Powertech Uranium Corp. has received a critical regulatory approval for its Dewey-Burdock project in South Dakota, the company announced Tuesday.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a final source and byproduct materials license following a positive environmental impact statement issued in January. According to a Powertech release, the NRC licensing process began eight years ago. Separate draft permits from the Environmental Protection Agency are also expected this month.
The Dewey and Burdock areas cover 17,800 acres in a portion of the Edgemont uranium district discovered in the 1950s, according to Powertech's website. Indicated resources in the project areas amenable to in-situ leaching and recovery total 1.56 million tons at 0.214 percent U3O8 and another 1.25 million tons of inferred resources at 0.179 percent U308. Engineering for a processing facility has begun, and the company anticipates construction at the site will start in 2015.