The Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment has approved the start of the 2023 Site Infrastructure and Confirmation Program (SI&CP) at NexGen Energy Ltd‘s Rook I Project.
The SI&CP consists of a comprehensive field program centred on infrastructure enhancements to enable greater activity and the Project’s ongoing engineering data validation.
Consistent with all previous work at the Rook I Project, maximising local involvement will continue to be a significant focus throughout the 2023 SI&CP, with a focus on employment and economic possibilities for Indigenous and community people. The SI&CP will boost NexGen’s on-site staff by more than 60 full-time equivalent workers, with contractors and service providers from the Local Priority Area constituting the majority of the workforce. NexGen plans to spend around $35 million on SC&IP operations in 2023.
“The commencement of the 2023 Site Infrastructure and Confirmation Program represents another exciting advancement for NexGen and the surrounding communities in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin. The work reflects NexGen’s ongoing commitment to ensuring elite standards in Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality while expanding infrastructure to support long-term economic and social activity in the region. As the Company transitions into this next exciting phase of project execution, we are pleased to be building on the success of NexGen’s 2022 geotechnical program as we confirm our understanding of the site conditions of the future production and exhaust shafts which will optimize Project development and shaft sinking activities,” Chief Executive Officer Leigh Curyer said.
The 2023 Site Infrastructure Program comprises extending and updating existing infrastructure as well as building new infrastructure to accommodate increasing Rook I Project activity in the future years. The 2023 site infrastructure modifications are designed to handle more Project workers while preserving NexGen’s exceptional Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality (HSEQ) standards.
The 2023 Site Confirmation Program will expand on NexGen’s extremely successful 2022 geotechnical program and assist Project engineering as it moves from Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) to Detailed Engineering. The Site Confirmation Program for 2023 will concentrate on acquiring further information at the intended shaft locations, which are essential route components of the overall Project.
The SI&CP’s detailed engineering and procurement are progressing and on track for the start of site work in the spring of 2023.
