US $208M Dasa uranium project in Niger to start in January
The US $208M Dasa uranium project in Niger is set to start in January. Global Atomic made the announcement and said that they have completed the feasibility study for the first phase of the project.
The study confirms that the project is economic even at a price of US$35 per lb. uranium oxide, thanks to an estimated all-in sustaining cost of US $21.93 per lb. They will begin underground development in April. The processing plant is to be commissioned by the end of 2024. The project is already fully permitted.
Probable reserve
With initial capital costs pegged at US$208 million, the Dasa project has an after-tax net present value (using an 8% discount rate) of US$157 million and an internal rate of return of 22.7%. The project will pay for itself over the first five years of operation. Over a 12-year mine life, 45.4 million lb. of uranium oxide (U3O8) will be recovered.
At a mining rate of 1,000 t/d and an ore head grade of 5.18% U3O8, annual average production is forecast at 3.8 million lb. U3O8. The probable reserve is 4.25 million tonnes grading 5.18% U3O8 for 48.6 million lb. of U3O8. Phase one mining will take place in the Flank zone, which represents only 20% of the known Dasa mineralization. Phase two will also recover underground ore, and after several decades, phase three will consider an open pit to mine the lower grade surface mineralization.
