bluesteele, I have to wholeheartedly agree with you... maybe for the first time ever. ;-)
You are absolutely right that it is like comparing Fission's Keg (AAA) grade thick steak to a NexGen hamburger patty from Burger King. And the supporting evidence that Greenday asked for is right in the latest edition of the London Mining Journal, the most prestigious mining organization in the world. It ranked Fission at #1 on the planet for an Undeveloped Mine Project across all commodities, not just Uranium. Conversely, they ranked NexGen at the bottom of their Top 10 list in the #10 Spot. Pretty clear which one is the plate-ready AAA Grade Saskatchewan Beef and which one is the undercooked patty still sitting on the grill... according to the Mining Journal, not me.
Grade isn’t everything, though.
The projects most feasible in today’s environment – on a capital expenditure and operating cost basis – are either high grade and carry a large production profile (such as those in the Athabasca Basin), or come with low-cost mining and processing methods (such as those amenable to in-situ recovery (ISR)).
Topping the rankings is one of the former.
The best: PLS (score: 45) image: https://s5.postimg.org/5suntw35z/PLS_the_best.jpg
The discovery of PLS was a case of looking for something where people hadn’t searched before, that being the southwest margin of Canada’s Athabasca Basin.
Ever since the company published a more than 100 million Ib maiden resource at its Triple R deposit (including a 45.1MIb high grade core averaging 18.22% of U3O8 in the indicated category), Fission has been held in high regard. A PEA that revealed the project could produce 7.2MIb per annum of U308 over a 14-year mine life did nothing to dampen the appeal.
Earlier this year, China’s CGN Mining took a 19.9%-stake in the company, agreeing to take at least the same percentage of PLS offtake, and there are reports of more investors circling around the share register just as the resource is looking like getting bigger.
With the resources bearing an average grade of more than 1.5% of U3O8 and the shallow nature of mineralisation – for the Athabasca Basin – operating costs are low, but the more than C$1 billion (US$780 million) required to build the mine is the highest amount on this list.
Tenth: Rook I (score: 23) image: https://s5.postimg.org/cxch2xafb/NXE_Number_10.jpg
While its investors don’t seem to be paying attention to the drill spacing on NexGen’s maiden resource, Mining Journal is. That said, should the company be able to convert the huge 201.9MIb inferred resource – averaging 2.68% of U3O8– to measured and indicated status, it would be top of the resource and grade charts.
Still, the fact NexGen is being mentioned in the same breath as PLS and other high grade discoveries shows just how prospective Rook 1 and its Arrow prospect are.
Slightly behind its neighbour Fission on the exploration blueprint,
the project lacks the maturity of many of its peers, but the company has been spending big, recently deciding to follow up a 30,000m winter drill programme with a 7,500m one almost immediately.
Its prospects could look even better in 18 months’ time. https://berkeleyenergia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/160419-Mining-Jounral-Weighing-up-new-uranium.pdf