Crow Butte

Crow Butte Mine
Location
Crow Butte Mine
Location in Nebraska
Location Dawes County, near Crawford
State Nebraska
Country United States
Coordinates 42°38′43.62″N 103°21′23.56″W / 42.6454500°N 103.3565444°W / 42.6454500; -103.3565444Coordinates: 42°38′43.62″N 103°21′23.56″W / 42.6454500°N 103.3565444°W / 42.6454500; -103.3565444
Production
Products Uranium
Production 0.4 million pounds U3O8
Financial year 2015
History
Opened 1991
Owner
Company Cameco Resources
Website www.cameco.com
Year of acquisition 1998

Crow Butte is a uranium mining operation located 4 miles southeast of the city of Crawford in Dawes County, Nebraska, United States. Cameco Corporation holds a 100% interest in Crow Butte through its wholly owned subsidiary, Crow Butte Resources, Inc.

Crow Butte was the first uranium mine developed in Nebraska, and the only one in current operation. It was discovered in 1980 and begin production in April 1991. It is a roll-front uranium deposit, mined using in-situ recovery (ISR).[1]

During 2015 Crow Butte produced 0.4 million pounds U3O8, 33% less than 2014, due to a declining head grade. Between 2002 and 2015, the Crow Butte operation produced 10.1 million pounds U3O8.[2][3]

Reserves

As of December 31, 2015, proven and probable reserves were 412,500 metric tons at an average grade of 0.08% U3O8 (0.7 million pounds) with a further measured and indicated resource of 2.77 million tonnes of 0.25% U3O8 (15.2 million pounds). The developed uranium deposit at Crow Butte is being progressively depleted by production. To allow the mine plant to continue operating, three new expansion sites are under permit review by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, all within several miles of the plant. Material from the three sites will be transported to the central plant at Crow Butte for final processing.[3][4]

Ownership

The Crow Butte facility was originally developed by Wyoming Fuel Corporation in 1986 and subsequently acquired and operated by Ferret Exploration Company of Nebraska. In 1994, Ferret Exploration Company changed its name to Crow Butte Resources, Inc. In 1998 Crow Butte Resources was acquired by Cameco Resources Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of the Canadian company, Cameco Corporation. Cameco is the largest producer of uranium in the USA, and accounts for 18% of global uranium production from its mines in Canada, the USA and Kazakhstan.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Crow Butte". Cameco Resources. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  2. ↑ "Crow Butte - Summary". Cameco Corporation. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  3. 1 2 "2015 Annual Report". Cameco Corporation. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "Update to the Community" (pdf). Cameco Resources. May 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Crow Butte Uranium Recovery Facility" (pdf). Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
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