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Dignitaries visit Strata Energy uranium mine

U.S. Senator John Barrasso and Governor Mark Gordon take fact-finding tour

As one of the only operational uranium mines in Wyoming with the better part of a decade of production under its belt, Strata Energy's Ross Project was a natural choice for U.S. Senator John Barrasso and Governor Mark Gordon to speak with representatives of the industry about what can be done to support and encourage uranium production in this state.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2021, only 5% of the uranium purchased to be used as fuel in the United States was home produced. The remainder came from countries including Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia and Russia.

Owners and operators of nuclear power reactors in the U.S. purchased the equivalent of around 46.74 million pounds of uranium that year.

Uranium is known to be present in Wyoming in economically recoverable quantities. According to the Wyoming State Geological Survey, this state is home to the largest known ore reserves in the nation and has historically ranked at number one nationally in uranium production.

With these facts in mind, Barrasso arranged a visit on Tuesday morning as a first step in finding out more about what can be done in Washington, D.C. to support the uranium industry and boost production of this important resource within the United States.

Though he had originally hoped to bring the entre U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources along for the tour, this proved to not be possible.

He was joined on Monday morning by Governor Gordon and a number of representatives from uranium companies based in Wyoming, as well as employees of Strata Energy. The tour encompassed the facility and the well field, including an inspection of one of the ten header houses.

"Strata Energy was excited and honored to have the opportunity to show Senator Barrasso and Governor Gordon the progress we are making in restarting and expanding our uranium mining operations in Crook County," says Ralph Knode, CEO.

"Both Senator Barrasso and Governor Gordon have been strong champions for the Wyoming uranium mining industry and we thank them for their continued support."

The tour was also an opportunity to show visitors from outside this area what a Wyoming mine really looks like. Responding to a comment from the audience that the site is attractive and tranquil, Knode agreed that it's a little different to the image many have of mining.

Strata Energy's mine uses in-situ recovery to extract uranium without the need for open pits or underground mines. A solution is injected into the ground, where it dissolves the uranium from the sandstone.

This method is considered less intrusive than the alternatives and leaves the majority of the landscape throughout the well field intact.

"I would venture to guess that for 100% of people it's not what they expect when they come out here," Knode said.

Strata Energy's Oshoto mine geared up to begin production in 2014 after successfully completing the required permitting and licensing through the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Committee. Though the aftershock of the Fukishima nuclear power plant disaster depressed the uranium market worldwide, the company was able to bounce back by downsizing the project, with the goal of scaling up in stages over the coming years.

The in-situ recovery operations officially commenced at the end of 2015 and the company was able to begin its first expansion the next year, increasing the lifespan of the mine by an estimated 20 years. Strata was able to ultimately able to weather the storm of market declines and, after getting Department of Environmental Quality permission to change its operations to use a low-pH solution instead of the original alkaline to better suit the ore body, continues operation today, now boasting around 800 production wells.

The company is particularly proud of its safety record, having just passed the six-year mark with no lost time.

 
 
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