Why the Athabasca Basin

Well the uranium deposits in the Athabasca are the highest grades in the world and they are the toughest to find anywhere. Uranium deposits are actually quite plentiful but typically the grades are very, very low. The Athabasca deposits are essentially the Formula One of uranium grades. It’s the greatest challenge but the greatest reward when you find them – there’s nothing else like it.

Also, I guess I fell in love with the Athabasca region and the uranium sector pretty early on in my career. I got my first break there as part of the small team that made the Cigar Lake discovery and later the Shee Creek discovery – both of which were simply massive deposits. Since then, well I went on to lead the Fission Energy team that made the J-Zone discovery at Waterbury lake and now of course the Patterson Lake South (PLS) discovery.

The quality of the deposits, and the fact that the Basin has been a uranium district for over 40 years, means it has phenomenal infrastructure. By that I’m not just referring to the power grid, proximity to the highway and high-tech, high-capacity mills but also having some of the most experienced uranium miners right on your doorstep. There are even third-generation uranium mining professionals down there and having access to that sort of expertise in your field team – it makes a difference.

On top of the infrastructure is the government support. Canada of course is one of the most stable democracies in the world but at a provincial level and even a local level they are strongly and consistently pro-mining. That makes permitting much easier and timelines far more predictable.

All of this makes the Athabasca the number one uranium mining district in my opinion. It supplies nearly 20% of the world’s uranium and if you’re a junior explorer then it makes it easier to reach your end game when you make a discovery there.

Ross McElroy