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Alligator bites

at yellowcake heels

lligator Energy Ltd is riding the coat- “It is starting to change. In late 2019, “We were hoping to do some initial IP
Atails of the long-awaited return in sen- there was a Federal White Paper put out surveys over that area this year, but we’ve
timent towards uranium. The Northern on power and the future of power sources been struggling to get a crew, we think we
Territory-focused company’s share price for the country,” he explained. “For the will be able to change that next year.
has surged 510% over the past year and first time, there was a clear statement “There were some intersections found
managing director Greg Hall attributed made in that report that the Australian by Cameco just off our tenements at
the comeback to both the clean energy Government should allow consideration around 6m @ 7%, which is a massive
push as well as the significant strides for future use of Generation 3 large nu- grade in Australia. The structures they
made in safety through new technologies. clear reactors or small modular reactors. found that in run straight into our property
Hall cited the current generation of nu- That was significant. and they’re about 200m off our boundary.
clear reactors, Generation 3 onwards, “As small reactors in particular get We’re going to do IP surveys over them to
which trump Fukushima’s now outdated some traction, I think that is where it will take them up into our property.”
facilities that triggered the well-docu- take off in Australia. We’re ideally situated Alligator raised $11 million through
mented meltdown after power loss. for more decentralised power. There is institutional investors in early October
“What essentially occurred in the ura- a lot of pressure on the Federal Govern- which will accelerate work in the prov-
nium market in Fukushima in 2011 was ment to modify the EPBC Act. You need ince, as well as at the Samphire project
a black swan event,” he told Paydirt. “It to be able to at least consider all sources in South Australia, with $22 million now
highlighted the issues around the world of power generation in this country. I think in the bank.
with some of these old nuclear plants and that is starting.” “We’re ready to do our work and to
a lot of companies and countries put their As the uranium sentiment positively drill,” Hall said. “We’re funded now to do
plans on hold to recheck safety. grows, at least abroad, Hall and his team that and, in fact, our most recent raising
“The modern generation of reactors are looking to capitalise on the new su- means we can expand our programmes
don’t need power to rundown. If you have per-cycle with the company’s opportuni- for next year.
a power outage, they just gradually shut ties in the Alligator Rivers province. “We’re certainly going to be doing a lot
down…unlike Fukushima’s generation of The company holds a number of tene- of work there on the ground. We’re trying
reactors which needed backup power to ments comprising three projects, Nabar- to get there late in the season, before the
cooldown. These modern designs and lek North, Tin Camp Creek and Beatrice. wet season hits this year, and we’ll see
the need for clean energy is what has The Caramal resource in Tin Camp how we go.”
changed the scope of uranium.” Creek holds 6.5 mlb @ 0.31% uranium, Hall’s gumption is also backed by an
Hall’s bullishness towards uranium is however, it is Nabarlek North where Hall exclusive strategic partnership inked in
reflected by the US, with bipartisan sup- seems to be most excited as the compa- May with global commodities trader Trax-
port from both Democrats and Republi- ny plans groundwork for next year. ys North America LLC. Traxys will sup-
cans, as well as ongoing support from the “We completed arrangements with the port Alligator through offtake contracting
EU via the continued shuttering of its coal Land Council and Traditional Owners for and project development financing via its
plants. work at Nabarlek North,” he said. “We’ve marketing services.
However, standing out is Australia, got a lot a smoke, a lot of intersections “Traxys has a significant uranium and
which continues to splash cash into oil with some uranium in them but we haven’t energy minerals trading group,” Hall
and gas, and with no plans to embrace pulled together the big one yet. said. “They trade 15 mlb of uranium a
nuclear power for low car- year. They are always on
bon energy solutions. the lookout for new op-
Use of nuclear power in portunities to expand their
Australia has been prohib- business.
ited since 1998 under the “When we believe it’s the
Environment Protection and right time to start talking to
Biodiversity Conservation nuclear utilities about new
(EPBC) Act. Bodies such as long-term contracts, and
the Minerals Council of Aus- we’ll probably start those
tralia have described the early discussions late next
ban as being flamed by an year, Traxys will be our
“anti-nuclear movement” at agent to put those into
a time when energy sourc- place.”
es were cheaper and more
abundant. – Fraser Palamara
Hall said this sentiment
could all change, thanks to Get to the chopper: air support joins field sampling at the Alligator Rivers
the safety afforded by the uranium province in the Northern Territory, where Alligator energy holds
new reactors. multiple tenements over three projects

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