Denison Mines says Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation has withdrawn a court challenge related to the environmental approval of the proposed Phoenix uranium mine and has formally agreed to support the Wheeler River project in northern Saskatchewan.
In a news release issued Thursday, the company said Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation withdrew its judicial review application that had been filed with Saskatchewan’s Court of King’s Bench regarding the province’s environmental assessment approval for the Phoenix in-situ recovery uranium mine.
Denison said additional discussions with the First Nation resulted in PBCN providing formal consent and support for the development and operation of the Wheeler River project.
Wheeler River is located in the eastern Athabasca Basin and is considered the largest undeveloped uranium project in that region. The project contains the Phoenix and Gryphon uranium deposits, which were discovered in 2008 and 2014 respectively.
Denison owns a 90 per cent interest in Wheeler River and serves as the project’s operator. The remaining 10 per cent is owned by JCU (Canada) Exploration Company Limited.
The company said the agreement marks a significant step forward for the proposed uranium development as it continues work toward bringing the project into production.
It was reported that site preparation and early construction work at the Phoenix operation began this March, with first production targeted for 2028.