– Edited By Tom Lamar –
Uranium Resources, Inc. (URI) today provided an update on the Company’s activities and announced its financial results for the third quarter of 2010, which ended September 30, 2010.
Recent Highlights
Letter of Intent Signed with Industry Leader. On November 4, 2010, URI announced the signing of a non-binding letter of intent with Cameco Resources, a subsidiary of Cameco (NYSE: CCJ), for a large ranch in South Texas. The agreement, which is contingent on URI successfully completing a lease agreement with the land owners, outlines a three-phase exploration program that would be funded by Cameco. There is an option for a production joint venture.
Liquidity Position Further Strengthened. On November 5, 2010, URI successfully completed the second draw down under its existing shelf registration statement when it closed its underwritten registered offering of 8,222,500 shares of common stock at a price of $1.16 per share, including the exercise by the underwriter of an over-allotment option, with net proceeds to URI of approximately $9.0 million. The Company plans to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes and to fund future potential acquisitions.
URI Settles Lease Agreement in Texas. On September 29, 2010, URI settled a two-year old lawsuit regarding a lease agreement in Texas; and as a result, eliminated costly legal fees while enabling discussions on additional properties with an estimated 250,000 pounds of in place mineralized uranium material.
Tenth Circuit Court Ruling Stands. No petitions were filed by the deadline to review the June 2010 United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit en banc ruling that URI’s Section 8 property in Churchrock, New Mexico is not Indian Country, thus affirming the authority of the State of New Mexico to issue the underground injection control permit, which was granted to URI in 1989.
Documents Submitted to NRC to Activate License. In October, URI submitted the necessary documents to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to activate its NRC License. URI is currently awaiting a determination from the Commission, and once active, the license may be utilized according to its present terms and conditions while pending renewal from the NRC.
Opponents petitioned the United States Supreme Court for review of the March 2010, 10th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling that upheld the Company’s NRC license to conduct in-situ recovery (ISR) uranium mining at the Churchrock/Crown Point project. The Supreme Court has not yet acted on the petition which does not impede the Company’s progress.
Section 13 Drilling Completed. URI completed drilling on its Section 13 property in Ambrosia Lake in September. Core samples were shipped to an outside laboratory for the purpose of determining the suitability of the property for ISR mining. Results are expected to be completed in December 2010. If the property is not ISR amenable, then it will fall into the Company’s conventional mining portfolio. URI has approximately 2.4 million pounds of in-place, mineralized uranium material in the Ambrosia Lake district.
NASDAQ Listing. URI regained compliance with the $1.00 per share minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market on October 7, 2010.
Don Ewigleben, President and CEO of Uranium Resources, noted, “The first nine months of 2010 have been a dynamic and rewarding time for the Company. We have made measurable progress on all fronts, as we have continued to deliver on our strategic initiatives. Last week, we completed the sale of 8,222,500 shares of common stock which provided net proceeds of approximately $9.0 million. As a result, we have further strengthened our balance sheet with the requisite capital to fund our growth strategy.”
Mr. Ewigleben commented on recent milestones and developments, “Our recent letter of intent with Cameco Resources has significantly enhanced our Texas opportunities; and coupled with the settlement of the litigation regarding a lease agreement, we are optimally positioned to move forward on our Texas strategy. In New Mexico, we are also making substantial progress as we completed drilling activity on our Ambrosia Lake property and await results by the end of the year. Moreover, no petitions were filed by the deadline to review the June 2010, United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruling that URI’s New Mexico property is not Indian Country, thus affirming the authority of the State of New Mexico to issue the underground injection control permit.”
Mr. Ewigleben concluded, “Our 30-plus years in uranium exploration, development, and mining operations, our experience as the only uranium company with approved restoration of an ISR mining operation in the United States and our significant asset base provides us a significant advantage in the uranium industry. Strategically, we continue to advance our properties toward production as we identify new projects and opportunities to grow our asset base, and, importantly, as we establish relationships and develop opportunities to continually grow value.”
Liquidity Discussion
Cash at September 30, 2010 was $10.5 million compared with $11.4 million at the end of the trailing second quarter and $6.1 million at the end of 2009. The significant increase from the prior year end reflected the Company’s common stock offering in June 2010 and the over-allotment option that was exercised in July. Subsequent to the end of the third quarter, URI completed another common stock offering, including an over-allotment, which resulted in net proceeds of $9.0 million. The cash balance as of the close of the offering on November 5, 2010 was $18.8 million.
As previously mentioned, on September 29, 2010, URI settled a Texas land lease dispute and agreed to pay the plaintiffs $1.38 million in cash, which includes amounts for prior royalties that the plaintiffs had previously rejected. The payment of this settlement is subject to execution of amendments to the leases and to documentation of other aspects of the settlement and dismissal of the suit and is expected to be made prior to year end 2010.
The Company used $1.9 million in cash in operating activities during the third quarter of 2010 compared with $1.3 million and $2.0 million used in operations in the second quarter and first quarter of 2010, respectively. For the nine-month period of 2010, URI used $5.2 million in operations compared with $3.3 million used in operations during the corresponding period of 2009.