Rawlins endorses uranium facility in Sweetwater County
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RAWLINS — Rich Boberg of Ur-Energy thinks we are in the middle of a boom.
“Uranium exploration has gone through two fairly large booms in the ’50s and the ’70s ... and we’re kind of in the middle of one now,” said Boberg, the human resources and interim public relations manager of the mining company.
Ur-Energy is slated to open a uranium mining facility, called the Lost Creek ISR Project, just outside of Bairoil, in Sweetwater County. Boberg said he expects construction of the facility to begin toward the end of June.
“We’re just waiting for final licenses and permits to come through,” he said. “It’ll take about six months to construct.”
The site, Boberg said, was active in uranium exploration in the 1950s and 1970s.
Rawlins City Council approved a draft letter from City Manager Steve Golnar to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday in support of the project. The letter says that although the facility is to be in Sweetwater County, the majority of the work force and socio-economic impacts will be in Carbon County, specifically Rawlins, which is about 35 miles from Bairoil.
“It’s kind of a double-edged sword,” Golnar said. “We don’t see most of the associated tax revenues, but we do see a benefit from long-term jobs in the community.”
About 60 full-time jobs are required for operation, jobs that should pay on average between $45,000 and $50,000 annually. An additional 140 temporary, ancillary jobs accompany the project.
The city of Rawlins is working with the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, the Economic Development Corp. and the Carbon County Higher Education Center on job fairs with Ur-Energy, Golnar said.
Boberg said roughly 10 of the 60 full-time employees were in place and the remainder would most likely come from Carbon County.
“A few are working out of the Rawlins area right now,” Boberg said.
The Lost Creek ISR Project is Ur-Energy’s first in-situ uranium recovery project since its inception in 2004, although Boberg said employees of the Wyoming headquarters in Casper involved with the project have experience with the process.
He described the facility as essentially “a big water plant with a drilling production well surrounded by injection wells.”
Uranium is drawn from sandstone to the plant where it is processed and barreled as yellowcake. This product requires further refining to become processing pellets for use in nuclear facilities, Boberg said.
As for the drop location and tax benefits, Boberg said the suggestions would be taken into consideration.
“We’re definitely considering any option to help Carbon County out — we know Rawlins is the location the majority of our employees will be living,” he said.
Golnar said the socio-economic impacts of the facility would likely be minimal.
“The impact population in this instance isn’t that large,” he said. “We see this as a way of diversifying the economy. Obviously it’s still energy, but it’s a different kind of energy and seems to be a long-term, stable base of employment.”
