Uranium Energy Corp and Rio Tinto Agree to a Transaction on the World-Class Development-Stage Roughrider Uranium Project in Canada
UEC to Acquire Roughrider from Rio Tinto for Total Consideration of $150 million comprised of
$80 million in Cash and $70 million in UEC Stock
Cash Portion of the Consideration is Fully Funded with UEC’s $173 million of
Cash and Liquid Assets on the Balance Sheet
UEC Welcomes Rio Tinto as a New Shareholder
Roughrider Acquisition Rationale and Highlights:
- World-class Project in a Premier Uranium Mining Jurisdiction: Development-stage Roughrider Project has a non-current, historic resource of 58 million lbs at an average grade of 4.73% U3O8 situated in the eastern Athabasca Basin of Canada, where 10% of global uranium production was sourced in 2021.(1)(2)
- Unlocking Value and Immediate Synergies with Recent UEX Acquisition: Roughrider will be a 100% owned cornerstone asset that when combined with recently acquired UEX Corporation (“UEX”) projects in the eastern Athabasca, positions UEC with a critical mass of resources to enhance future production plans. Recently acquired and nearby UEC projects to Roughrider include Raven-Horseshoe, Hidden Bay and Christie Lake.
- Scaling up in Canada’s High-Grade Athabasca Basin: After Cameco and Orano, UEC now controls the largest diversified resource base, hosted in multiple assets in Canada’s Athabasca Basin.
- Infrastructure, Nearby Operations and Long-Standing Uranium History: There are over 20 uranium deposits, five current and historically producing mines, and two uranium mills within a 100 km distance from Roughrider, providing excellent infrastructure for future development, including all-weather road infrastructure, an all-weather airstrip within seven km and robust electrical grid access, primarily generated from renewable hydroelectric sources.(3)
- Leveraging a Decade of Development Work on Path to Production: Since acquiring Roughrider in 2012, Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest and most experienced mine builders, advanced substantial pre-production and environmental baseline work including completion of dedicated geotechnical drilling, shaft vs. decline modelling, establishment of hydrogeological monitor wells, terrestrial and aquatic environmental assessments, heritage assessments, species at risk, and conceptual reclamation plan. This provides a strong foundation and substantial value for completion of upcoming technical reports, efficiently moving the Project forward to a production decision.(4)
- Strong ESG Foundation: Starting from the environmental baseline work and ESG initiatives established by Rio Tinto, UEC intends to continue to develop and apply high industry standards in stakeholder engagement, safety, and environmental stewardship. UEC looks forward to engaging with local communities and other stakeholders in the Athabasca Basin in developing this Project for the benefit of future generations.
- Fastest Growing Uranium Company in the World: UEC will have invested $570 million with the acquisitions of Uranium One Americas, Inc., UEX and Rio Tinto’s Roughrider to build the largest diversified North American focused uranium company.