NexGen Announces Record Uranium Discovery at Patterson Corridor East

NexGen Energy unveils exceptional assay results at the Patterson Corridor East site, with uranium intercepts among the highest concentrations globally, highlighting the growing economic relevance of this strategic area for the nuclear industry.

Share:

NexGen Energy Ltd., a company specializing in uranium exploration, has released results from its latest drilling program at Patterson Corridor East (PCE), revealing intercepts among the richest ever recorded. Drill hole RK-25-232 highlighted a concentration of 15.9% U3O8 (uranium oxide) over 15 meters, including an outstanding peak of 68.8% over 0.5 meters. These results clearly position this deposit among the exceptionally high-grade uranium zones compared to current global standards. The announcement comes as the global nuclear industry seeks to secure its uranium supplies.

Continuity and Promising Prospects

Additionally, drill hole RK-24-222, located approximately 200 meters from the former, confirmed the geological continuity of the site with significant uranium concentrations, reporting 3.85% U3O8 over 17 meters. This discovery enhances geological understanding of the mineralized system at Patterson Corridor East, thus confirming the extent of its economic potential. To date, NexGen has conducted 64 drill holes totaling over 47,400 meters, of which 35 encountered mineralizations open in multiple directions, suggesting a potential not yet fully quantified.

A Favorable Strategic Context

These results come amid a global context marked by renewed nuclear projects, especially in the United States, where the federal government recently confirmed accelerated nuclear ambitions aiming to quadruple nuclear energy production by 2050. This dynamic underscores the strategic importance of deposits such as Patterson Corridor East, located only 3.5 km from NexGen’s flagship Rook I project, currently in the final stage of federal approval. Results obtained at PCE could notably influence future exploitation strategies in the Athabasca region.

Impact of Results on Future Exploration

Jason Craven, Vice President of Exploration at NexGen, emphasized that these results would significantly refine the site’s 3D geological models, thereby facilitating future drilling campaigns. He also noted that the mineralization observed at Patterson Corridor East shares technical similarities with the Arrow deposit, enhancing overall prospects of NexGen’s asset portfolio in this part of Athabasca. Consequently, NexGen plans to actively resume its drilling operations at the beginning of June 2025, with ongoing sample analysis campaigns throughout the year.

Confirmation of these exceptionally high uranium grades now places Patterson Corridor East at the center of attention for investors and industry players in the global nuclear sector, confronted with increasing raw material demand.

Tractebel and NRG-Pallas have formalised the continuation of their technical cooperation at the Pallas research reactor site in Petten, the Netherlands, reinforcing their commitment to a key project in the European nuclear sector.
Tanzania, together with Russia, is starting construction of a uranium plant in Namtumbo for $1.2bn, aiming to boost mining revenues and secure a place in the global nuclear industry.
South Korea forecasts 2.4% annual growth in nuclear generation, with 29 operational reactors by 2035 and export ambitions for the sector.
TEPCO reports a significant net loss due to nuclear compensation charges and debris removal preparations, while its revenues decline over the period.
Rolls-Royce SMR has entered into cooperation agreements with Škoda JS and Curtiss-Wright to accelerate the manufacturing of essential components and the supply of safety systems as part of its international development of modular reactors.
The Flamanville EPR nuclear reactor will not reach full power until before the end of autumn, postponing the initially scheduled date due to preventive maintenance operations on the primary circuit valves.
French group Orano returns to profitability in the first half of the year, supported by strong plant performance and stabilisation of international activities, notably after resolving the situation in Niger.
Hunatom announces a strategic alliance with Synthos Green Energy to introduce US small modular reactor technology, strengthening energy ties between Hungary, Poland and the United States.
A joint feasibility study project on Korean i-SMR modular reactors has just been launched for a future nuclear site at the border of the Aure and Heim municipalities, aiming for significant regional industrial impact.
Unit 3 of the Tomari nuclear power plant takes a major step towards restart after its safety equipment was validated by the Japanese regulator.
The Russian Minister of Energy announces strengthened cooperation in uranium and civil nuclear energy in Niger, reinforcing Russia's economic presence in a key sector following the withdrawal of several Western players.
Last Energy reaches a key regulatory step for its PWR-20 microreactor project in Llynfi, advancing towards the objective of securing a site licence by December 2027 from British authorities.
Slovenské elektrárne has signed an agreement with Urenco for the purchase of enriched uranium for the Bohunice and Mochovce nuclear power plants, strengthening the diversification of its supply sources until the mid-2030s.
Emirates Nuclear Energy Company signs two major agreements with Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Westinghouse, strengthening its position in the global civil nuclear market and paving the way for new international industrial opportunities.
First Hydrogen expands its collaboration with the University of Alberta to optimise small modular nuclear reactor design and support green hydrogen development amid the growth of artificial intelligence data centres.
The French and Belgian energy ministers have signed a declaration of intent to strengthen ties between Paris and Brussels on nuclear energy, as Belgium has abandoned its 2003 nuclear phase-out plan.
The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorised the restart of the Palisades power plant, marking a key milestone for Holtec in reintegrating this reactor into the US energy mix. —
The Genkai nuclear power plant detected the intrusion of three unidentified drones, prompting an immediate investigation by Japanese authorities into this unusual incident with potential national security implications.
KATCO, a joint venture between Orano and Kazatomprom, has started operations at the South Tortkuduk site, backed by a $190mn investment, targeting a production capacity of 4,000 tonnes per year by 2026.
Tehran agrees to host experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency in the coming weeks, excluding any visit to sensitive sites as diplomatic tensions persist with European nations and the United States.