Environmental approval for uranium exploration in Chubut
The Government of Chubut has granted the approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to the company Jaguar Uranium Corp., allowing it to progress with exploration activities at the Laguna Salada site.
This project is valued as one of the highest potential surface uranium developments within Argentina.
This news, released this Monday by the specialized portal Mining and Development, confirms that the environmental authorization specifically covers the sector called “Guanaco”, located to the south of Las Plumas.
According to the company in an official statement, obtaining the EIA occurred ahead of the stipulated deadlines, a factor that will facilitate a notable acceleration in the schedule of exploratory work.
Phase 1 and financial backing
The company assured that Laguna Salada constitutes a large-scale development target, characterized by mineralization very close to the surface.
After receiving environmental approval, Jaguar will begin its “Phase 1” campaign, which already has full financing thanks to an initial public offering (IPO) of 25 million dollars completed earlier this year.
Steven Gold, the company’s CEO, described the permit approval as a “significant milestone” and acknowledged the management of the Provincial Government and the Ministry of Environment during the evaluation process.
The executive emphasized that the swift management of the EIA lays the foundation for their accelerated exploration strategy, allowing rapid progress towards the next stages of work supported by the entity’s solid financial liquidity.
Scope of the environmental permit
With the EIA approved, and once the relevant work plan is submitted, the company is authorized to carry out essential exploration activities, such as:
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Geophysical studies and surface sampling.
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Excavation of trenches and opening of access roads.
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Exploratory drilling and installation of camps.
It is important to highlight that this is an exploration stage and not exploitation. However, the project’s progress reinstates the public debate on mining development in the province, especially regarding uranium, considered a strategic mineral for the nuclear industry.
Laguna Salada seeks to position Chubut on the national uranium map, in a global context where this resource has been revalued due to the push for nuclear energy.
Technical comparison with the oil industry
In March of the previous year, the potential of this resource was analyzed alongside geologist Gerardo Cladera, president of the Chamber of Mining Suppliers and Entrepreneurs.
Cladera stated that the province has some of the country’s most important reserves, along with Mendoza, recalling that the main findings were made by the National Atomic Energy Commission in the Central Plateau.
The specialist argued that uranium extraction is compatible with Law 5001, as there are methodologies that do not require cyanide and do not need open-pit metal mining.
Specifically, he mentioned the solution extraction system (used in Kazakhstan), which operates through drilling to capture mineralized water, process it, and reinject it.
The geologist compared this method to the secondary and tertiary recovery of the oil sector, seeking to explain the technique through an analogy with the region’s hydrocarbon tradition.
Finally, he pointed out that these resources could supply the Argentine nuclear system and generate surpluses for export.
