Global Uranium and Enrichment (GUE) has received a notice of intent (NOI) from the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) to commence prospecting operations at the Tallahassee Uranium Project.
The approval enables up to 20 new drill holes annually over the next five years, in line with the company's application.
The NOI follows the conditional use permit (CUP) granted by the Fremont Board of County Commissioners, completing the necessary steps for GUE to begin its exploration activities.
The Hansen Deposit, discovered in 1977 within the project area, features a 13m interval of 1,600 parts per million triuranium octoxide (U3O8) and 100m of the favourable Echo Park sandstone.
Since the discovery, which revealed mineralisation in outcrop with limited drilling, approximately 1,000 drill holes have been completed across the Hansen and Picnic Tree Uranium Deposits.
The Hansen Deposit is characterised as a large, tabular sandstone deposit measuring 1,400m x 500m, formed in a fluvial-braided stream environment within a paleochannel.
The uranium mineralisation process involved uranium-bearing groundwater permeating the sandstone layers and depositing uranium minerals in carbon-rich areas.
The initial mine plan proposed predominantly open-pit mining, with underground mining to follow, and a one million tonne per annum conventional acid leach plant on the Taylor Ranch Property, expecting 95% metallurgical recoveries.
However, the uranium market collapse in 1982 put a halt to the development of the Hansen Project.
Looking ahead, GUE has outlined a work programme for 2024 at the Tallahassee Uranium Project, including drilling and a scoping study.
GUE managing director Andrew Ferrier said: “This is an important milestone for Global Uranium as it will allow us to conduct new exploration programmes that create a pathway towards unlocking more of the significant potential of the Tallahassee Uranium Project, which is already one of the largest undeveloped uranium projects in the United States.
“The next steps for the project will include preparations for the drill programme, launch of the drill programme mid-year, subsequent test work on the core and the execution of a scoping study.
“I would like to congratulate the team on the hard work conducted to achieve this permitting milestone. We look forward to working closely with Fremont County and the DRMS as we undertake future prospecting and exploration at the Tallahassee Uranium Project.”
