Marenica Energy Ltd. said March 1 that Paladin Energy Ltd. expects that using the former's patented U-pgrade technology to process uranium could increase uranium production from the Langer Heinrich mine in Namibia by about 40%.
According to initial studies, the process could add 1.5 million to 1.8 million pounds per annum of output, and reduce overall site average costs by between US$1 to US$2 per pound.
The U-pgrade process is expected to increase plant recovery to more than 85%, and decrease the amount of ore sent to the leach plant to 25 kilograms per tonne of ore mined, from 600 kilograms per tonne of ore mined currently.
Marenica was granted three Australian patents for its U-pgrade uranium process technology in November 2017.
