Ur-Energy has started uranium mining at Shirley Basin in Wyoming, the first mining activity at the site since 1992. Uranium-bearing solution is now being collected from Mine Unit 1, following completion of construction, wellfield installation and the permitting process, the company said on April 23.
The project is located about 250 kilometers north of Cheyenne, the state capital, in a district regarded as the birthplace of in-situ recovery, the technique that dissolves uranium underground and brings it to the surface through wells. For Ur-Energy, it is the second facility of this type to move from development to operations. The first is Lost Creek in south-central Wyoming, which has produced more than 3.5 million pounds of U3O8 since start-up.
The mine’s key figures are well defined. Measured and indicated resources amount to about 9.1 million pounds of U3O8, at an average grade of 0.22%. Operations will take place across three shallow units, with an expected mine life of about nine years. Annual authorized capacity, covering wellfield production and toll processing, reaches up to 2 million pounds of U3O8 equivalent. Combined with Lost Creek, the total authorized capacity of the two mines rises to 4.2 million pounds per year.
In the process, uranium is captured on ion exchange columns. The loaded resin is then trucked to the Lost Creek plant, where final processing, drying and packaging take place. Shirley Basin thus operates as a satellite mine of an existing hub. The company had planned to ship the first resin in the summer, subject to a further inspection and approval by the authorities. The first shipment to Lost Creek departed on August 19, 2026, and the company speaks of the start of full operations and a gradual ramp-up in production. Concentrations in the recovered solutions are expected to rise as the wellfield is conditioned and all circuits come online.
The backdrop is demand for reactor fuel, which is pushing U.S. operators to restart deposits that have been idle for decades. CEO Matt Gili recalls that the decision to build dates back to March 2024, meaning two and a half years have passed from approval to production. According to Gili, the result confirms the hub-and-spoke development model, which leverages existing infrastructure without building a new processing plant.
With two active mines in the same state, Ur-Energy aims to position itself as a domestic producer with multiple assets. If Shirley Basin output reaches its authorized capacity, the United States will gain an additional source of domestic uranium for the utilities that fuel the nation’s reactor fleet.
