US Nuclear Energy Transition Needs Wyoming Uranium Projects

The US uranium industry has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the years, but recent developments suggest that there may be cause for optimism. In particular, Peninsula Energy and GTi Energy are two companies that are making significant strides in enhancing productivity and exploring new projects in Wyoming. 

Peninsula Energy

Wayne Heili, the managing director and CEO of Peninsula Energy, has been involved in the US uranium industry since the late 1980s. Today, he is helping Peninsula Energy restart production at the Lance project facility in Wyoming. The company is moving from an alkaline in situ recovery process to a low PH in situ recovery process, which they believe will greatly enhance productivity at the mine site. Production is expected to be back online by mid-2023. 

The transition to a new process chemistry required additional regulatory work, but Heili notes that Peninsula's team did an exceptional job of efficiently getting a new mine permitted back in the mid-2010s. The state of Wyoming was friendly towards this effort, and the regulatory work went very smoothly. Today, Peninsula has all the necessary permissions to utilize the new process chemistry. 

GTi Energy

Meanwhile, GTi Energy is also exploring new projects in Wyoming. Bruce Lane from GTi Energy notes that they have exploration stage projects underway. One recent development for GTi Energy was their acquisition of a valuable drilling database in the Powder River Basin. This database includes over 5 million feet of drilling data from over 20 years of exploration activity.

The acquisition of this database gives GTi Energy a significant advantage as they explore new projects in Wyoming. They can use this data to identify areas with high potential for uranium deposits and plan their exploration activities accordingly. 

US uranium industry

Of course, there are still challenges facing the US uranium industry as a whole. One major challenge is competition from foreign producers who can often offer lower prices due to lower labor costs and less stringent environmental regulations. Additionally, there are concerns about nuclear power's role in a world that is increasingly focused on renewable energy sources. 

Despite these challenges, Peninsula Energy and GTi Energy are optimistic about the future of the US uranium industry. They believe that their efforts to enhance productivity and explore new projects will help them stay competitive in a challenging market. As Heili notes, "it's a very exciting time for energy," and these companies are at the forefront of efforts to make the most of this exciting time.

To find out more, go to the Peninsula Energy website and the GTi Energy website