukraine Destroys an Offshore Platform Used for GPS Spoofing

Russian gas platform strike — The claimed strike on an offshore platform off Crimea (Dmytro Pletenchuk)

Last week, the Ukrainian Navy launched an operation to fight back against Russian GPS spoofing - with force. According to a spokesperson, Ukraine's military attacked and destroyed an idle gas platform off Crimea, which Russian units had used as a broadcasting station for GPS interference equipment.

"The occupiers used this location for GPS spoofing to endanger civilian navigation. We cannot allow this," said Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk. "Half a day before the strike, the enemy had placed equipment and military personnel on the platform. No civilians were there, and the platform was not performing its regular functions."

Pletenchuk emphasized that Ukraine would not have struck the installation if it were still functioning as a civilian facility. He told local media that this was not the first time that Ukraine had destroyed an offshore jamming installation, and that Russia was using the equipment in an attempt to disrupt Ukrainian grain shipping.

Separately, Ukraine's Main Directorate of Defense Intelligence (GUR or HUR) said that one of its Magura V5 suicide drone boats had attacked and destroyed a Russian patrol boat off the coast of Crimea.

In a strike near the coastal village of Chornomorske on Friday night, a HUR Magura V5 drone boat struck a KS 701 "Tunets" landing craft. The attack also damaged three more vessels, the agency claimed. It released a video appearing to show a drone boat maneuvering under heavy fire from a Russian attack helicopter and approaching a marina; the imagery does not show the attack's conclusion.

Ukraine Opens Bidding Seeking Manager for Seized Russian Bulker

Russian-owned, Panama-registered bulker will be used by Ukraine to store grain (ARMA)
Published Aug 9, 2024 6:28 PM by The Maritime Executive

With grain shipments continuing to grow and a shortage of storage space after the Russian attacks on port facilities, the Ukrainian Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) plans to turn the tables on Russia. The agency announced that its appointed surveyor has completed the survey of a seized Russian-owned bulker and they are now seeking a manager to run the ship for grain storage.
The bulker Emmakris III (73,000 dwt) has been detained at the port of Chornomorsk in the Odesa region since the Russian invasion of the country in February 2022. Built in 2000 and registered in Panama, Ukraine was successful in seizing the vessel. ARMA presented evidence in court that although the vessel’s registered owners are reported to be the UAE, the beneficial owners are a Russian company, Linter, registered in the city of Rostov-on-Don.
The Pechersk District Court of Kyiv gave control of the vessel to ARMA at the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office as part of the investigation into its Russian owner. The Russian-owned ship was one of the more than 100 foreign vessels that were unable to leave Ukrainian ports in the wake of the invasion.
At the start of the war, the Emmakris III was in Ukraine to load approximately 60,000 tons of grain bought by the Egyptian government. Pictures of the ship show it sitting abandoned at the port riding high in the water.
ARMA said that after is appointed surveyors carried out a detailed inspection of the Emmakris III, it was ascertained that it is in a “healthy state.” ARMA reports it intends to use the ship as a floating grain storage vessel for transshipment and conservation of dry goods under the management of an independent operator. The agency is preparing all the necessary documentation for transferring the vessel. They have set a value on the vessel of approximately $2.6 million.
"Over the past year, the cost of grain storage has increased significantly, which is associated with an increase in the cost price and an increase in the risk of product storage. Given the limited capabilities of the Odesa region's port infrastructure for the transshipment of grain cargoes, this asset may have a high investment interest of market operators," said the deputy chairman ARMA Stanislav Petrov.
Ukraine highlighted this week the success of the humanitarian corridor that it established a year ago following the collapse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative sponsored by the UN and administered by Turkey. The Ministry of Agriculture released data showing that grain exports surged by 40 percent in the current season to 3.7 million metric tons from 2.6 million in the same period last season.
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink hailed the success of the export efforts. She wrote on X today “In just one year, 2,290 ships have departed Ukraine’s Black Sea ports carrying 63 million tons of cargo, including grain, to feed the world and support Ukraine’s economy — a tremendous accomplishment in the face of Russia’s illegal invasion.”

Yemen's Houthi Rebels Build New Supply Chains for Maritime Strikes

Houthi missile parade — Image courtesy Houthi Military Media

Yemen's Houthi rebels have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea since last fall, and despite countless efforts at striking their shoreside operations, they have maintained a steady tempo of attacks. Their resilience stems from continued support from their Iranian sponsors, their own in-house abilities, and - in an emerging development - a new diversity of suppliers, according to a top Navy leader.

The Houthis' supply chain has relied on Iran since the beginning of the group's militancy, and over the years, U.S. and allied forces have intercepted multiple Iranian weapons shipments bound for Yemen on the high seas. But the group's supply infrastructure has evolved "far beyond" what it was at the start of the Yemeni civil war 10 years ago, says 5th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. George Wikoff - and it now involves multiple players.

"There is a line of effort right now looking at all supply [lines] coming in to the Houthis, and we don't believe it's limited to the Iranians," said Wikoff in a video interview with CSIS. "The Houthis are diversifying. There's discussion that they could become exporters of the [weapons] technology."

Wikoff questioned the Houthi narrative of fighting for Palestinian rights, noting that the group attacked Saudi shipping for years before it attacked Israeli-linked shipping. The group's antishipping campaign is taking a regional toll, he said, from empty hotels in Aqaba to delayed aid deliveries in Port Sudan to the collapse of Egypt's Suez Canal revenues.

"Two-thirds of the people in Yemen . . . right now are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, and 30 million people are starving in the region," he said. "The Houthis have a narrative of why they're doing what they're doing but at the end of the day they're only hurting a lot of people who have absolutely nothing to do with what . . . what they're proclaiming they're doing."

American and allied naval forces have been attempting to stem the tide of Houthi attacks, with limited success. Wikoff acknowledged that U.S. efforts to degrade the group's capabilities have had limited success, and he described the U.S. Navy's current mission as a "shock absorber" in the Red Sea "to maintain some semblance of maritime order while we give an opportunity for policy to be developed." The challenge in creating deterrence, he suggests, is that the Houthis are a decentralized group and don't have much of a center of gravity to threaten.

Maritime security is one part of the threat picture, but there are other considerations - like ensuring Israel's security. After back-to-back assassination operations targeting members of terrorist group Hamas, Iran is expected to launch a large retaliatory attack against Israel by early next week, with expected assistance from Houthi forces and from Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah. The U.S. Navy has been repositioning assets to deter Iran and help defend against an anticipated strike.

The carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is currently on station off Yemen, and carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has just gotten under way from Guam to join the regional presence. On Thursday, the amphib USS Wasp pulled into port in Limassol, Cyprus, with elements of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. A flat-deck amphib like USS Wasp would be an asset in a large-scale evacuation operation. “The visit comes at a time when the United States continues all efforts along with key partners to de-escalate regional tensions and to be prepared to support civilians in crisis,” U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus Julie Fisher said in a statement on X.

Houthis in Rare Effort Attack (and Miss) One Tanker Four Times

Houthi attacks — One vessel was targeted (unsuccessfully) four times over two days (Neptune P2P Group)

The Liberia-flagged tanker Delta Blue (158,000 dwt) has been the focus of a rare multi-day attack by the Houthis. The efforts saw the first use of speed boats and shoulder-launched rocket-propelled grenades (RPG), as well as missiles and drones, and yet the vessel reports it was not damaged and is continuing on its way.

While in the past the militants have gone after individual vessels multiple times, this instance has left security analysts speculating on the situation while the Houthis are yet to officially claim the attacks. Maritime security consultancy Vanguard reports that the Delta Blue does not appear to have any connections to the U.S., UK, or Israel, the primary targets of Houthi aggression.

The crude oil tanker which was built in 2012 operates for Delta Tankers, a Greek firm that reports a fleet of 29 tankers with a total deadweight of over five million tons. The firm has run afoul of the Iranians with one of its vessels seized in 2022. The Delta Poseidon was one of two vessels seized in May 2022 and held for six months in Iran.

“The intensity of this prolonged attack would indicate the vessel is likely to have an affiliation to Israel whether by ownership or recent trading activity,” speculates maritime security group Neptune P2P.

The first attack came yesterday with two small boats each carrying four people chasing the tanker while it was approximately 45 nautical miles south of Mukha, Yemen near the Bar al-Mandeb strait. That was the RPG attack with the master reporting an explosion nearby. The ship is laden and sailing from Iraq presumably to Europe.

The vessel was displaying on its AIS signal that it has armed guards aboard. It is unclear if the guards responded to this first attack. Eight hours later, Thursday night, the master reported a missile explosion also near the vessel.

Five hours after the second attack, the vessel reported an uncrewed surface vessel was approaching. This time the security guards fired at and successfully detonated the explosive drone boat before it could reach the tanker. About two hours later also on Friday morning a missile splashed in the sea near the tanker.

Neptune P2P notes that the incident demonstrates the value of having armed guards embarked to mitigate against some of the threats. This is not the first instance where the guards were able to explode a bomb boat before it came close enough to cause serious damage.

The attacks come after a lull in confirmed activity from the Houthi against specific ships. They however claimed earlier in the week unconfirmed attacks against the Contships containership Contship Ono and two U.S. destroyers. U.S. Central Command, however, continues to issue daily updates listing the number of aerial and surface drones as well as missiles destroyed. Yesterday’s report also cited the destruction of one Houthi ground control station in Yemen.

South Korea Unveils Roadmap for Offshore Wind Tenders

South Korea has launched its master plan for offshore wind leasing, and is preparing for its first series of large-scale offshore wind tenders. The new roadmap was unveiled by the Trade, Industry and Energy Vice Minister Namho Choe, during a conference last week with offshore wind companies in Seoul. As part of the government strategy to expand renewable energy distribution, the roadmap also seeks to strengthen the domestic offshore wind supply chain.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) said the plans are to start the wind power tenders this October, followed with at least two more rounds until the first half of 2026. During the two-year period, the government will auction at least 7-8 GW of offshore wind capacity. South Korea expects to reach a wind power capacity of 18.3 GW by 2030.

The timing for competitive bidding has been moved up from its initial window in the fourth quarter to the second quarter of each year. This will allow notice of an additional tender to be released in Q4 if needed.

In terms of bid evaluation, the government will adopt a two-stage process. The first round will assess the non-price attributes while the second one includes price competition based on an evaluation of price attributes. When the first and second round scores are added up, the bidder with the highest total score will be selected as the winner.

In addition, the government intends to increase the score allotted to non-price criteria from the current 40 to 50 percent, as well as incorporating aspects such as maintenance, economic security and use of public works. This move has been interpreted as a measure to curb Chinese imports of key offshore wind parts, including wind turbine blades. Instead, the government will be favoring bids utilizing the domestic supply chain.

“Our offshore wind power projects are large in scale, but domestic technological prowess in key equipment has not reached that of leading countries,” said a MOTIE official.

For the first time beginning this year, a bid market for floating wind turbine projects will run concurrently with the existing one of fixed wind turbine tenders. MOTIE is targeting public-sector participation, as the government gears up for the launch of a public-led bid market in H1 2025.

After Fatal Accident, NZ Port Requires Physical Fitness Test for Dockers

Port of Lyttelton (Mick Stephenson / CC BY SA 3.0)

The Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) has expressed concerns about the approach of the recent mandatory fitness tests launched by the Lyttelton Port Company (LPC). The tests are part of the safety review measures initiated by LPC after the company was sentenced last month in the Christchurch District Court. In November, LPC pleaded guilty to a charge of violating health and safety regulations following a fatal accident at one of its terminals in April 2022.

The charge was filed by Maritime New Zealand after a stevedore, Don Grant, was struck and killed by coal on the deck of the bulk carrier ETG Aquarius. Investigations by Maritime NZ revealed several safety gaps at the terminal.

In the case of Mr. Grant, who was serving as a “hatchman”, LPC’s procedures for loading coal were found to be faulty, especially with regards to managing risks for stevedores.

“[One] of the issues identified by the investigation was ‘hatchmen’ being located within the potential firing line of the jet-slinger. This meant if it was re-positioned, or moved without their knowledge, they would be at risk of being struck by the coal. Loading of coal is a known high-risk activity for LPC, and there were a lack of controls and policies in place around this activity,” said the regulator.

Based on these circumstances, the Judge found LPC culpable of violating the national health and safety regulations. For the offense, the judge fined LPC $288,000, with $21,000 paid to Maritime NZ.

LPC has made an extensive review of its safety procedures since the incident. Some include new rules around when the coal can be poured to keep workers safe. In addition, LPC is now mandating fitness tests for workers, which MUNZ has singled out as discriminatory.

“MUNZ is very concerned how the death of a worker has been used to implement new policies without bringing along workers and listening to their voices. The new mandatory fitness for all employees is being pushed through without regard to workers concerns over their financial protection and wellbeing,” said Carl Findlay, National Secretary of MUNZ.

MUNZ added that it views the new policy as a breach of good faith and LPC not honoring the workers’ collective employment agreement. Any employee who fails the fitness assessment will lose employment. But MUNZ said that while health monitoring is agreeable, LPC ought to negotiate with workers in good faith, especially due to the perceived implications to job security.

Mediation between MUNZ and LPC on the issue of workers’ health monitoring is slated for August 16.

Top image: Port of Lyttelton (Mick Stephenson / CC BY SA 3.0)

SCI-FI-TEK FOR 70 YEARS

North American investments in fusion energy

09 August 2024

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) and Business Development Bank of Canada have announced a lead investment of CAD10 million (USD7.3 million) each in Canadian private fusion developer General Fusion. Meanwhile, the US Department of Energy has awarded USD4.6 million in 17 awards to fund public-private partnerships for fusion research.

Representatives from CNL, AECL, General Fusion and the Business Development Bank of Canada gathered for the signing of the agreements enabling CAD20 million of investment into General Fusion's LM26 demonstration programme (Image: CNL)

The financing provided by CNL - Canada's premier nuclear science and technology organisation - and the Business Development Bank of Canada's investment arm, BDC Capital - Canada's bank for entrepreneurs - will enable General Fusion to continue advancing its innovative Magnetised Target Fusion (MTF) technology to provide clean fusion energy to the grid by the early to mid-2030s.

In addition to the lead investments, the first closing of this financing also includes investment from Hatch, a Canadian headquartered consultancy firm specialising in the mining, energy and infrastructure sectors, and other company shareholders. This financing brings the total public and private investment into General Fusion's LM26 programme to over CAD71 million since its launch in 2023.

To fast track its progress towards commercialisation, General Fusion is advancing its Lawson Machine 26 (LM26) demonstration programme in Richmond, British Columbia. This machine is designed to achieve two transformational milestones for fusion energy, temperatures of over 100 million degrees Celsius (10 keV) and scientific breakeven equivalent, using the company's MTF technology.

General Fusion's MTF approach involves injecting hydrogen plasma into a liquid metal sphere, where it is compressed and heated so that fusion occurs. The heat from the fusion of the hydrogen atoms is transferred into the liquid metal. This enables fusion conditions to be created in short pulses rather than creating a sustained reaction, which "avoids the pitfalls of other approaches that require expensive superconducting magnets or high-powered lasers," according to the company.

General Fusion plans to construct its Fusion Demonstration Plant (FDP) at the UKAEA's Culham Campus near Oxford, England. The plant will be used to prove the viability of the MTF technology and is a 70%-scaled version of the commercial pilot plant. However, the plant will not be used to produce power. The FDP will cycle one plasma pulse per day, and will use deuterium fuel, whereas the commercial pilot plant will use deuterium-tritium fuel and will cycle up to one plasma pulse per second. The FDP is expected to be commissioned in 2026 and fully operational by early 2027.

CNL and General Fusion have already been working together to advance the design of General Fusion's power plant. That work has included analysis by CNL of tritium breeding technologies and tritium management facilities. Tritium is a primary component of fusion fuel. More recently, the teams collaborated on research related to the fusion machine, balance of plant, and power conversion system for General Fusion's MTF machine design.

CNL President and CEO Jack Craig said: "CNL and General Fusion share the same vision - to unlock fusion's tremendous potential as a transformative, clean energy future in Canada in order to fight climate change and maintain our energy security. We are proud to invest in such an innovative Canadian company, applying our unique capabilities and expertise within Canada's national nuclear laboratory to help bring their technology to life, and secure these environmental and economic benefits to Canada."

US funding awards

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced it has awarded USD4.6 million in 17 awards to US businesses via the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) programme.

The aim of INFUSE is to accelerate fusion energy development in the private sector by reducing impediments to collaboration between business and national laboratories or universities. DOE said the "overarching objective is to ensure the nation's energy, environmental, and security needs by accelerating foundational research to advance economical, innovative fusion technologies".

Projects for this round of funding include research in materials science, modelling and simulation, as well as enabling technologies to help move toward the ultimate goal of economical fusion energy.

The 17 projects were selected via a competitive peer review process managed by the INFUSE leadership team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. The programme solicited proposals from the fusion industry and selected projects for one or two-year awards, all with budgets ranging between USD100,000 and USD500,000 each.

"The selections today showcase our continuing commitment to the fusion industry in the US and our goal to share widely unique capabilities at national laboratories and US universities," said DOE Associate Director of Science for Fusion Energy Sciences Jean Paul Allain. "Partnering with businesses and working together is a win-win for our fusion industry, the DOE, and the nation."

The USA has set a goal of enabling a fusion pilot plant, led by the private sector, on a decadal timescale as the country moves toward a net-zero economy by 2050.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Energy Fuels suspends uranium transports in response to Navajo challenge

07 August 2024

US uranium producer Energy Fuels Inc has voluntarily suspended transportation of uranium across Navajo lands after the Navajo Nation challenged the legality of the transport. The company said it is working with the Navajo Nation to find a resolution.

Buu Nygren issues the executive order prohibiting uranium transport (Image: Navajo Nation Office of the President)

Late last year, Energy Fuels announced that it had started production at the Pinyon Plain mine in Arizona, as well as at the La Sal project in Eastern Utah, with ore from those mines to be stockpiled at its White Mesa mill in Utah for processing. For Pinyon Plain, this involves trucking material over Navajo Nation lands.

On 31 July, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren issued an executive order banning the transport of radioactive material through the Navajo Nation without a prior agreement, citing Navajo laws regarding the transport of radioactive materials in the Navajo Nation Natural Resources Protection Act of 2005 and the Navajo Nation’s 2012 Radioactive and Related Substances, Equipment, Vehicles, Persons and Materials Transportation Act. The order will last for six months. Nygren said the order had been signed after Energy Fuels the previous day transported an estimated 50 tonnes of uranium ore through tribal lands without providing the notice required under the 2012 law.

Energy Fuels had informed federal, state, county, and tribal officials more than 10 days earlier about the legal requirements, safety, emergency response, and the imminent shipping of uranium ore, though without giving a specific date.

In the company's second quarter earnings call on 5 August, CEO Mark Chalmers said the company believes it has the necessary licences and rights for the shipments but respects the Navajo Nation's concerns and has voluntarily suspended shipments. Both sides are "looking for a resolution" on moving forward, he said.

Energy Fuels and its predecessor companies had completed uranium shipments across the reservation lands for many decades up to the last shipment, which took place in 2022, without a single incident, Chalmers said, and had worked with members of the Navajo nation, including arranging visits to the mines and mill to witness loading and unloading "so that they were comfortable with those shipments." According to the company's presentation, around half of the employees at the White Mesa mill are Navajo and Native American.

President Nygren wants the legacy of Cold War era uranium mining operations on Navajo land to be addressed (Image: Navajo Nation Office of the President)

Legacy issues

One of the reasons for the Navajo Nation's concerns is a "long legacy of uranium issues that have nothing to do with Energy Fuels - most were created by legacy arrangements with the US Government during the Cold War," he said, but the company was working with the Navajo Nation to address these concerns. "The biggest issue … is they want safe transport of materials across the Navajo nation, and we absolutely respect that. We absolutely respect that it has to be done safely - we have done it over time, and we plan to sit down with them to make sure that it is safely transported," he said.

Nygren's office also highlighted the legacy of Cold War uranium mining activities in a 2 August blog post, which said the President's deployment of tribal police to intercept Energy Fuels' uranium transport trucks had been "because of his priority to clean up abandoned uranium mines and mills."

Between 1944 and 1986, more than 30 million tonnes of uranium ore was extracted from the Navajo Nation for the US nuclear weapons programme, but the legacy of those operations - including radioactive contamination impacts on Navajo miners and their families - has not been adressed.

"Cleanup of these 500 abandoned uranium mine and mill sites is a major priority of my administration," President Nygren said. "It is why I deployed the Navajo Nation police to block what I think is the illegal transport of uranium ore across the Navajo Nation. Cleanup must happen first, and the trauma associated with premature sickness and death from the legacies of it."

Ramp up continues

Energy Fuels plans to ramp up ore production from Pinyon Plain, La Sal and Pandora to a production run-rate of around 1.1 to 1.4 million pounds of U3O8 per year by late-2024. The transport moratorium is not expected to hold back development work at Pinyon Plain, Chalmers said.

Alternative transport routes exist and "will all be part of the discussions", he said. "But the route that we have across the reservation is a route that has been studied extensively and it is really the best route, and we intend to continue down that path, but let us continue our discussions with the Navajo nation because, again, we are respectful of their concerns… let's figure out how to alleviate those concerns."

The company expects to produce a total of 150,000-500,000 pounds U3O8 (57.7- 192.3 tU) during 2024 from stockpiled alternate feed materials and newly mined ore.

IsoEnergy reopens US underground uranium mine

08 August 2024

The main decline at the Tony M mine in Utah was successfully reopened on 26 July, and work has begun to rehabilitate the underground workings.

The IsoEnergy team and Garfield County representatives in front of the main portal at Tony M (Image: CNW Group/IsoEnergy Ltd)

Initial observations of underground conditions indicate that the main decline and underground equipment shops are in good condition, IsoEnergy Ltd said. Rehabilitation of the underground, including scaling, installation of ground support and ventilation systems, is expected to take 8 to 10 weeks depending on the ground conditions encountered.

The underground rehabilitation work is being carried out by Tomcat Mining. IsoEnergy is also working with international mining consulting firms SRK Consulting Ltd, on the design and implementation of the ventilation plans, and Call & Nicholas Inc, on the design and implementation of the ground control plans.

As sections of the underground are made safe for entry, it is expected that exploration and geological work will begin to map out the orebody from underground. IsoEnergy is also in the process of contracting a surveying company to complete a LiDAR survey of the complete underground at Tony M. This will be the first time any such survey has been completed at the mine and will be an important tool in future mine planning.

The Saskatoon-based company has been working towards reopening the Tony M underground for access over the course of the last year. Site communications have been re-established, and electrical systems have been upgraded and refurbished where necessary, including the installation of "at least" one new generator meeting the US Environmental Protection Agency's Tier 4 emission standards, it said. Several new fans have been installed and will continue to be installed as part of the rehabilitation, and several existing fans are to be refurbished.

The company announced last February its strategic decision to reopen the past-producing mine during the first half of this year, with the aim of restarting uranium production operations in 2025, depending on market conditions. Energy Fuels Inc's White Mesa - the only currently operational conventional uranium mill in the USA - is within trucking distance to Tony M, and IsoEnergy has a toll-milling agreement which guarantees it access to the mill's capacity.

Garfield County Commissioner Jerry Taylor and IsoEnergy COO Marty Tunney underground at Tony M (Image: CNW Group/IsoEnergy Ltd)

IsoEnergy CEO and Director Philip Williams said: "The reopening of underground at Tony M is an important step in restarting production and establishing IsoEnergy as a near-term uranium producer. Long-term uranium prices have nearly doubled, from USD41/lb U3O8 to USD79/lb U3O8, since we acquired the Tony M, Daneros and Rim Mines in Utah, and with the exceedingly positive global outlook for nuclear power we expect that trend to continue. We believe that proven producing assets in tier one jurisdictions, like Tony M, will be highly coveted by end users making this an ideal time to pursue a restart."

The fully-permitted mine is in Garfield County and is about 66 miles (107 km) from the town of Blanding. It produced nearly one million pounds of U3O8 during two different periods of operation from 1979-1984 and from 2007-2008. It was acquired by IsoEnergy on the company's share-for-share merger with Consolidated Uranium Inc, completed last December. Tony M's current NI 43-101 estimated resources stand at 6.606 million pounds U3O8 (2541 tU) of indicated resources and 2.218 million pounds U3O8 in the inferred resources category.