Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Item 7A. Quantitative AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Market risk
Market risk is the risk to the Company of adverse financial impact due to changes in the fair value or future cash flows of financial instruments because of fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates.
Commodity Price Risk
The Company is subject to market risk related to the market price of uranium. Future sales would be impacted by both spot and long-term uranium price fluctuations. Historically, uranium prices have been subject to fluctuation, and the price of uranium has been and will continue to be affected by numerous factors beyond our control, including the demand for nuclear power, political and economic conditions, governmental legislation in uranium producing and consuming countries, and production levels and costs of production of other producing companies. The average spot market price was $64.80 per pound as of April 9, 2025.
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Transactions with Related Parties
During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, we did not participate in any reportable transactions with related parties.
Proposed Transactions
As is typical of the mineral exploration, development, and mining industry, we will consider and review potential merger, acquisition, investment and venture transactions and opportunities that could enhance shareholder value. Timely disclosure of such transactions is made as soon as reportable events arise.
New Accounting Pronouncements Which were Implemented this Year
In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures. This ASU requires annual and interim disclosures about significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker and included within each reported measure of segment profit or loss as well as the amount and composition of other segment items. All disclosure requirements under this ASU are also required for public entities with a single reportable segment. This ASU is effective for the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and subsequent interim periods, with early adoption permitted.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our significant accounting policies are described in note 2 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. As described in note 2, we are required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and related disclosures of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses. Our estimates are based on our experience and our interpretation of economic, political, regulatory, and other factors that affect our business prospects. Actual results may differ significantly from certain critical accounting estimates as discussed below.
Inventory
We allocate the production costs of the Lost Creek facility to estimated inventory quantities at various stages of production to determine inventory valuation. We estimate the net realizable value of the inventory based on estimated prices and revenues from the sale of the inventory. Our inventories are then valued at the lower of the estimated cost or net realizable value. Changes in these estimates may materially impact the value of the inventory.
Impairment testing
Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Management applies significant judgment to assess mineral properties and capital assets for impairment indicators that could give rise to the requirement to conduct a formal impairment test. Circumstances that could trigger a review include, but are not limited to: significant decreases in the market price of the asset; significant adverse changes in the business climate or legal factors; significant changes in expected capital, operating, or reclamation costs; current period cash flow or operating losses combined with a history of losses or a forecast of continuing losses associated with the use of the asset; and current expectation that the asset will more likely than not be sold or disposed of significantly before the end of its estimated useful life.
When potential impairment is indicated, management calculates the estimated undiscounted future net cash flows relating to the asset or asset group using estimated future prices, recoverable resources and operating, capital, and reclamation costs. When the carrying value of an asset exceeds the related undiscounted cash flows, the asset is written down to its estimated fair value, which is determined using discounted future net cash flows, or other measures of fair value. Changes in these estimates may materially impact the carrying value of the assets. Management did not identify impairment indicators that would require a formal impairment test.
Lost Creek has been the Company’s sole source of uranium concentrates produced and sold to generate sales revenues since 2013. The economic viability of the Company’s mining activities, including the expected duration and profitability of Lost Creek and of any future ISR mines, such as Shirley Basin, has many risks and uncertainties. These include, but are not limited to: (i) a significant, prolonged decrease in the market price of uranium; (ii) difficulty in marketing and/or selling uranium concentrates; (iii) significantly higher than expected capital costs to construct the mine and/or processing plant; (iv) significantly higher than expected extraction costs; (v)
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significantly lower than expected uranium extraction; (vi) significant delays, reductions or stoppages of uranium extraction activities; and (vii) the introduction of significantly more stringent regulatory laws and regulations.
Our mining activities may change because of any one or more of these risks and uncertainties and there is no assurance that any mineral deposit from which we extract uranium or other minerals will result in profitable mining activities.
Asset Retirement Obligations
For mining properties, various federal and state mining laws and regulations require the Company to reclaim the surface areas and restore groundwater quality to the pre-existing quality or a concentration that supports a class of use after the completion of mining. The Company records the fair value of an asset retirement obligation as a liability in the period in which it incurs an obligation associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets that result from the acquisition, construction, development and/or normal use of the assets.
Asset retirement obligations consist of estimated final well abandonments, plant closure and removal and associated reclamation and restoration costs to be incurred by the Company in the future. The estimated fair value of the asset retirement obligation is based on the current cost escalated at an inflation rate and discounted at a credit adjusted risk-free rate. This liability is capitalized as part of the cost of the related asset and amortized over its remaining productive life. The liability is accreted until it reaches the estimated future reclamation cost and remains until the Company settles the obligation. Changes in these estimates may materially impact the value of the obligations.