WYOMING — The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality issued regulatory approval on June 29, 2026, for Ur-Energy Inc.'s Uranium Recovery Program at the Shirley Basin Project. The approval permits the company to scale up to full-scale uranium in situ recovery operations at the site.

Prior to granting the authorization, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality completed a preoperational assessment. That review verified the adequacy of safety systems, procedures, staffing, the radiation safety program, and environmental monitoring protocols.

Under the approved plan, Ur-Energy Inc. will transport uranium-loaded resin from the Shirley Basin Project to the company’s Lost Creek processing plant. The resin will be processed into uranium concentrate, or U₃O₈, for shipment.

The regulatory milestone follows Ur-Energy’s disclosure in mid-June 2026 that it had completed its 100th consignment of U₃O₈ from its Lost Creek in situ recovery (ISR) site. The company has shipped more than 3.5 million pounds of U₃O₈ cumulatively since beginning operations at Lost Creek in 2013.

Ur-Energy began uranium recovery activities at Shirley Basin in April 2020. Since then, the company has loaded over 10,500 pounds of uranium onto resin at the site during pilot and phased operations preceding full-scale production.

Why It Matters

In situ recovery is a method of uranium extraction that involves circulating a leaching solution through underground ore bodies to dissolve uranium, which is then pumped to the surface for processing. A 2024 study published in the journal Mining, titled “A Review of In Situ Leaching (ISL) for Uranium Mining,” noted that ISR has become the predominant uranium production method in the United States due to lower surface disturbance compared to conventional mining.

Full-scale operations at Shirley Basin represent an expansion of domestic uranium production capacity at a time when U.S. energy and defense sectors are seeking to reduce reliance on foreign sources of nuclear fuel. The project’s progression from phased testing to full production follows established regulatory review procedures under Wyoming state law.