UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
One)
☒
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the quarterly period ended September 30, 2022
☐
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the transition period from ______________to ______________
Commission
File Number 000-55626
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP.
(Exact
Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Ontario, Canada 98-1271843
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization) (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)
330 Bay Street , Suite 1400
Toronto , Ontario, Canada
M5H 2S8
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
(970) 864-2125
(Registrant’s
Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title
of each class
Trading
Symbol(s)
Name
of exchange on which registered
N/A
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2)
has been subject to such filing requirement for the past 90 days. Yes ☒
No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule
405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No
☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting
company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,”
“smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☒ Smaller reporting company ☒
Emerging growth company ☒
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐
No ☒
As of November
15, 2022, 43,589,048 of the registrant’s no par value common shares were outstanding
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP.
FORM
10-Q
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
PART
I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
1
Item
1.
Financial
Statements
1
Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)
1
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Unaudited)
2
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity (Unaudited)
3
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)
4
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)
5
Item
2.
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
17
Item
3.
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
29
Item
4.
Controls
and Procedures
29
PART
II – OTHER INFORMATION
30
Item
1.
Legal
Proceedings
30
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
30
Item 2.
Unregistered Sales of Equity
Securities and Use of Proceeds
44
Item
3.
Defaults
Upon Senior Securities
44
Item
4.
Mine
Safety Disclosures
44
Item
5.
Other
Information
44
Item
6.
Exhibits
45
SIGNATURES
46
i
PART
I . FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item
1. Financial Statements
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Stated
in USD)
(Unaudited)
As
of
September 30,
2022
December 31,
2021
Assets
Current assets:
Cash
$ 10,468,789
$ 880,821
Restricted
cash, current portion
75,057
75,057
Prepaid
uranium concentrate inventory
-
4,085,723
Prepaid
expenses
299,357
153,701
Marketable
securities
928
2,120
Other
current assets
45,251
264,039
Total
current assets
10,889,382
5,461,461
Restricted
cash, net of current portion
676,348
665,389
Mineral
properties and equipment, net
12,656,075
11,780,142
Kinetic
separation intellectual property
9,488,051
9,488,051
Total
assets
$ 33,709,856
$ 27,395,043
Liabilities
and Shareholders’ Equity
Liabilities
Current
liabilities:
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
$ 572,930
$ 699,593
Reclamation
liability, current portion
75,057
75,057
Subscription
payable
-
146,177
Deferred
revenue, current portion
60,015
48,465
Total
current liabilities
708,002
969,292
Reclamation
liability, net of current portion
222,453
196,563
Deferred
tax liability
2,708,887
2,708,887
Deferred
contingent consideration
321,600
362,794
Deferred
revenue, net of current portion
-
60,015
Total
liabilities
3,960,942
4,297,551
Commitments
and Contingencies (Note 6)
Shareholders’
Equity
Common shares, no par value, unlimited authorized shares, 43,589,048 and 39,073,428 shares issued as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, and 43,588,742 and 39,073,122 shares outstanding as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively
42,581,002
36,195,510
Treasury shares, 306 shares held in treasury as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021
-
-
Accumulated
deficit
( 12,583,074 )
( 13,161,496 )
Accumulated
other comprehensive (loss) income
( 249,014 )
63,478
Total
shareholders’ equity
29,748,914
23,097,492
Total
liabilities and shareholders’ equity
$ 33,709,856
$ 27,395,043
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
1
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(Stated
in USD)
(Unaudited)
For
the Three Months Ended
September 30,
For
the Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2022
2021
2022
2021
Revenues
$ 108,547
$ 16,155
$ 7,611,419
$ 48,465
Cost
of revenues
-
-
4,044,083
-
Gross
profit
108,547
16,155
3,567,336
48,465
Expenses
Mining
expenditures
204,520
335,028
616,146
422,921
Professional
fees
97,077
136,174
445,596
287,042
General
and administrative
351,928
361,301
1,870,747
835,281
Consulting
fees
18,346
12,801
78,165
16,810
Total
operating expenses
671,871
845,304
3,010,654
1,562,054
Operating
profit/ (loss)
( 563,324 )
( 829,149 )
556,682
( 1,513,589 )
Accretion
and interest
( 35,799 )
1,344
( 17,740 )
4,687
Other
(income)/expense
-
-
( 4,000 )
-
Settlement
expense
-
-
-
78,441
Net
income/(loss)
( 527,525 )
( 830,493 )
578,422
( 1,596,717 )
Other
comprehensive income/(loss)
Foreign
exchange gain/(loss)
( 148,365 )
( 46,363 )
( 312,492 )
23,531
Comprehensive
income/(loss)
$ ( 675,890 )
$ ( 876,856 )
$ 265,930
$ ( 1,573,186 )
Net
income/(loss) per share - basic
$ ( 0.01 )
$ ( 0.02 )
$ 0.01
$ ( 0.04 )
Net
income/(loss) per share - diluted
$ ( 0.01 )
$ ( 0.02 )
$ 0.01
$ ( 0.04 )
Weighted
average shares outstanding - basic
43,514,832
38,203,075
42,536,893
36,243,124
Weighted
average shares outstanding - diluted
43,514,832
38,203,075
43,547,377
36,243,124
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
2
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(Stated
in USD)
(Unaudited)
Common
Shares
Treasury
Shares
Accumulated
Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Deficit
Income
(Loss)
Total
Balance
as of January 1, 2022
39,073,122
$ 36,195,510
306
$ -
$ ( 13,161,496 )
$ 63,478
$ 23,097,492
Private placement
- January 20, 2022
2,495,575
3,011,878
-
-
-
-
3,011,878
Stock
based compensation - stock options
-
502,145
-
-
-
-
502,145
Proceeds from exercise
of warrants
268,204
341,850
-
-
-
-
341,850
Foreign
exchange gain
-
-
-
-
-
56,661
56,661
Net
loss
-
-
-
-
( 1,173,603 )
-
( 1,173,603 )
Balance
as of March 31, 2022
41,836,901
$ 40,051,383
306
$ -
$ ( 14,335,099 )
$ 120,139
$ 25,836,423
Proceeds
from the exercise of warrants
1,477,743
1,989,427
-
-
-
-
1,989,427
Stock
based compensation - stock options
-
251,074
-
-
-
-
251,074
Foreign
exchange loss
-
-
-
-
-
( 220,788 )
( 220,788 )
Net
income
-
-
-
-
2,279,550
-
2,279,550
Balance
as of June 30, 2022
43,314,644
$ 42,291,884
306
$ -
$ ( 12,055,549 )
$ ( 100,649 )
$ 30,135,686
Proceeds
from the exercise of warrants
274,404
289,118
-
-
-
-
289,118
Foreign
exchange loss
-
-
-
-
-
( 148,365 )
( 148,365 )
Net
loss
-
-
-
-
( 527,525 )
-
( 527,525 )
Balance
as of September 30, 2022
43,589,048
$ 42,581,002
306
$ -
$ ( 12,583,074 )
$ ( 249,014 )
$ 29,748,914
Balance
as of January 1, 2021
30,083,747
$ 29,886,367
306
$ -
$ ( 11,087,459 )
$ ( 25,542 )
$ 18,773,366
Private placement
- February 16, 2021
3,250,000
1,950,509
-
-
-
-
1,950,509
Private placement
- March 1, 2021
3,125,000
1,918,797
-
-
-
-
1,918,797
Foreign
exchange gain
-
-
-
-
-
44,964
44,964
Net
loss
-
-
-
-
( 291,614 )
-
( 291,614 )
Balance
as of March 31, 2021
36,458,747
$ 33,755,673
306
$ -
$ ( 11,379,073 )
$ 19,422
$ 22,396,022
Proceeds
from the exercise of warrants
1,722,570
1,597,416
-
-
-
-
1,597,416
Foreign
exchange gain
-
-
-
-
-
24,930
24,930
Net
loss
-
-
-
-
( 474,610 )
-
( 474,610 )
Balance
as of June 30, 2021
38,181,317
$ 35,353,089
306
$ -
$ ( 11,853,683 )
$ 44,352
$ 23,543,758
Proceeds
from the exercise of warrants
40,000
52,615
-
-
-
-
52,615
Foreign
exchange gain
-
-
-
-
-
( 46,363 )
( 46,363 )
Net
loss
-
-
-
-
( 830,493 )
-
( 830,493 )
Balance
as of September 30, 2021
38,221,317
$ 35,405,704
306
$ -
$ ( 12,684,176 )
$ ( 2,011 )
$ 22,719,517
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
3
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Stated
in USD)
(Unaudited)
For
the Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2022
2021
Cash
Flows From Operating Activities:
Net
income/(loss)
$ 578,422
$ ( 1,596,717 )
Reconciliation
of net income (loss) to cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Depreciation
19,468
8,564
Accretion
of reclamation liability
25,890
5,983
Stock
based compensation
753,219
-
Change
in marketable securities
1,192
542
Change
in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid
uranium concentrate inventory
4,085,723
-
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
73,132
( 80,454 )
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
( 126,664 )
133,920
Subscription
payable
( 146,177 )
-
Deferred
revenue
( 48,465 )
( 48,465 )
Contingent
consideration
( 41,194 )
-
Net
cash provided by (used in) operating activities
5,174,546
( 1,576,627 )
Cash
Flows Used In Investing Activities
Purchase
of property and equipment
( 895,400 )
( 65,000 )
Net
cash used in investing activities
( 895,400 )
( 65,000 )
Cash
Flows From Financing Activities
Proceeds
from Private Placement - January 20, 2022
3,011,878
-
Proceeds
from warrant exercises
2,620,395
1,650,031
Issuances
of common shares, net of offering costs
-
3,869,306
Net
cash provided by financing activities
5,632,273
5,519,337
Effect
of foreign exchange rate on cash
( 312,492 )
( 7,835 )
Net increase
in cash and restricted cash
9,598,927
3,869,875
Cash
and restricted cash - beginning
1,621,267
1,472,061
Cash
and restricted cash - ending
$ 11,220,194
$ 5,341,936
Cash
$ 10,468,789
$ 4,445,103
Restricted
cash, current portion
75,057
75,057
Restricted
cash, noncurrent
676,348
821,776
Total
$ 11,220,194
$ 5,341,936
Supplemental
disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash
paid during the period for:
Interest
$ -
$ -
Income
taxes
$ -
$ -
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
4
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated
in USD)
NOTE 1
– BUSINESS
Nature
of operations
Western
Uranium & Vanadium Corp. (“Western” or the “Company”) was incorporated in December 2006 under the Ontario
Business Corporations Act. On November 20, 2014, the Company completed a listing process on the Canadian Securities Exchange (“CSE”).
As part of that process, the Company acquired 100 % of the members’ interests of Pinon Ridge Mining LLC (“PRM”), a Delaware
limited liability company. The transaction constituted a reverse takeover (“RTO”) of Western by PRM. Subsequent to obtaining
appropriate shareholder approvals, the Company reconstituted its Board of Directors and senior management team. Effective September 16,
2015, Western completed its acquisition of Black Range Minerals Limited (“Black Range”).
The
Company’s registered office is located at 330 Bay Street, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5H 2S8, and its common shares
are listed on the CSE under the symbol “WUC.” On April 22, 2016, the Company’s common shares began trading on the OTC
Pink Open Market, and on May 23, 2016, the Company’s common shares were approved for trading on the OTCQX Best Market. The Company’s
principal business activity is the acquisition and development of uranium and vanadium resource properties in the states of Utah and
Colorado in the United States of America (“United States”).
On
June 28, 2016, the Company’s registration statement became effective and Western became a United States reporting issuer. Thereafter,
the Company was approved for Depository Trust Company eligibility through the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation, which facilitates
electronic book-entry delivery, settlement, and depository services for shares in the United States.
Note
2 – Liquidity and going concern
With
the exception of the quarter ending June 30, 2022, the Company had incurred losses from our operations. During the three months ended
September 30, 2022, the Company generated a net loss of $ 527,525 . The Company expects to generate operating losses for the foreseeable
future as it incurs expenses to bring its mining operations online. As of September 30, 2022, the Company had an accumulated deficit
of $ 12,583,074 and working capital of $ 10,181,380 .
Since
inception, the Company has met its liquidity requirements principally through the issuance of notes and the sale of its common shares.
On January 20, 2022, the Company closed a non-brokered private placement of 2,495,575 units at a price of CAD $ 1.60 per unit. The aggregate
gross proceeds raised in the private placement amounted to CAD $ 3,992,920 (USD $ 3,011,878 in net proceeds). During the nine months ended
September 30, 2022, the Company received $ 2,620,395 in proceeds from the exercise of warrants.
The
Company’s ability to continue its planned operations and to pay its obligations when they become due is contingent upon the Company
obtaining additional financing. Management’s plans include seeking to procure additional funds through debt and equity financing,
to secure regulatory approval to fully utilize its kinetic separation (“Kinetic Separation”) technology, and to initiate
the processing of ore to generate operating cash flows.
There
are no assurances that the Company will be able to raise capital on terms acceptable to the Company or at all, or that cash flows generated
from its operations will be sufficient to meet its current operating costs. If the Company is unable to obtain sufficient amounts of
additional capital, it may be required to reduce the scope of its planned product development, which could harm its financial condition
and operating results, or it may not be able to continue to fund its ongoing operations. These conditions raise substantial doubt about
the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern to sustain operations for at least one year from the issuance of these condensed
consolidated financial statements. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might
result from the outcome of these uncertainties.
5
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated
in USD)
Note
3 – SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis
of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation
The
accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10 of
Regulation S–X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required U.S. GAAP. However, in the opinion of
management of the Company, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position and operating results have been
included in these condensed consolidated financial statements. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction
with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10–K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, as filed with the SEC on April 15, 2022. Operating results for the three and nine months ended September
30, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any subsequent quarters or for the year ending December
31, 2022.
The
accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Western and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Western Uranium
Corp. (Utah), PRM, Black Range, Black Range Copper Inc., Ranger Resources Inc., Black Range Minerals Inc., Black Range Minerals Colorado
LLC, Black Range Minerals Wyoming LLC, Haggerty Resources LLC, Ranger Alaska LLC, Black Range Minerals Utah LLC, Black Range Minerals
Ablation Holdings Inc., and Black Range Development Utah LLC. All inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated upon consolidation.
The
Company has established the existence of mineralized materials for certain uranium projects. The Company has not established proven or
probable reserves, as defined by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), through the completion
of a “final” or “bankable” feasibility study for any of its uranium projects.
Exploration
Stage and Mineral Properties
In
accordance with U.S. GAAP, expenditures relating to the acquisition of mineral rights are initially capitalized as incurred while exploration
and pre-extraction expenditures are expensed as incurred until such time the Company exits the exploration stage by establishing proven
or probable reserves. Expenditures relating to exploration activities, such as drill programs to search for additional mineralized materials,
are expensed as incurred. Expenditures relating to pre-extraction activities, such as the construction of mine wellfields, ion exchange
facilities, disposal wells, and mine development, are expensed as incurred until such time proven or probable reserves are established
for that uranium project, after which subsequent expenditures relating to development activities for that particular project are capitalized
as incurred. Expenditures relating to mining and ore production while the Company is in the exploration stage and while the ore is stockpiled
underground are expensed as incurred.
Production
stage issuers, as defined in subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K, having engaged in material extraction of established mineral reserves on
at least one material property, typically capitalize expenditures relating to ongoing development activities, with corresponding depletion
calculated over proven and probable reserves using the units-of-production method and allocated to future reporting periods to inventory
and, as that inventory is sold, to cost of goods sold. The Company is an exploration stage issuer, which has resulted in the Company
reporting larger losses than if it had been in the production stage due to the expensing, instead of capitalizing, of expenditures relating
to ongoing mine development and extraction activities. Additionally, there would be no corresponding amortization allocated to future
reporting periods of the Company since those costs would have been expensed previously, resulting in both lower inventory costs and cost
of goods sold and results of operations with higher gross profits and lower losses than if the Company had been in the production stage.
Any capitalized costs, such as expenditures relating to the acquisition of mineral rights, are depleted over the estimated extraction
life using the straight-line method. As a result, the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements may not be directly
comparable to the financial statements of companies in the production stage. Western will not be eligible to become a production stage
issuer, and will remain an exploration stage issuer, until such time as mineral reserves are established on at least one material property.
6
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated
in USD)
Note
3 – SUMMARY OF Significant Accounting Policies, CONTINUED
Use
of Estimates
The
preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and
assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and revenues and expenses
during the periods reported. By their nature, these estimates are subject to measurement uncertainty, and the effects on the condensed
consolidated financial statements of changes in such estimates in future periods could be significant. Significant areas requiring management’s
estimates and assumptions include the determination of the fair value of transactions involving common shares, assessment of the useful
life and evaluation for impairment of Kinetic Separation intellectual property, valuation and impairment assessments of mineral properties
and equipment, valuation of deferred contingent consideration, valuation of the reclamation liability, valuation of stock-based compensation,
and valuation of available-for-sale securities. Other areas requiring estimates include allocations of expenditures, depletion, and amortization
of mineral rights and properties. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Foreign
Currency Translation
The
reporting currency of the Company, including its subsidiaries, is the United States dollar. The financial statements of subsidiaries
located outside of the U.S. are measured in their functional currency, which is the local currency. The functional currency of the parent
(Western Uranium & Vanadium Corp. (Ontario)) is the Canadian dollar. Monetary assets and liabilities of these subsidiaries are translated
at the exchange rates at the balance sheet date. Transactions denominated in currencies other than the functional currency are recorded
based on the exchange rates at the time of the transaction. Income and expense items are translated using average monthly exchange rates.
Non-monetary assets are translated at their historical exchange rates. Translation adjustments are included in “Accumulated other
comprehensive income” in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Revenue
Recognition
The Company purchased prepaid uranium concentrate contracts for future
delivery of uranium concentrate pursuant to a supply agreement. The Company recognizes revenue upon the delivery of the uranium contract
to the counterparty and charges to cost of revenues the purchase cost of the uranium concentrate contract upon such delivery.
The
Company leases certain of its mineral properties for the exploration and production of oil and gas reserves. The Company accounts for
lease revenue in accordance with the FASB ASC 842, Leases . Lease payments received in advance are deferred and recognized on a
straight-line basis over the related lease term associated with the prepayment. Royalty payments are recognized as revenues based upon
production.
Fair
Values of Financial Instruments
The carrying amounts of cash, restricted cash,
accounts payable, subscription payable, reclamation liability, contingent consideration and accrued liabilities approximate their fair
value due to the short-term nature of these instruments. Marketable securities are adjusted to fair value at each balance sheet date based
on quoted prices which are considered level 1 inputs. The Company’s operating and financing activities are conducted primarily in
United States dollars, and as a result, the Company is not subject to significant exposure to market risks from changes in foreign currency
rates. The Company is exposed to credit risk through its cash and restricted cash but mitigates this risk by keeping these deposits at
major financial institutions.
The
FASB ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures , provides the framework for measuring fair value. That framework provides
a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest
priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority
to unobservable inputs (level 3 measurements).
7
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated
in USD)
Note
3 – SUMMARY OF Significant Accounting Policies, continued
Fair
Values of Financial Instruments (continued)
Fair
value is defined as an exit price, representing the amount that would be received upon the sale of an asset or payment to transfer a
liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. Fair value is a market-based measurement that is determined based on
assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. A three-tier fair value hierarchy is used to prioritize
the inputs in measuring fair value as follows:
Level
1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level
2 - Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in
markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly.
Level
3 - Significant unobservable inputs that cannot be corroborated by market data and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated
by observable market data or correlation by other means.
The
fair value of the Company’s financial instruments are as follows:
Quoted
Prices
in Active
Markets for
Identical
Assets or
Liabilities
(Level 1)
Quoted
Prices
for Similar
Assets or
Liabilities in
Active
Markets
(Level 2)
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
Marketable securities as of
September 30, 2022
$ 928
$ -
$ -
Marketable securities as of December 31,
2021
$ 2,120
$ -
$ -
Stock-Based
Compensation
The
Company follows the FASB ASC 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation , which addresses the accounting for stock-based payment transactions,
requiring such transactions to be accounted for using the fair value method. Awards of shares for property or services are recorded at
the fair value of the stock or the fair value of the service, whichever is more readily measurable. The Company uses the Black-Scholes
option-pricing model to determine the grant date fair value of stock-based awards under ASC 718. The fair value is charged to earnings
depending on the terms and conditions of the award, and the nature of the relationship of the recipient of the award to the Company.
The Company records the grant date fair value in line with the period over which it was earned. For employees and consultants, this is
typically considered to be the vesting period of the award. The Company recognizes forfeitures at the time forfeitures occur.
8
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated
in USD)
Note
3 – SUMMARY OF Significant Accounting Policies, continued
Net
Income (Loss) per Share
Basic net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income
(loss) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share are computed using the
weighted average number of common shares and, if dilutive, potential common shares outstanding during the period. Potential common shares
consist of the incremental common shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options and warrants (using the treasury stock method). The
following is a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used to calculate basic earnings per share and diluted earnings per share
for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. The computation of net income (loss) per share for each of the three
and nine months ended September 30, 2021 is the same for both basic and fully diluted.
Three
Months Ended
September 30,
Nine
Months Ended
September 30,
2022
2021
2022
2021
Numerator:
Net (loss) income
$ ( 527,525 )
$ ( 830,493 )
$ 578,422
$ ( 1,596,717 )
Denominator:
Weighted average shares
outstanding, basic
43,514,832
38,203,075
42,536,893
36,243,124
Dilutive
effect of options and warrants
-
-
1,010,484
-
Weighted average shares
outstanding, diluted
43,514,832
38,203,075
43,547,377
36,243,124
Net (loss) income per
share, basic
$ ( 0.01 )
$ ( 0.02 )
$ 0.01
$ ( 0.04 )
Net (loss) income per
share, diluted
$ ( 0.01 )
$ ( 0.02 )
$ 0.01
$ ( 0.04 )
Potentially
dilutive securities outlined in the table below have been excluded from the computation of diluted net income (loss) per share because
the effect of their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive.
For
the Three Months
Ended September 30,
For
the Nine Months
Ended September 30,
2022
2021
2022
2021
Warrants to purchase common shares
9,362,076
10,715,873
2,970,826
10,715,873
Options to purchase
common shares
3,108,000
2,808,000
983,000
2,808,000
Total
potentially dilutive securities
12,470,076
13,523,873
3,953,826
13,523,873
Recent
Accounting Standards
Management
does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective accounting standards, when adopted, will have a material effect on the
accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.
9
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated
in USD)
NOTE 4 – MINERAL
ASSETS equipment, Kinetic separation INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, AND OTHER PROPERTY
The
Company’s mining properties acquired on August 18, 2014 that the Company retains as of September 30, 2022 include: The San Rafael
Uranium Project located in Emery County, Utah; The Sunday Mine Complex located in western San Miguel County, Colorado; The Van 4 Mine
located in western Montrose County, Colorado; The Sage Mine located in San Juan County, Utah, and San Miguel County, Colorado. These
mining properties include leased land in the states of Colorado and Utah. None of these mining properties were operational at the date
of acquisition.
The
Company’s mining properties acquired on September 16, 2015 that the Company retains as of September 30, 2022 include Hansen, North
Hansen and Hansen Picnic Tree located in Fremont and Teller Counties, Colorado. The Company also acquired the Keota project located in
Weld County, Colorado and the Ferris Haggerty project located in Carbon County Wyoming. These mining assets include both owned and leased
land in the states of Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. All of the mining assets represent properties which have previously been mined, to
different degrees, for uranium.
As
the Company has not formally established proven or probable reserves on any of its properties, there is inherent uncertainty as to whether
or not any mineralized material can be economically extracted as originally planned and anticipated.
The
Company’s mineral properties and equipment and kinetic separation intellectual property are:
As
of
September 30,
2022
As
of
December 31,
2021
Mineral
properties and equipment
$ 12,656,075
$ 11,780,142
Kinetic
separation intellectual property
$ 9,488,051
$ 9,488,051
Oil
and Gas Lease and Easement
The
Company entered into an oil and gas lease that became effective with respect to minerals and mineral rights owned by the Company of approximately
160 surface acres of the Company’s property in Colorado. As consideration for entering into the lease, the lessee has agreed to
pay the Company a royalty from the lessee’s revenue attributed to oil and gas produced, saved, and sold attributable to the net
mineral interest. The Company has also received cash payments from the lessee related to the easement that the Company is recognizing
incrementally over the eight year term of the easement.
On June 23, 2020, the same entity, as discussed above, elected to extend
the oil and gas lease easement for three additional years , commencing on the date the lease would have previously expired. During 2021,
the operator completed all well development stages, and each of the eight (8) wells commenced oil and gas production by mid-August 2021.
On January 31, 2022, the operator of the Weld County Colorado oil and gas pooled trust issued the first cumulative royalty payment check
in the amount of $ 207,552 for August 2021 through December 2021 sales which was recognized as income in the fourth quarter of 2021. Royalty
receipts were received monthly as earned during each of the months in 2022.
During
the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized aggregate revenue of $ 108,547 and $ 16,155 , respectively, and
for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized aggregate revenue of $ 387,810 and $ 48,465 , respectively,
under these oil and gas lease arrangements.
10
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated
in USD)
NOTE 4 – MINERAL
ASSETS equipment, Kinetic separation INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, AND OTHER PROPERTY, CONTINUED
Reclamation
Liabilities
The
Company’s mines are subject to certain asset retirement obligations, which the Company has recorded as reclamation liabilities.
The reclamation liabilities of the United States mines are subject to legal and regulatory requirements, and estimates of the costs of
reclamation are reviewed periodically by the applicable regulatory authorities. The reclamation liability represents the Company’s
best estimate of the present value of future reclamation costs in connection with the mineral properties. The Company determined the
gross reclamation liabilities of the mineral properties to be $ 751,405 and $ 740,446 as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.
On March 2, 2020, the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board (“MLRB”) issued an order vacating the Van 4 Temporary Cessation,
terminating mining operations and ordering commencement of final reclamation. The Company has begun the reclamation of the Van 4 Mine.
The reclamation cost is fully covered by the reclamation bonds posted upon acquisition of the property. The Company adjusted the fair
value of its reclamation obligation for the Van 4 Mine. The portion of the reclamation liability related to the Van 4 Mine and its related
restricted cash are included in current liabilities and current assets, respectively, at a value of $ 75,057 . The Company expects to begin
incurring the reclamation liability after 2054 for all mines that are not in reclamation and accordingly, has discounted the gross liabilities
over their remaining lives using a discount rate of 5.4%. The net discounted aggregated values as of September 30, 2022 and December
31, 2021 were $297,510 and $271,620, respectively. The gross reclamation liabilities as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 are
secured by financial warranties in the amount of $ 751,405 and $ 740,446 , respectively.
Reclamation
liability activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 consists of:
For
the Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2022
2021
Beginning balance at January
1
$ 271,620
$ 309,940
Accretion
25,890
8,652
Discontinuation of
reclamation liability
-
( 2,669 )
Ending Balance at September 30
$ 297,510
$ 315,923
11
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated
in USD)
NOTE 4 – MINERAL
ASSETS equipment, Kinetic separation INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, AND OTHER PROPERTY, CONTINUED
Sunday
Mine Complex Permitting Status
On
February 4, 2020, the Colorado DRMS sent a Notice of Hearing to Declare Termination of Mining Operations related to the status of
the mining permits issued by the state of Colorado for the Sunday Mine Complex. At issue was the application of an unchallenged
Colorado Court of Appeals Opinion for a separate mine (Van 4) with very different facts that are retroactively modifying DRMS rules
and regulations. The Company maintains that it was timely in meeting existing rules and regulations. The hearing was scheduled to be
held during several monthly MLRB Board meetings, but this matter was delayed several times. The permit hearing was held during the
MLRB Board monthly meeting on July 22, 2020. At issue was the status of the five existing permits which comprise the Sunday Mine
Complex. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the hearing took place utilizing a virtual-only format. The Company prevailed in a 3 to 1
decision which acknowledged that the work completed at the Sunday Mine Complex under DRMS oversight was timely and sufficient for
Western to maintain these permits. In a subsequent July 30, 2020 letter, the DRMS notified the Company that the status of the five
permits (Sunday, West Sunday, St. Jude, Carnation, and Topaz) had been changed to “Active” status effective June 10,
2019, the original date on which the change of the status was approved. On August 23, 2020, the Company initiated a request for
Temporary Cessation status for the Sunday Mine Complex as the mines had not been restarted within a 180-day window due to the direct
and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, a permit hearing was scheduled for October 21, 2020 to determine
Temporary Cessation status. In a unanimous vote, the MLRB approved Temporary Cessation status for each of the five Sunday Mine
Complex permits (Sunday, West Sunday, St. Jude, Carnation, and Topaz). On October 9, 2020, the MLRB issued a board order which
finalized the findings of the July 22, 2020 permit hearing. On November 10, 2020, the MLRB issued a board order which finalized the
findings of the October 21, 2020 permit hearing. On November 6, 2020, the MLRB signed an order placing the five Sunday Mine Complex
mine permits into Temporary Cessation. On November 12, 2020, a coalition of environmental groups (the “Plaintiffs”)
filed a complaint against the MLRB seeking a partial appeal of the July 22, 2020 decision by requesting termination of the Topaz
Mine permit. On December 15, 2020, the same coalition of environmental groups amended their complaint against the MLRB seeking a
partial appeal of the October 21, 2020 decision requesting termination of the Topaz Mine permit. The Company has joined with the
MLRB in defense of their July 22, 2020 and October 21, 2020 decisions. On May 5, 2021, the Plaintiffs in the Topaz Appeal filed an
opening brief with the Denver District Court seeking to overturn the July 22, 2020 and October 21, 2020 MLRB permit hearing
decisions on the Topaz Mine permit. The MLRB and the Company were to respond with an answer brief within 35 days on or before June
9, 2021, but instead sought a settlement. The judicial review process was delayed as extensions were put in place until August 20,
2021. A settlement was not reached, and the MLRB and the Company submitted answer briefs on August 20, 2021. The Plaintiff submitted
a reply brief on September 10, 2021. On March 1, 2022, the Denver District Court reversed the MLRB’s orders regarding the
Topaz Mine and remanded the case back to MLRB for further proceedings consistent with its order. The Company and the MLRB had until
April 19, 2022 to appeal the Denver District Court’s ruling. Neither the Company nor the MLRB appealed the Denver District
Court ruling. Western anticipates receiving an MLRB board order of reclamation for the Topaz Mine. The Company is continuing to work
toward the completion of an updated Topaz Mine Plan of Operations which is a separate federal requirement of the BLM for the conduct
of mining activities on the federal land at the Topaz
Mine.
12
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated
in USD)
NOTE 4 –MINERAL
ASSETS equipment, Kinetic separation INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, AND OTHER PROPERTY, CONTINUED
Kinetic
Separation Intellectual Property
The
Kinetic Separation intellectual property was acquired in Western’s acquisition of Black Range on September 16, 2015. Previously
Black Range acquired its Kinetic Separation assets in the dissolution of a joint venture on March 17, 2015, through the acquisition of
all the assets of the joint venture and received a 25-year license to utilize all of the patented and unpatented technology owned by
the joint venture. The technology license agreement for patents and unpatented technology became effective as of March 17, 2015, for
a period of 25 years, until March 16, 2040. There are no remaining license fee obligations, and there are no future royalties due under
the agreement. The Company has the right to sub-license the technology to third parties. The Company may not sell or assign the Kinetic
Separation license; however, the license could be transferred in the case of a sale of the Company. The Company has developed improvements
to Kinetic Separation during the term of the license agreement and retains ownership of, and may obtain patent protection on, any such
improvements developed by the Company.
The
Kinetic Separation patent was filed on September 13, 2012 and granted on February 14, 2014 by the United States Patent Office. The patent
is effective for a period of 20 years until September 13, 2032. This patent is supported by two provisional patent applications. The
provisional patent applications expired after one year but were incorporated in the U.S. Patent by reference and claimed benefit prior
to their expirations. The status of the patent and two provisional patent applications has not changed subsequent to the 2014 patent
grant. The Company has the continued right to use any patented portion of the Kinetic Separation technology that enters the public domain
subsequent to the patent expiration.
The
Company anticipates Kinetic Separation will improve the efficiency of the mining and processing of the sandstone-hosted ore from Western’s
conventional mines through the separation of waste from mineral bearing-ore, potentially reducing transportation, mill processing, and
mill tailings costs. Kinetic Separation is not currently in use or being applied at any Company mines. The Company views Kinetic Separation
as a cost saving technology, which it will seek to incorporate into ore production subsequent to commencing scaled production levels.
There are also alternative applications, which the Company has explored.
Mining
Equipment Purchases
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, Western purchased $ 895,400 and $ 65,000 , respectively, in mining equipment and vehicles.
NOTE
5 – Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities consisted of:
As
of
September 30,
2022
December 31,
2021
Trade accounts payable
$ 353,386
$ 510,831
Accrued liabilities
219,544
188,762
Total
accounts payable and accrued liabilities
$ 572,930
$ 699,593
13
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated
in USD)
NOTE 6
– COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Supply
Contract
In
December 2015, the Company signed a uranium concentrates supply agreement with a major United States utility company for delivery commencing
in 2018 and continuing for a five-year period through 2022. On March 8, 2021, the Company entered into an agreement with a third party
to complete the Year 4 (2021) uranium concentrate delivery. The Company paid $ 78,000 in April 2021 to the assignee for which the assignee
made the delivery in May 2021. In April 2022, in satisfaction of the Year 5 delivery under its supply contract, the Company delivered
125,000 lbs of uranium concentrate from its prepaid uranium concentrate inventory. Accordingly, during the three and nine months ended
September 30, 2022, the Company recorded revenue of $0 and $7,223,609 (at a price of approximately $57 per pound), respectively, and
cost of revenue of $0 and $4,044,083, respectively, related to the delivery of the uranium. In May 2022, the Company received the cash
proceeds from this sale.
Strategic
Acquisition of Physical Uranium
In
May 2021, the Company executed a binding agreement to purchase 125,000 pounds of natural uranium concentrate at approximately $32 per
pound. In December 2021, the Company paid $4,044,083, in connection with its full prepayment of the purchase price for 125,000 pounds
of natural uranium concentrate. This uranium concentrate was subsequently delivered under the terms of the aforementioned uranium concentrates
supply agreement in April 2022.
NOTE 7
– SHARE CAPITAL AND OTHER EQUITY INSTRUMENTS
Authorized
Capital
The
holders of the Company’s common shares are entitled to one vote per share. Holders of common shares are entitled to ratably receive
such dividends, if any, as may be declared by the board of directors, out of legally available funds. Upon the liquidation, dissolution,
or winding down of the Company, holders of common shares are entitled to share ratably in all assets of the Company that are legally
available for distribution. As of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, an unlimited number of common shares were authorized for
issuance.
Private
Placements
On
January 20, 2022, the Company closed a non-brokered private placement of 2,495,575 units at a price of CAD $ 1.60 per unit. The aggregate
gross proceeds raised in the private placement amounted to CAD $ 3,992,920 (USD $ 3,011,878 in net proceeds). Each unit consisted of one
common share of Western (a “Share”) plus one common share purchase warrant of Western (a “Warrant”). Each Warrant
entitled the holder to purchase one Share at a price of CAD $ 2.50 per Share for a period of three years following the closing date of
the private placement. A total of 2,495,575 Shares and 2,495,575 Warrants were issued to investors and 98,985 Warrants were issued to
broker dealers in connection with the private placement.
Warrant
Exercises
During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, an aggregate of 2,020,351
warrants were exercised for total gross proceeds of $ 2,620,395 .
Incentive
Stock Option Plan
The
Company maintains an Incentive Stock Option Plan (the “Plan”) that permits the granting of stock options as incentive compensation.
Shareholders of the Company approved the Plan on June 30, 2008 and amendments to the Plan on June 20, 2013. The board of directors approved
additional changes to the Plan on September 12, 2015 and as of October 1, 2021.
14
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated
in USD)
NOTE 7
– SHARE CAPITAL AND OTHER EQUITY INSTRUMENTS CONTINUED
The
purpose of the Plan is to attract, retain, and motivate directors, management, staff, and consultants by providing them with the opportunity,
through stock options, to acquire a proprietary interest in the Company and benefit from its growth.
The
Plan provides that the aggregate number of common shares for which stock options may be granted will not exceed 10 % of the issued and
outstanding common shares at the time stock options are granted. As of September 30, 2022, a total of 43,588,742 common shares were outstanding,
and at that date the maximum number of stock options eligible for issue under the Plan was 4,358,874 .
Stock
Options
On
February 10, 2022, the Company granted options under the Plan for the purchase of an aggregate of 900,000 common shares to five individuals
consisting of directors and officers of the Company. The options have a five year term, an exercise price of CAD $ 1.76 (US $ 1.28 as of
September 30, 2022) and vest equally in thirds commencing initially on the date of grant and thereafter on April 1, 2022, and July 1,
2022.
The
Company utilized the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of these stock options, using the assumptions as
outlined below.
February
10,
2022
Stock Price
CAD$ 1.76
Exercise Price
CAD$ 1.76
Number
of Options Granted
900,000
Dividend Yield
0 %
Expected Volatility
103.3 %
Weighted Average Risk-Free Interest Rate
1.61 %
Expected life (in years)
2.6
Number
of
Shares
Weighted
Average
Exercise Price
Weighted
Average
Contractual
Life (Years)
Weighted
Average
Grant Date
Fair Value
Intrinsic
Value
Outstanding – January 1, 2022
2,324,670
$ 1.35
1.67
$ 0.39
$ 528,714
Granted
900,000
1.28
-
0.84
Expired
( 116,670 )
1.81
-
0.27
-
Outstanding – September 30, 2022
3,108,000
$ 1.24
2.15
$ 0.52
$ 408,063
Exercisable – September 30, 2022
3,108,000
$ 1.24
2.15
$ 0.52
$ 408,063
The
Company’s stock-based compensation expense related to stock options for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 was
$ 0 and $ 0 , respectively, and for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 stock-based compensation expense was $ 753,219 and
$ 0 , respectively, which is included in general and administrative expenses on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of
operations and comprehensive loss. As of September 30, 2022, there was no unamortized stock option expense.
Warrants
Number
of
Shares
Weighted
Average
Exercise Price
Weighted
Average
Contractual
Life (Years)
Intrinsic
Value
Outstanding - January 1, 2022
9,735,948
$ 1.09
1.49
3,799,606
Issued
2,594,560
1.81
-
-
Exercised
( 2,020,351 )
1.19
-
-
Expired/Forfeited
( 948,081 )
1.97
-
-
Outstanding – September 30, 2022
9,362,076
$ 1.17
2.11
$ 2,673,679
Exercisable – September 30, 2022
9,362,076
$ 1.17
2.11
$ 2,673,679
15
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated
in USD)
Note
8 – Mining Expenditures
For
the Three Months Ended
September 30,
For
the Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2022
2021
2022
2021
Permits
$ 29,946
$ 32,639
$ 86,103
$ 106,426
Mining costs
172,421
300,988
524,336
312,534
Royalties
2,153
1,401
5,707
3,961
Total
mining expenses
$ 204,520
$ 335,028
$ 616,146
$ 422,921
NOTE
9 – Related Party Transactions AND BALANCES
The
Company has transacted with related parties pursuant to service arrangements in the ordinary course of business, as follows:
Prior
to the acquisition of Black Range, Mr. George Glasier, the Company’s CEO, who is also a director (“Seller”), transferred
his interest in a former joint venture with Ablation Technologies, LLC to Black Range. In connection with the transfer, Black Range issued
25 million shares of Black Range common stock to Seller and committed to pay AUD $500,000 (USD $321,600 as of September 30, 2022) to
Seller within 60 days of the first commercial application of the kinetic separation technology. Western assumed this contingent payment
obligation in connection with the acquisition of Black Range. At the date of the acquisition of Black Range, this contingent obligation
was determined to be probable. Since the deferred contingent consideration obligation is probable and the amount is estimable, the Company
recorded the deferred contingent consideration as an assumed liability in the amount of $ 321,600 and $ 362,794 as of September 30, 2022
and December 31, 2021, respectively.
The
Company also owed Mr. Glasier reimbursable expenses in the amount of $ 54,000 and $ 65,753 as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021,
respectively.
Note
10 – COVID-19
The
world has been, and continues to be, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19, and measures to prevent its spread, impacted our
business in a number of ways. The impact of these disruptions and the extent of their adverse impact on the Company’s
financial and operating results will be dictated by the length of time that such disruptions continue, which will, in turn, depend
on the currently unpredictable duration and severity of the impacts of COVID-19, and among other things, the impact of governmental
actions imposed in response to COVID-19 and individuals’ and companies’ risk tolerance regarding health matters going
forward and developing strain mutations. To date, COVID-19 has primarily caused Western delays in reporting, regulatory matters, and
operations. Most notably, the Company initiated a request for Temporary Cessation status for the Sunday Mine Complex in August 2020
as the mines had not been restarted within the 180-day window due to the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The
Van 4 Mine reclamation process was delayed because of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. The need to observe quarantine periods also
caused a limited loss of manpower and delay to the 2021/2022 Sunday Mine Complex project. The COVID-19 pandemic has limited
Western’s participation in industry and investor conference events. The Company is continuing to monitor COVID-19 and its
subvariants and the potential impact of the pandemic on the Company’s operations.
Note
11 – subsequent events
On October 31, 2022, the Board of Directors granted an aggregate of
1,665,000 options for the purchase of the Company’s common stock to the Company’s officers, directors and employees. Each
of these options was granted under the Plan and had an exercise price of CAD $ 1.60 (US $ 1.16 as of September 30, 2022). The options vest
equally in two installments beginning on the date of grant and thereafter on April 30, 2023.
16
Item
2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Forward-Looking
Statements
The
information disclosed in this quarterly report, and the information incorporated by reference herein, include “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements
regarding our or our management’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any
statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying
assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,”
“estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,”
“potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions
may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.
The
forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this quarterly report are based on our current expectations and
beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us and speak only as of the date of each such statement. There
can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve
a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance
to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include,
but are not limited to, those factors described in this Item 2 of Part I and Item 1A of Part II of this quarterly report. Should one
or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material
respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities
laws.
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with our condensed consolidated interim financial statements and footnotes thereto
contained in this quarterly report.
Overview
General
Western
Uranium & Vanadium Corp. (“Western” or the “Company”, formerly Western Uranium Corporation) was incorporated
in December 2006 under the Ontario Business Corporations Act. On November 20, 2014, the Company completed a listing process on the Canadian
Securities Exchange (“CSE”). As part of that process, the Company acquired 100% of the members’ interests of Pinon
Ridge Mining LLC (“PRM”), a Delaware limited liability company. The transaction constituted a reverse takeover (“RTO”)
of Western by PRM. Subsequent to obtaining appropriate shareholder approvals, the Company reconstituted its board of directors and senior
management team. Effective September 16, 2015, Western completed its acquisition of Black Range Minerals Limited (“Black Range”).
On August 18, 2014, the Company closed on the purchase of certain mining
properties in Colorado and Utah from Energy Fuels Holding Corp. Assets purchased included both owned and leased lands in Utah and Colorado,
and all represent properties that have been previously mined for uranium to varying degrees in the past. The acquisition included the
purchase of the Sunday Mine Complex. The Sunday Mine Complex is located in western San Miguel County, Colorado. The complex consists of
the following five individual mines: the Sunday mine, the Carnation mine, the Saint Jude mine, the West Sunday mine and the Topaz Mine.
The operation of each of these mines requires a separate permit, and all such permits have been obtained by Western. In addition, each
of the mines has good access to a paved highway, electric power to existing declines, office/storage/shop and change buildings, and an
extensive underground haulage development with several vent shafts complete with exhaust fans. The Sunday Mine Complex is the Company’s
core resource property and in July 2021 status was changed to “Active” when mining operations were restarted.
On
September 16, 2015, Western completed its acquisition of Black Range, an Australian company that was listed on the Australian Securities
Exchange until the acquisition was completed. The acquisition terms were pursuant to a definitive Merger Implementation Agreement entered
into between Western and Black Range. Pursuant to the agreement, Western acquired all of the issued shares of Black Range by way of Scheme
of Arrangement (“the Scheme”) under the Australian Corporation Act 2001 (Cth) (the “Black Range Transaction”),
with Black Range shareholders being issued common shares of Western on a 1 for 750 basis. On August 25, 2015, the Scheme was approved
by the shareholders of Black Range, and on September 4, 2015, Black Range received approval by the Federal Court of Australia. In addition,
Western issued options to purchase Western common shares to certain employees, directors, and consultants. Such stock options were intended
to replace Black Range stock options outstanding prior to the Black Range Transaction on the same 1 for 750 basis.
The
Company has registered offices at 330 Bay Street, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5H 2S8, and its common shares are listed on
the CSE under the symbol “WUC” and are traded on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol “WSTRF”. Its principal
business activity is the acquisition and development of uranium and vanadium resource properties in the states of Utah and Colorado in
the United States of America (“United States”).
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Recent
Developments
Sunday Mine Complex Project 2021/2022/2023
The SMC project entailed the development of multiple
SMC ore bodies and involves a shift in the base of operations from the St. Jude Mine (2019) to the Sunday Mine (2021). Underground development
began in August 2021 following mine ventilation, power upgrades, and increasing explosive capabilities. The first target was the extension
of the drift (tunnel) 150 feet to reach the first surface exploration drill hole to access the GMG Ore Body (GMG). Early results were
positive as drilling toward the GMG resulted in the location of ore-grade material within thirty feet of the existing mine workings. Notably,
only limited exploration drilling has been done in this area due to the mountainous terrain on the surface above. As drifting proceeded,
very high-grade ore continued to be intersected through the drift path and on both sides of the drift. As a result, the team shifted from
development to mining. From December 2021 to March 2022, over 3,000 tons of high-grade uranium/vanadium ore was mined from the drift based
upon on site scintillometer readings. At the end of March 2022, the mining contractor engaged by Western decided to retire from contract
mining operations. As a result, Western scaled back operations to focus on building an in-house mining capability.
Subsequently, the Company has completed the build-out
of its in-house mining capability.
Over $1,000,000 was spent on the acquisition,
upgrading, and maintenance of a fleet of used/new mining equipment and vehicles. Additional employees have been hired for the first mining
team and facilities have been upgraded. This first in-house mining team has been fully outfitted and readied for deployment. The initial
project will focus on additional development of the GMG Ore body. This will involve ore production and stockpiling of high-grade ore and
underground drilling /exploration to define additional production zones. The next project will be similar in scope and focus on the St.
Jude Mine target areas defined during the 2019/2020 work project. Mining operations are targeted to restart in January 2023.
January
2022 Private Placement
On
January 20, 2022, the Company closed on a non-brokered private placement of 2,495,575 units at a price of CAD $1.60 per unit. The aggregate
gross proceeds raised in the private placement amounted to CAD $3,992,920. Each unit consisted of one common share of Western plus one
common share purchase warrant of Western. Each warrant entitled the holder to purchase one common share at a price of CAD $2.50 per share
for a period of three years following the closing date of the private placement. A total of 2,495,575 common shares and 2,495,575 warrants
were issued to investors, and 98,985 warrants were issued to broker dealers in connection with the private placement.
Strategic Acquisition of Physical Uranium
In May 2021, the Company executed a binding agreement
to purchase 125,000 pounds of natural uranium concentrate at approximately $32 per pound. In December 2021, the Company paid $4,044,083
in connection with its full prepayment of the purchase price for 125,000 pounds of natural uranium concentrate. This uranium concentrate
was subsequently delivered and sold under the terms of the uranium supply agreement in the second quarter of 2022.
Uranium Supply Agreement Delivery
In the second quarter of 2022, in satisfaction
of the Year 5 delivery under our supply contract, we delivered and sold 125,000 lbs of uranium concentrate from our prepaid uranium concentrate
inventory. Accordingly, during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we recorded revenue of $7,223,609 (at a price of approximately
$57 per pound) and cost of revenue of $4,044,083 related to this uranium delivery.
Bullen
Property (Weld County)
The
Bullen Property is an oil and gas property located in Weld County Colorado. The Company acquired this non-core property in 2015 in the
Black Range Minerals Limited acquisition, and Black Range purchased the property in 2008 for its Keota Uranium Project.
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In
2017, the Company signed a three year oil and gas lease which in 2020 was extended for an additional three year term or until the end
of continuous operations. The consideration was in the form of upfront bonus payments and a backend 3/16 th production royalty
payment. Additional right-of-way easement agreements were signed which allowed for the development of a pipeline. The lease agreement
allows the Company to retain property rights to vanadium, uranium, and other mineral resources.
A
2019 lawsuit was filed in the Weld County District Court over the original Bullen Property deed language which was negotiated before
the Company acquired Black Range by prior management and a bank representing the estate of the property owner. The Company settled with
the plaintiffs by awarding the estate’s beneficiaries a non-participating royalty interest of 1/8th for all hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon
substances that are produced and sold from the property.
In
early 2020, the operator filed an application with the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (“COGCC”) to update
the permit to create a new pooled unit. Subsequently, during 2021, the operator advanced through the oil well production stages: drilling
was completed in the first quarter, wellfield completion/fracking was completed during the second quarter, drill out was completed in
July, and flowback was completed in August. By August 2021, each of the eight (8) wells had commenced oil and gas production. The first
royalty payment was made in January 2022 and monthly royalty payments have been received subsequently.
Due to the success of the first 8 wells which
were developed in 2021, the operator decided to develop a second set of 8 wells within Western’s royalty area during 2022. The 2022
well installation was on a timeline which ran slightly behind the 2021 wells. However, by August 2022, each of the eight (8) new wells
had come online; September 2022 was the new well pad’s first full month of production. The first royalty payment will be made in
the first quarter of 2023.
During
the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, we recognized aggregate revenue of $108,547 and $16,155, respectively, and for the
nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, we recognized aggregate revenue of $387,810 and $48,465, respectively, under these oil
and gas lease arrangements. On January 31, 2022, the operator of the Weld County Colorado oil and gas pooled trust issued the first cumulative
royalty payment in the amount of $207,552 for August 2021 through December 2021 sales, which was recognized as income in the fourth quarter
of 2021.
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Sunday
Mine Complex Permitting Status
On
February 4, 2020, the Colorado DRMS sent a Notice of Hearing to Declare Termination of Mining Operations related to the status of
the mining permits issued by the state of Colorado for the Sunday Mine Complex. At issue was the application of an unchallenged
Colorado Court of Appeals Opinion for a separate mine (Van 4) with very different facts that are retroactively modifying DRMS rules
and regulations. The Company maintains that it was timely in meeting existing rules and regulations. The hearing was scheduled to be
held during several monthly MLRB Board meetings, but this matter was delayed several times. The permit hearing was held during the
MLRB Board monthly meeting on July 22, 2020. At issue was the status of the five existing permits which comprise the Sunday Mine
Complex. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the hearing took place utilizing a virtual-only format. The Company prevailed in a 3-to-1
decision which acknowledged that the work completed at the Sunday Mine Complex under DRMS oversight was timely and sufficient for
Western to maintain these permits. In a subsequent July 30, 2020 letter, the DRMS notified the Company that the status of the five
permits (Sunday, West Sunday, St. Jude, Carnation, and Topaz) had been changed to “Active” status effective June 10,
2019, the original date on which the change of the status was approved. On August 23, 2020, the Company initiated a request for
Temporary Cessation status for the Sunday Mine Complex as the mines had not been restarted within a 180-day window due to the direct
and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, a permit hearing was scheduled for October 21, 2020 to determine
Temporary Cessation status. In a unanimous vote, the MLRB approved Temporary Cessation status for each of the five Sunday Mine
Complex permits (Sunday, West Sunday, St. Jude, Carnation, and Topaz). On October 9, 2020, the MLRB issued a board order which
finalized the findings of the July 22, 2020 permit hearing. On November 12, 2020, a coalition of environmental groups filed a
lawsuit against the MLRB seeking a partial appeal of the July 22, 2020 decision by requesting termination of the Topaz mine permit.
On December 15, 2020, the same coalition of environmental groups amended their complaint against the MLRB seeking a partial appeal
of the October 21, 2020 decision requesting termination of the Topaz mine permit. The Company has joined with the MLRB in defense of
their July 22, 2020 and October 21, 2020 decisions. On May 5, 2021, the Plaintiff in the Topaz Appeal filed an opening brief with
the Denver District Court seeking to overturn the July 22, 2020 and October 21, 2020 MLRB permit hearing decisions on the Topaz mine
permit. The MLRB and the Company were to respond with an answer brief within 35 days on or before June 9, 2021, but instead sought a
settlement. The judicial review process was delayed as extensions were put in place until August 20, 2021. A settlement was not
reached and the MLRB and the Company submitted answer briefs on August 20, 2021. The Plaintiff submitted a reply brief on September
10, 2021. On March 1, 2022, the Denver District Court reversed the MLRB’s orders regarding the Topaz Mine and remanded the
case back to MLRB for further proceedings consistent with its order. The Company and the MLRB had until April 19, 2022 to appeal the
Denver District Court’s ruling. Neither the Company nor the MLRB appealed the Denver District Court ruling. Western
anticipates receiving an MLRB board order of reclamation for the Topaz Mine. The Company is continuing to work toward the completion
of an updated Topaz Mine Plan of Operations which is a separate federal requirement of the BLM for the conduct of mining activities
on the federal land at the Topaz Mine.
Kinetic Separation Licensing
During 2016, the Company submitted documentation
to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (“CDPHE”) for a determination ruling regarding the type of license
which may be required for the application of Kinetic Separation at the Sunday Mine Complex within the state of Colorado. During May and
June of 2016, CDPHE held four public meetings in several cities in Colorado as part of the process. On July 22, 2016, CDPHE closed the
comment period. In connection with this matter, the CDPHE consulted with the NRC. In response, the CDPHE received an advisory opinion,
dated October 16, 2016, which did not contain support for the NRC’s opinion and with which the Company’s regulatory counsel
does not agree. NRC’s advisory opinion recommended that Kinetic Separation should be regulated as a milling operation but did recognize
that there may be exemptions to certain milling regulatory requirements because of the benign nature of the non-uranium bearing sands
produced after Kinetic Separation is completed on uranium-bearing ores. On December 1, 2016, the CDPHE issued a determination that the
proposed Kinetic Separation operations at the Sunday Mine Complex must be regulated by the CDPHE through a milling license. Beginning
in 2017, the Company’s regulatory counsel prepared significant documentation in preparation for a prospective submission. On September
13, 2019, the Company’s regulatory counsel submitted a white paper to the NRC entitled “Recommendations on the Proper Legal
and Policy Interpretation for Using Kinetic Separation Processes at Uranium Mine Sites.” On July 24, 2020, the NRC staff responded
with a letter in support of the original conclusion. Western’s regulatory counsel has proposed alternatives. However, management
has decided not to proceed at this time, given its present opportunity set.
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Uranium
Section 232 Investigation/Nuclear Fuel Working Group Process
An investigation under Section 232 of the Trade
Expansion Act of 1962 was undertaken by the Department of Commerce in 2018 to assess the impact to national security of the importation
of uranium utilized by civilian nuclear reactors within the United States. In response to the Section 232 report, the Trump White House
formed the Nuclear Fuel Working Group (“NFWG”) to find solutions for reviving and expanding domestic nuclear fuel production
and reinvigorating recommendations. In April 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) released the NFWG report entitled “Restoring
America’s Competitive Nuclear Energy Advantage – A strategy to assure U.S. national security.” The report outlines
a strategy for the reestablishment of critical capabilities and direct support to the front end of the U.S. domestic nuclear fuel cycle.
In July 2021, the uranium Section 232 report was publicly released. The report concluded that uranium imports were “weakening our
internal economy” and “threaten to impair the national security” and recommended immediate actions to “enable
U.S. producers to recapture and sustain a market share of U.S. uranium consumption”. A number of the initiatives have been subsequently
implemented. Most recently, in December 2020, U.S. Congress passed the “COVID-Relief and Omnibus Spending Bill,” which included
$75 million for the establishment of a strategic U.S. Uranium Reserve. In June 2022, the DoE released program guidelines to initiate
purchases of $75 million of domestic uranium inventory which is already in storage at the Honeywell Metropolis Works uranium conversion
facility in Illinois USA. RFP submissions were due by August 1, 2022, and awards were expected to be announced within 60 days, but have
been delayed several times and not yet been made public. Western did not hold any qualifying inventory, so the Company didn’t submit
an RFP.
Most notably the results of the Section 232 and NFWG processes provided
an advance warning as to the national security risks of nuclear fuel cycle dependency upon Russia and its former Soviet republics. With
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the actual risk level is now understood to be of a greater magnitude than reported. Further, the cumulative
market distortions of competing against state-sponsored entities for decades has caused countries across the world to seek government
remedies to level the playing field. Any actions taken to remove pricing distortions from uranium markets are a positive outcome for U.S.
uranium miners.
Vanadium Section 232 Investigation
In the United States,
a petition for an investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 was requested by two domestic companies in November
2019. In June of 2020, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, initiated an investigation into whether the present quantities or
circumstances of vanadium imports into the United States threaten to impair the national security. The Section 232 National Security Investigation
of Imports of Vanadium was concluded, and a report was submitted to President Biden in February 2021. In July 2021, the report was made
public. It concluded that vanadium imports “do not threaten to impair the national security as defined in Section 232,” but
identified and recommended “several actions that would help to ensure reliable domestic sources of vanadium and lessen the potential
for imports to threaten national security.” No action has been taken on these recommendations.
Biden-Harris Administration
Initiatives
The positive momentum has continued for the nuclear and uranium mining
sector due to the Biden-Harris Administration’s emphasis on climate change. Upon taking office, the Biden team immediately rejoined
the Paris Agreement and continued its pursuit of campaign promises of investments in clean energy, creating jobs, producing clean electric
power, and achieving carbon-free energy in electricity generation by 2035. Since taking office, President Biden has given all agencies
climate change initiatives. The existing U.S. nuclear reactor fleet currently produces in excess of 50% of U.S. clean energy, and new,
advanced nuclear technologies promise to generate additional clean energy. In an acknowledgement of the future growth potential of new
nuclear technologies, the Biden-Harris Administration has increased U.S. government support of the industry to a level not seen in decades.
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On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into
law the Inflation Reduction Act which provisions for $369 billion in climate and energy investments, a portion of which will significantly
benefit the U.S. domestic nuclear industry. Notably, while protecting the climate, there is a leveling of the playing field with renewable
energy which has long benefited from government support. We see the benefits to nuclear split across existing reactors, new advanced reactors,
low enriched uranium and high-assay low enriched uranium nuclear fuels, and in multiple stages of the domestic nuclear fuel cycle. We
believe that each of these benefits increase future aggregate demand for uranium.
The Harris-Biden Administration continues to prioritize climate change
initiatives both in the United States and abroad. President Biden attended both the (COP26) and (COP27) United Nations Climate Change
Conferences. At the most recent conference, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, proposed a new initiative for the U.S.
to assist and accelerate a European transition from coal plants to SMRs. This program is ongoing as the Department of Energy is already
advancing this initiative.
Financial Buyers of Uranium - Sprott Physical Uranium Trust and
ANU Energy OEIC Ltd.
The Sprott Physical Uranium Trust (U.UN) (the “Trust”)
took over the former Uranium Participation Corp. (U.TO) and launched an at-the-market program (ATM) on August 17, 2021 to raise capital
for the closed-ended trust. Since the inception of the ATM program, the Trust has acquired significant quantities of uranium causing spot
prices to increase. In the one year since the Trust initiated its ATM program in August 2021 it has purchased ~40 million pounds of uranium
and grown the net asset value to ~ $3 billion.
Due to Sprott’s success a clone physical
uranium fund was launched on May 2022. The ANU Energy OEIC Ltd fund raised over $75 million dollars in a private placement and has made
its first uranium purchase. Kazatomprom, the world’s largest producer of uranium is a strategic investor and uranium supplier to
ANU Energy. Subsequently, the fund announced that it was contemplating a $500 million IPO in 4Q2022 or 1Q2023.
These dedicated investment vehicles highlight
the increasing impact of financial buyers on uranium markets. Physical uranium purchases by financial buyers are depleting material from
the spot market and sequestering it away from utility buyers. This has forced a market tightening as inventory levels of the most mobile
inventory have been significantly depleted, initiating a new round of long-term contracting by utilities.
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
In February, Russia invaded Ukraine commencing
a war between the two countries. Russia is a major global energy supplier and both countries are top ten uranium producers, and Russia
is a global leader in nuclear fuel services. On the day prior to the invasion, the spot price of uranium was less than $44/lbs and it
increased to a decade high peak of over $63/lbs, before subsequently settling around the $50/lbs spot price level.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has called
into question its role and future participation in the nuclear fuel cycle. However as of today, Rosatom, Russia’s national nuclear
company has avoided sanctions due to dependencies that have been built-up in the industry over decades. However, a desire to stay away
from bad actors and the threat of Russia weaponizing energy exports has elicited responses. Worldwide, utilities have accelerated their
contracting of non-Russian conversion and enrichment services. New uranium supply agreements are being signed with Western producers.
In the U.S., legislative and agency solutions are moving forward. This year multiple new nuclear funding programs have already been put
in place and the language from the DoE has only gotten stronger. The Secretary of Energy recently declared: “The United States wants
to be able to source its own fuel from ourselves and that’s why we are developing a uranium strategy.” It has become clear
that the DoE is committed to creating nuclear fuel solutions to address the current dependence and promote a geopolitical realignment
of the nuclear fuel cycle away from Russia.
As a result of these new realities, the U.S. Congress
is considering both sanctions and multiple pieces of legislation focusing on prohibiting the importation of Russian uranium and nuclear
fuel and supporting U.S. domestic miners and the U.S. nuclear fuel cycle. Most recently, in a show of bipartisan support, Senators Barrasso,
Manchin and Risch merged their competing legislation, which has been positioned for post-election deliberations.
There remains a possibility that Russia might
reverse-sanction the United States and not make nuclear fuel deliveries. Weaponizing of energy is a tactic that is already being deployed
in the Russia/Ukraine war and is increasingly becoming a matter of concern from countries that utilize Russian energy. As the U.S. has
the largest fleet of nuclear reactors, any action affecting this market will have the potential to cause a realignment of global uranium
markets.
Nuclear Fuel and Uranium Markets
Western currently is observing positive catalysts
across multiple levels of the nuclear fuel and uranium markets. At a micro-level the projected supply / demand imbalance is expanding.
Demand is increasing with new reactors being built, next generation reactors being advanced, operating reactor life extensions, restarts
of idle reactors, and nuclear phase-out plans being reversed. There are multiple data points pointing to a depletion of the secondary
supply overhang, which was prevalent for the last decade. At a macro-level, the electrification transition and climate change initiatives
have increased global support for nuclear. Further, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing global energy crisis has focused
attention on security of supply and supply chain risks. As a result, Western continues to advance our operational strategy in anticipation
of increasing uranium price levels which will reward the ability to quickly scale-up ore production.
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COVID-19
The
world has been, and continues to be, impacted by the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic. COVID-19, and measures to
prevent its spread, impacted our business in a number of ways. The impact of these disruptions and the extent of their adverse
impact on the Company’s financial and operating results will be dictated by the length of time that such disruptions continue,
which will, in turn, depend on the currently unpredictable duration and severity of the impacts of COVID-19, and among other things,
the impact of governmental actions imposed in response to COVID-19 and individuals’ and companies’ risk tolerance
regarding health matters going forward and developing strain mutations. To date, COVID-19 has primarily caused Western delays in
reporting, regulatory matters, and operations. Most notably, the Company initiated a request for Temporary Cessation status for the
Sunday Mine Complex in August 2020 as the mines had not been restarted within the 180-day window due to the direct and indirect
impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Van 4 Mine reclamation process was delayed because of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. The need to
observe quarantine periods also caused a limited loss of manpower and delay to the 2021 / 2022 Sunday Mine Complex project. The
COVID-19 pandemic has limited Western’s participation in industry and investor conference events. The Company is continuing to
monitor COVID-19 and its subvariants, and the potential impact of the pandemic on the Company’s operations.
Results
of Operations
For
the Three Months Ended
September 30,
For
the Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2022
2021
2022
2021
Revenue
$ 108,547
$ 16,155
$ 7,611,419
$ 48,465
Cost of revenues
-
-
4,044,083
-
Gross profit
108,547
16,155
3,567,336
48,465
Expenses
Mining expenditures
204,520
335,028
616,146
422,921
Professional fees
97,077
136,174
445,596
287,042
General and administrative
351,928
361,301
1,870,747
835,281
Consulting fees
18,346
12,801
78,165
16,810
Total operating expenses
671,871
845,304
3,010,654
1,562,054
Operating profit/(loss)
(563,324 )
(829,149 )
556,682
(1,513,589 )
Interest expense, net
(35,799 )
1,344
(17,740 )
4,687
Other (income)/expense
-
-
(4,000 )
-
Settlement expense
-
-
-
78,441
Net income/(loss)
(527,525 )
(830,493 )
578,422
(1,596,717 )
Other Comprehensive income/(loss)
Foreign exchange gain/(loss)
(148,365 )
(46,363 )
(312,492 )
23,531
Comprehensive income/(loss)
$ (675,890 )
$ (876,856 )
$ 265,930
$ (1,573,186 )
Three
Months Ended September 30, 2022 as Compared to the Three Months Ended September 30, 2021
Summary:
Our
consolidated net loss for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 was $527,525 or $0.01 per share and $830,493 or $0.02 per
share, respectively. The principal components of these year over year changes are discussed below.
Our
comprehensive loss for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 was $675,890 and $876,856, respectively.
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Revenue
Our revenue
for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 was $108,547 and $16,155, respectively. The increase in revenue of $92,392 was
primarily related to oil and gas royalties that were paid each month during the current quarter; payment of production royalties had not
yet commenced in the corresponding quarter in the prior year.
Mining Expenditures
Mining expenditures
for the three months ended September 30, 2022 were $204,520 as compared to $335,028 for the three months ended September 30, 2021. The
decrease in mining expenditures of $130,508, or 39% was principally attributable to a reduction in mining operations during the current
quarter while focusing on building an in-house mining capability; there were active mining operations during the full corresponding quarter
in the prior year.
Professional Fees
Professional fees for the three
months ended September 30, 2022 were $97,077 as compared to $136,174 for the three months ended September 30, 2021. The decrease in professional
fees of $39,097 or 29% was primarily due to a decrease in legal fees as Securities and Exchange Commission share registration expenditures
were concentrated in the prior period.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses
for the three months ended September 30, 2022 were $351,928 as compared to $361,301 for the three months ended September 30, 2021. The
decrease in general and administrative expense of $9,373 or 3% is primarily due to a $14,198 decrease in utility bills due to limited
mining operations in the current quarter versus full mining operations during the corresponding quarter in the prior period.
Consulting Fees
Consulting
fees for the three months ended September 30, 2022 were $18,346 as compared to $12,801 for the three months ended September 30, 2021.
The increase in consulting fees of $5,545 or 43% was principally due to our reduced utilization of consultants during 2021 due to COVID-19.
Accretion and Interest
Accretion and interest for the three months ended
September 30, 2022 produced income of $35,799 as compared to expense of $1,344 for the three months ended September 30, 2021. Due to increased
capital balances, the Company was afforded access to a cash program paying higher interest rates which benefitted from both higher market
interest rates and larger cash balances.
Foreign Exchange
Foreign exchange loss for the three months ended September 30, 2022
was $148,365 as compared to a loss of $46,363 for the three months ended September 30, 2021. The foreign exchange loss is primarily due
to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to the Canadian dollar.
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Nine
Months Ended September 30, 2022 as Compared to the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021
Summary:
Our
consolidated net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 was $578,422 or $0.01 per share and consolidated net loss was $1,596,717
or $0.04 per share for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The principal components of these year over year changes are discussed
below.
Our
comprehensive income for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 was $265,930 and comprehensive loss was $1,573,186 for the nine months
ended September 30, 2021.
Revenue
Our revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 was
$7,611,419 and $48,465, respectively. The increase in revenue of $7,562,954 was primarily related to the revenue recognized upon the satisfaction
of the uranium concentrate delivery under our supply contract whereby we delivered 125,000 lbs of uranium concentrate from our prepaid
uranium concentrate inventory. Further, oil and gas royalties were recognized during every month during 2022, but $0 of oil and gas royalties
and $48,465 of lease revenue were recognized during the corresponding nine-month period in the prior year.
Cost of
Revenue
Cost
of revenue was $4,044,083 for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 as compared to $0 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
This increase was a result of recording the cost of the uranium concentrate that was sold and delivered during the second quarter of
2022.
Mining
Expenditures
Mining expenditur es
for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 were $616,146 as compared to $422,921 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The increase
in mining expenditures of $193,225, or 46% was principally attributable to increases in the utilization of contract labor, hydrology expenditures,
and mining costs. The Company’s Sunday Mine Complex was active more months during the current period versus the prior period and
costs of building an in-house mining capability were concentrated in the second and third quarters.
Professional
Fees
Professional fees for the nine
months ended September 30, 2022 were $445,596 as compared to $287,042 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The increase in professional
fees of $158,554 or 55% was primarily due to an increase in legal expenditures and the reduced utilization of consultants during the prior
year period due to COVID-19.
General
and Administrative
General and administrative expenses
for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 were $1,870,747 as compared to $835,281 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The
increase in general and administrative expense of $1,035,446, or 124% is primarily due to a $744,327 increase in stock-based compensation
expense as the 2021 stock option awards were granted and vested entirely during 2022. There was also a $122,036 increase in payroll expenses
due to an increase in staff and compensation. Investor relations expenditures increased by $37,190 as investor initiatives were re-initiated
in 2022.
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Consulting
Fees
Consulting
fees for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 were $78,165 as compared to $16,810 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The
increase in consulting fees of $61,355 was principally due to our reduced utilization of consultants during 2021 due to COVID-19.
Accretion
and Interest
Accretion and interest for the nine months ended
September 30, 2022 produced income of $17,740 as compared to expense of $4,687 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. Due to increased
capital balances, the Company was afforded access to a cash program paying higher interest rates which benefitted from both higher market
interest rates and larger cash balances.
Foreign
Exchange
Foreign exchange loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2022
was $312,492 as compared to a gain of $23,531 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The foreign exchange loss is primarily due
to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to the Canadian dollar.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
The
Company’s cash and restricted cash balance as of September 30, 2022 was $11,220,194. The Company’s cash position is highly
dependent on its ability to raise capital through the issuance of debt and equity and its management of expenditures for mining development
and for fulfillment of its public company reporting responsibilities. Management believes that in order to finance the development of
the mining properties and Kinetic Separation, the Company will be required to raise additional capital by way of debt and/or equity.
Western could potentially require additional capital if the scope of Company’s projects expands. This outlook is based on the Company’s
current financial position and is subject to change if opportunities become available based on current exploration program results and/or
external opportunities.
Net cash
provided by (used in) operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activities was $5,174,546 for the nine
months ended September 30, 2022, as compared with $1,576,627 used in operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
Of the $5,174,546 in net cash provided by operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, $578,422 is derived from
our net income before non-cash adjustments. After non-cash adjustments the cash income increased to $1,378,191. Changes in our operating
assets and liabilities for the period primarily includes a $4,085,723 decrease in prepaid uranium concentrate inventory and a decrease
of $146,177 in subscription payable.
Net cash
used in investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities was $895,400 for the nine months
ended September 30, 2022, as compared with $65,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. This net cash used consists of purchases
of equipment and vehicles to build Western’s in-house mining capability.
Net cash
provided by financing activities
Net
cash provided by financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 were $5,632,273 and $5,519,337, respectively.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2022 we completed a private placement representing aggregate net proceeds of $3,011,878 and
received $2,620,395 from the exercise of warrants.
26
Reclamation
Liability
The Company’s mines are subject to certain
asset retirement obligations, which the Company has recorded as reclamation liabilities. The reclamation liabilities of the United States
mines are subject to legal and regulatory requirements, and estimates of the costs of reclamation are reviewed periodically by the applicable
regulatory authorities. The reclamation liability represents the Company’s best estimate of the present value of future reclamation
costs in connection with the mineral properties. The Company determined the gross reclamation liabilities of the mineral properties to
be $751,405 and $740,446 as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. The Company expects to begin incurring the reclamation
liability after 2054 for all mines that are not in reclamation and accordingly, has discounted the gross liabilities over their remaining
lives using a discount rate of 5.4%. The net discounted aggregated values as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were $297,510
and $271,620, respectively. The gross reclamation liabilities as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 are secured by financial
warranties in the amount of $751,405 and $740,446, respectively.
On March 2, 2020, the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board (“MLRB”)
issued an order vacating the Van 4 Temporary Cessation, terminating mining operations and ordering commencement of final reclamation.
The Company has begun the reclamation of the Van 4 Mine. The reclamation cost is fully covered by the reclamation bonds posted upon acquisition
of the property. The Company adjusted the fair value of its reclamation obligation for the Van 4 Mine. Reclamation at the Van 4 Mine has
continued using company employees and equipment. The headframe and ore bins have been dissembled and placed into storage. This phase followed
building removal; hence cement pads are the only structures remaining onsite. The portion of the reclamation liability related to the
Van 4 Mine and its related restricted cash are included in current liabilities and current assets, respectively, at a value of $75,057.
Oil
and Gas Lease and Easement
The
Company entered into an oil and gas lease that became effective with respect to minerals and mineral rights owned by the Company of approximately
160 surface acres of the Company’s property in Colorado. As consideration for entering into the lease, the lessee has agreed to
pay the Company a royalty from the lessee’s revenue attributed to oil and gas produced, saved, and sold attributable to the net
mineral interest. The Company has also received cash payments from the lessee related to the easement that the Company is recognizing
incrementally over the eight year term of the easement.
On
June 23, 2020, the same entity as discussed above elected to extend the oil and gas lease easement for three additional years, commencing
on the date the lease would have previously expired. During 2021, the operator completed all well development stages and each of the
eight (8) Blue Teal Fed wells commenced oil and gas production by mid-August 2021.
During
the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized aggregate revenue of $108,547 and $16,155, respectively, and
for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized aggregate revenue of $387,810 and $48,465, respectively,
under these oil and gas lease arrangements. On January 31, 2022, the operator of the Weld County Colorado oil and gas pooled trust issued
the first cumulative royalty payment check in the amount of $207,552 for August 2021 through December 2021 sales which was recognized
as income in the fourth quarter of 2021. Subsequently, in 2022, monthly royalty checks were received for sales during each of the months
in the first quarter.
27
Related
Party Transactions
The
Company has transacted with related parties pursuant to service arrangements in the ordinary course of business, as follows:
Prior
to the acquisition of Black Range, Mr. George Glasier, the Company’s CEO, who is also a director of the Company (“Seller”),
transferred his interest in a former joint venture with Ablation Technologies, LLC to Black Range. In connection with the transfer, Black
Range issued 25 million shares of Black Range common stock to Seller and committed to pay AUD $500,000 (USD $321,600 as of September
30, 2022) to Seller within 60 days of the first commercial application of the Kinetic Separation technology. Western assumed this contingent
payment obligation in connection with the acquisition of Black Range. At the date of the acquisition of Black Range, this contingent
obligation was determined to be probable. Since the deferred contingent consideration obligation is probable and the amount is estimable,
the Company recorded the deferred contingent consideration as an assumed liability in the amount of $321,600 and $362,794 as of September
30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.
The
Company also owed Mr. Glasier reimbursable expenses in the amount of $54,000 and $65,753 as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021,
respectively.
Going
Concern
With the exception of the quarter ending June 30, 2022, we had incur red
losses from our operations. During the three months ended September 30, 2022, we generated a net loss of $527,525. We expect to generate
operating losses for the foreseeable future as we incur expenses to bring our mining operations online. As of September 30, 2022, we had
an accumulated deficit of $12,583,074 and working capital of $10,181,380.
Since
inception, the Company has met its liquidity requirements principally through the issuance of notes and the sale of its common shares.
On January 20, 2022, the Company closed on a non-brokered private placement of 2,495,575 units at a price of CAD $1.60 per unit. The
aggregate gross proceeds raised in the private placement amounted to CAD $3,992,920 (USD $3,011,878 in net proceeds). During the nine
months ended September 30, 2022, the Company received $2,620,395 in proceeds from the exercise of warrants.
The
Company’s ability to continue its operations and to pay its obligations when they become due is contingent upon the Company obtaining
additional financing. Management’s plans include seeking to procure additional funds through debt and equity financings, to secure
regulatory approval to fully utilize its Kinetic Separation and to initiate the processing of ore to generate operating cash flows.
There
are no assurances that the Company will be able to raise capital on terms acceptable to the Company or at all, or that cash flows generated
from its operations will be sufficient to meet its current operating costs and required debt service. If the Company is unable to obtain
sufficient amounts of additional capital, it may be required to reduce the scope of its planned product development, which could harm
its financial condition and operating results, or it may not be able to continue to fund its ongoing operations. These conditions raise
substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern to sustain operations for at least one year from the
issuance of the accompanying financial statements. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments
that might result from the outcome of these uncertainties.
28
Off
Balance Sheet Arrangements
As
of September 30, 2022, there were no off-balance sheet transactions. The Company has not entered into any specialized financial agreements
to minimize its investment risk, currency risk or commodity risk.
Critical
Accounting Estimates and Policies
The
preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements requires management to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions
that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and reported
amounts of expenses during the reporting period.
Significant
assumptions about the future and other sources of estimation uncertainty that management has made at the end of the reporting period,
that could result in a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities, in the event that actual results differ
from assumptions made, include, but are not limited to, the following: fair value of transactions involving common shares, assessment
of the useful life and evaluation for impairment of intangible assets, valuation and impairment assessments on mineral properties, deferred
contingent consideration, the reclamation liability, valuation of stock-based compensation, valuation of available-for-sale securities
and valuation of long-term debt, HST and asset retirement obligations. Other areas requiring estimates include allocations of expenditures,
depletion and amortization of mineral rights and properties
Item
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Not applicable.
Item
4. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As
of the end of the period covered by this report, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer evaluated the effectiveness
of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the “Exchange Act”)). Based on their evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures, our principal executive
officer and principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of September 30,
2022 to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act
is (a) recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and (b) accumulated
and communicated to management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow for
timely decisions regarding required disclosures.
Description
of Material Weakness
Management
has concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of September 30, 2022 due to the lack
of segregation of duties and the failure to report disclosures on a timely basis.
Remediation
of Material Weakness
Management
has developed a plan and related timeline for the Company to design a set of control procedures and the related required documentation
thereof in order to address this material weakness. However, its implementation was delayed as a decline in commodity prices caused the
Company to pursue aggressive cost cutting and de-staffing which has increasingly concentrated duties on the remaining staff. Until the
Company has the proper staff in place, it likely will not be able to remediate its material weaknesses.
Changes
in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There
have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by paragraph
(d) of Rules 13a-15 or 15d-15 under the Exchange Act that occurred during the current fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or
are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
29
PART
II . OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. Legal Proceedings
In
the opinion of management, we are not involved in any claims, legal actions or regulatory proceedings as of September 30, 2022, the ultimate
disposition of which would have a material adverse effect on our condensed consolidated financial position, results of operations, or
cash flows.
Item
1A. Risk Factors
Risks
Related to Our Business
Our
business activities are subject to significant risks, including those described below. Every investor or potential investor in our securities
should carefully consider these risks. If any of the described risks actually occurs, our business, financial position and results of
operations could be materially adversely affected. Such risks are not the only ones we face and additional risks and uncertainties not
presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business.
Our
ability to become a successful operating mining company is contingent on whether we can continue to access adequate operating capital
and can ultimately mine our properties at a profit sufficient to finance further mining activities and to acquire and finance additional
reserves, all in spite of potentially significant fluctuations in the market prices of uranium and vanadium.
With the
exception of the quarter ending June 30, 2022, we had incurred losses from our operations. During the three months ended September 30,
2022, we generated a net loss of $527,525. We expect to generate operating losses for the foreseeable future as we incur expenses to bring
our mining operations online. As of September 30, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $12,583,074 and working capital of $10,181,380.
The
Company’s ability to continue its planned operations and to pay its obligations when they become due is contingent upon the Company
obtaining additional financing. Management’s plans include seeking to procure additional funds through debt and equity financings,
to secure regulatory approval to fully utilize its Kinetic Separation technology and to initiate the processing of ore to generate operating
cash flows.
If
we cannot access additional sources of private or public capital, partner with another company that has cash resources and/or find other
means of generating revenue other than uranium or vanadium sales, we may not be able to fully realize our planned operations.
Until
we can produce and sell sufficient amounts of uranium and/or vanadium, we will have no way to generate adequate cash inflows except by
monetizing certain of our assets, partnering with third parties that are better financed or obtaining additional financing of our own.
We can provide no assurance that our properties will produce saleable production or that we will be able to continue to find, develop,
acquire and finance additional mineral resources. If we cannot monetize certain existing assets, partner with another company that has
cash resources, find other means of generating revenue other than uranium or vanadium production and/or access additional sources of
private or public capital, we may not be able to remain in business and our shareholders may lose their entire investment.
30
Our
ability to function as an operating mining company will be dependent on our ability to mine our properties at a profit sufficient to
finance further mining activities and for the acquisition and development of additional properties. The volatility of uranium prices
makes long-range planning uncertain and raising capital difficult.
Our
ability to operate on a positive cash flow basis will be dependent on mining sufficient quantities of uranium or vanadium at a profit
sufficient to finance our operations and for the acquisition and development of additional mining properties. Any profit will necessarily
be dependent upon, and affected by, the long and short term market prices of uranium and vanadium, which are subject to significant fluctuation.
Uranium prices have been and will continue to be affected by numerous factors beyond our control. These factors include the demand for
nuclear power, political and economic conditions in uranium producing and consuming countries, uranium supply from secondary sources
and uranium production levels and costs of production. A significant, sustained drop in uranium prices may make it impossible to operate
our business at a level that will permit us to cover our fixed costs or to remain in operation.
Evaluating
our future performance may be difficult since we have a limited financial and operating history, with significant negative cash flow
and an accumulated deficit to date. Furthermore, there is no assurance that we will be successful in securing additional sources of capital
sufficient to support our planned operations. As such, substantial doubt exists as to whether our cash resources and working capital
will be sufficient to fund our planned operations over the next twelve months. Our long-term success will depend ultimately on our ability
to raise additional capital, to achieve and maintain operational profitability and to develop positive cash flows from our mining activities.
As
more fully described within this quarterly report, we acquired our first mineral properties in November of 2014. To date, we have been
acquiring additional mineral properties and raising capital. We hold uranium projects in various stages of exploration in the states
of Colorado and Utah.
As
more fully described under “Liquidity and Capital Resources” of Item 2. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Result of Operations”, we have a history of significant negative cash flows and net losses, with an
accumulated deficit balance of $12.6 million and $13.2 million at September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. We have been
reliant on royalty revenues and equity financings from the sale of our common shares in order to fund our operations. We do not expect
to achieve profitability or develop positive cash flows from operations in the near term. As a result of our limited financial and operating
history, including our significant negative cash flows and net losses to date, it may be difficult to evaluate our future performance.
At
September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we had working capital of $10,181,380 and $4,492,169, respectively. The continuation of the
Company as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to obtain adequate additional financing. However, there is no assurance that
we will be successful in securing any form of additional financing in the future; therefore, substantial doubt exists as to whether our
cash resources and working capital will be sufficient to enable the Company to continue its operations over the next twelve months. The
condensed consolidated financial statements for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 were prepared assuming that the Company would
continue as a going concern. The condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the
outcome of this uncertainty.
Our
reliance on equity and debt financings is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. The availability of such funds whenever such
additional financing is required, will be dependent on many factors beyond our control, including, but not limited to, the market price
of uranium, the continuing public support of nuclear power as a viable source of electricity generation, the volatility in the global
financial markets affecting our stock price and the status of the worldwide economy, any one of which may cause significant challenges
in our ability to access additional financing, including access to the equity and credit markets. We may also be required to seek other
forms of financing, such as asset divestitures or joint venture arrangements to continue advancing our uranium projects, which would
depend entirely on finding a suitable third party willing to enter into such an arrangement, typically involving an assignment of a percentage
interest in the mineral project.
31
Our
long-term success, including the recoverability of the carrying values of our assets and our ability to acquire additional uranium projects
and continue with exploration and pre-extraction activities and mining activities on our existing uranium projects, will depend ultimately
on our ability to achieve and maintain profitability and positive cash flow from our operations by establishing ore bodies that contain
commercially recoverable uranium and to develop these into profitable mining activities. The economic viability of our mining activities
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) significantly lower than expected
uranium extraction; (vi) significant delays, reductions or stoppages of uranium extraction activities; and (vi) the introduction of significantly
more stringent regulatory laws and regulations. Our mining activities may change as a result of any one or more of these risks and uncertainties
and there is no assurance that any ore body that we extract mineralized materials from will result in achieving and maintaining profitability
and developing positive cash flow.
Our
operations are capital intensive, and we will require significant additional financing to continue production at the Sunday Mine Complex,
continue exploration and begin pre-extraction activities on our other existing uranium/vanadium projects, and acquire additional uranium/vanadium
projects.
Our
operations are capital intensive and future capital expenditures are expected to be substantial. We will require significant additional
financing to fund our operations, including continuing production at the Sunday Mine Complex, continuing exploration on our other existing
projects and beginning pre-extraction activities on those projects, which include assaying, drilling, geological and geochemical analysis
and mine construction costs, and acquiring additional uranium/vanadium projects. In the absence of such additional financing, we would
not be able to fund our operations, which may result in delays, curtailment or abandonment of any one or all of our uranium projects.
Uranium/vanadium
exploration and pre-extraction programs and mining activities are inherently subject to numerous significant risks and uncertainties,
and actual results may differ significantly from expectations or anticipated amounts. Furthermore, exploration programs conducted on
our uranium/vanadium projects may not result in the establishment of ore bodies that contain commercially recoverable uranium/vanadium.
Uranium/vanadium
exploration and pre-extraction programs and mining activities are inherently subject to numerous significant risks and uncertainties,
many beyond our control, including, but not limited to: (i) unanticipated ground and water conditions and adverse claims to water rights;
(ii) unusual or unexpected geological formations; (iii) metallurgical and other processing problems; (iv) the occurrence of unusual weather
or operating conditions and other force majeure events; (v) lower than expected ore grades; (vi) industrial accidents; (vii) delays in
the receipt of or failure to receive necessary government permits; (viii) delays in transportation; (ix) availability of contractors
and labor; (x) government permit restrictions and regulation restrictions; (xi) unavailability of materials, equipment and milling facilities;
and (xii) the failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations. These risks and uncertainties
could result in delays, reductions or stoppages in our mining activities; increased capital and/or extraction costs; damage to, or destruction
of, our mineral projects, extraction facilities or other properties; personal injuries; environmental damage; monetary losses; and legal
claims.
32
Success
in uranium/vanadium exploration is dependent on many factors, including, without limitation, the experience and capabilities of a company’s
management, the availability of geological expertise and the availability of sufficient funds to conduct the exploration program. Even
if an exploration program is successful and commercially recoverable uranium/vanadium is established, it may take a number of years from
the initial phases of drilling and identification of the mineralization until extraction is possible, during which time the economic
feasibility of extraction may change such that the uranium ceases to be economically recoverable. Uranium/vanadium exploration is frequently
non-productive due, for example, to poor exploration results or the inability to establish ore bodies that contain commercially recoverable
uranium, in which case the uranium project may be abandoned and written-off. Furthermore, we will not be able to benefit from our exploration
efforts and recover the expenditures that we incur on our exploration programs if we do not establish ore bodies that contain commercially
recoverable uranium/vanadium and develop these uranium/vanadium projects into profitable mining activities, and there is no assurance
that we will be successful in doing so for any of our uranium/vanadium projects.
Whether
an ore body contains commercially recoverable uranium/vanadium depends on many factors including, without limitation: (i) the particular
attributes, including material changes to those attributes, of the ore body such as size, grade, recovery rates and proximity to infrastructure;
(ii) the market price of uranium, which may be volatile; and (iii) government regulations and regulatory requirements including, without
limitation, those relating to environmental protection, permitting and land use, taxes, land tenure and transportation.
We
have established the existence of mineralized materials on our uranium properties. However, we have not established any measured, indicated
or inferred mineral resources or any proven or probable reserves through the completion of a feasibility study for any of our uranium
properties and we have no current plans to seek to do so, as it would not serve a business purpose at the present time. Furthermore,
we have no current plans to establish proven or probable reserves for any of our uranium properties as it doesn’t serve a business
purpose at the present time.
Because
the number of mills permitted for processing of uranium and vanadium is very limited, it may be difficult for us to gain access to a
mill on favorable terms, or at all, and this could negatively affect our ability to do business.
In
the event that there is not a buying program in place for uranium/vanadium ore, the Company would need to arrange with a third party
for conventional milling services. Because the number of mills permitted for processing of uranium and vanadium is very limited, it may
be difficult for us to gain access to a mill on favorable terms, or at all. This could result in increased costs and/or significant delays
in, interruption of, or cessation of the Company’s business activities. The practice of selling uranium/vanadium ore without first
processing into yellowcake (U3O8) or Vanadium Pentoxide (V2O5) would likely generate lower revenues.
Our
ability to realize anticipated benefits of the Kinetic Separation process is subject to uncertainties associated with that process.
In
order to utilize Kinetic Separation to process uranium/vanadium bearing ore, there are uncertainties that must be addressed. Currently,
to utilize Kinetic Separation the Company would need to either apply for its own milling license for a processing facility or arrange
to utilize a third party’s mill, either of which would entail delays and associated costs. The Company and its regulatory counsel
are continuing to seek an alternative path forward that would allow the Company to use Kinetic Separation either inside a uranium mine
or on the surface outside of the underground workings to further reduce transportation costs. There is no assurance that such an alternative
approach will be approved.
In
addition, although the Company has conducted initial tests of its Kinetic Separation technology with what appear to be positive results,
those results have not been validated by a qualified person.
33
We
do not insure against all of the risks we face in our operations.
In
general, where coverage is available and not prohibitively expensive relative to the perceived risk, we will maintain insurance against
such risk, subject to exclusions and limitations. We currently maintain insurance against certain risks including securities and general
commercial liability claims and certain physical assets used in our operations, subject to exclusions and limitations; however, we do
not maintain insurance to cover all of the potential risks and hazards associated with our operations. We may be subject to liability
for environmental, pollution or other hazards associated with our exploration, pre-extraction and extraction activities, which we may
not be insured against, which may exceed the limits of our insurance coverage or which we may elect not to insure against because of
high premiums or other reasons. Furthermore, we cannot provide assurance that any insurance coverage we currently have will continue
to be available at reasonable premiums or that such insurance will adequately cover any resulting liability.
Our
inability to obtain financial surety would threaten our ability to continue in business.
Future
financial surety requirements to comply with federal and state environmental and remediation requirements and to secure necessary licenses
and approvals may increase significantly as future development and production occurs at certain of our sites in the United States. The
amount of the financial surety for each producing property is subject to annual review and revision by regulators. We expect that the
issuer of the financial surety instruments will require us to provide cash collateral for a significant amount of the face amount of
the bond to secure the obligation. In the event we are not able to raise, secure or generate sufficient funds necessary to satisfy these
requirements, we will be unable to develop our sites and bring them into production, which inability will have a material adverse impact
on our business and may negatively affect our ability to continue to operate.
Acquisitions
that we may make from time to time could have an adverse impact on us.
From
time to time, we examine opportunities to acquire additional mining assets and businesses. Any acquisition that we may choose to complete
may be of a significant size, may change the scale of our business and operations, and may expose us to new geographic, political, operating,
financial and geological risks. Our success in our acquisition activities depends on our ability to identify suitable acquisition candidates,
negotiate acceptable terms for any such acquisition, and integrate the acquired operations successfully with those of our Company. Any
acquisitions would be accompanied by risks which could have a material adverse effect on our business. For example, there may be a significant
change in commodity prices after we have committed to complete the transaction and established the purchase price or exchange ratio;
a material ore body may prove to be below expectations; we may have difficulty integrating and assimilating the operations and personnel
of any acquired companies, realizing anticipated synergies and maximizing the financial and strategic position of the combined enterprise,
and maintaining uniform standards, policies and controls across the organization; the integration of the acquired business or assets
may disrupt our ongoing business and our relationships with employees, customers, suppliers and contractors; and the acquired business
or assets may have unknown liabilities which may be significant. In the event that we choose to raise debt capital to finance any such
acquisition, our leverage will be increased. If we choose to use equity as consideration for such acquisition, existing shareholders
may suffer dilution. Alternatively, we may choose to finance any such acquisition with our existing resources. There can be no assurance
that we would be successful in overcoming these risks or any other problems encountered in connection with such acquisitions.
34
The
uranium industry is subject to numerous stringent laws, regulations and standards, including environmental protection laws and regulations.
If any changes occur that would make these laws, regulations and standards more stringent, it may require capital outlays in excess of
those anticipated or cause substantial delays, which would have a material adverse effect on our operations.
Uranium
exploration and pre-extraction programs and mining activities are subject to numerous stringent laws, regulations and standards at the
federal, state, and local levels governing permitting, pre-extraction, extraction, exports, taxes, labor standards, occupational health,
waste disposal, protection and reclamation of the environment, protection of endangered and protected species, mine safety, hazardous
substances and other matters. Our compliance with these requirements requires significant financial and personnel resources.
The
laws, regulations, policies or current administrative practices of any government body, organization or regulatory agency in the United
States or any other applicable jurisdiction, may change or be applied or interpreted in a manner which may also have a material adverse
effect on our operations. The actions, policies or regulations, or changes thereto, of any government body or regulatory agency or special
interest group, may also have a material adverse effect on our operations.
Uranium
exploration and pre-extraction programs and mining activities are subject to stringent environmental protection laws and regulations
at the federal, state, and local levels. These laws and regulations, which include permitting and reclamation requirements, regulate
emissions, water storage and discharges and disposal of hazardous wastes. Uranium mining activities are also subject to laws and regulations
which seek to maintain health and safety standards by regulating the design and use of mining methods. Various permits from governmental
and regulatory bodies are required for mining to commence or continue, and no assurance can be provided that required permits will be
received in a timely manner.
Our compliance costs, including the posting of
surety bonds associated with environmental protection laws and regulations and health and safety standards, have been significant to date
and are expected to increase in scale and scope as we expand our operations in the future. Furthermore, environmental protection laws
and regulations may become more stringent in the future, and compliance with such changes may require capital outlays in excess of those
anticipated or cause substantial delays, which would have a material adverse effect on our operations.
To
the best of our knowledge, our operations are in compliance, in all material respects, with all applicable laws, regulations and standards.
We may not be able or may elect not to insure against the risk of liability for violations of such laws, regulations and standards, due
to high insurance premiums or other reasons. Where coverage is available and not prohibitively expensive relative to the perceived risk,
we will maintain insurance against such risk, subject to exclusions and limitations. However, we cannot provide any assurance that such
insurance will continue to be available at reasonable premiums or that such insurance will be adequate to cover any resulting liability.
We
may not be able to obtain, maintain or amend rights, authorizations, licenses, permits or consents required for our operations.
Our
exploration and mining activities are dependent upon the grant of appropriate rights, authorizations, licenses, permits and consents,
as well as continuation and amendment of these rights, authorizations, licenses, permits and consents already granted, which may be granted
for a defined period of time, or may not be granted or may be withdrawn or made subject to limitations. There can be no assurance that
all necessary rights, authorizations, licenses, permits and consents will be granted to us, or that authorizations, licenses, permits
and consents already granted will not be withdrawn or made subject to limitations.
35
Closure
and remediation costs for environmental liabilities may exceed the provisions we have made.
Natural
resource companies are required to close their operations and rehabilitate the lands in accordance with a variety of environmental laws
and regulations. Estimates of the total ultimate closure and rehabilitation costs for uranium operations are significant and based principally
on current legal and regulatory requirements and closure plans that may change materially. Any underestimated or unanticipated rehabilitation
costs could materially affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Environmental liabilities are accrued when
they become known, are probable and can be reasonably estimated. Whenever a previously unrecognized remediation liability becomes known,
or a previously estimated reclamation cost is increased, the amount of that liability and additional cost will be recorded at that time
and could materially reduce our consolidated net income in the related period.
The
laws and regulations governing closure and remediation in a particular jurisdiction are subject to review at any time and may be amended
to impose additional requirements and conditions which may cause our provisions for environmental liabilities to be underestimated and
could materially affect our financial position or results of operations.
Major
nuclear incidents may have adverse effects on the nuclear and uranium industries.
The
nuclear incident that occurred in Japan in March 2011 had significant and adverse effects on both the nuclear and uranium industries.
If another nuclear incident were to occur, it may have further adverse effects for both industries. Public opinion of nuclear power as
a source of electricity generation may be adversely affected, which may cause governments of certain countries to further increase regulation
for the nuclear industry, reduce or abandon current reliance on nuclear power or reduce or abandon existing plans for nuclear power expansion.
Any one of these occurrences has the potential to reduce current and/or future demand for nuclear power, resulting in lower demand for
uranium and lower market prices for uranium, adversely affecting the Company’s operations and prospects. Furthermore, the growth
of the nuclear and uranium industries is dependent on continuing and growing public support of nuclear power as a viable source of electricity
generation.
The
marketability of uranium concentrates will be affected by numerous factors beyond our control which may result in our inability to receive
an adequate return on our invested capital.
The
marketability of uranium concentrates extracted by us will be affected by numerous factors beyond our control. These factors include
macroeconomic factors, fluctuations in the market price of uranium, governmental regulations, land tenure and use, regulations concerning
the importing and exporting of uranium and environmental protection regulations. The future effects of these factors cannot be accurately
predicted, but any one or a combination of these factors may result in our inability to receive an adequate return on our invested capital.
The
only significant market for uranium is nuclear power plants world-wide, and there are a limited number of customers.
We
are dependent on a limited number of electric utilities that buy uranium for nuclear power plants. Because of the limited market for
uranium, a reduction in purchases of newly produced uranium by electric utilities for any reason (such as plant closings) would adversely
affect the viability of our business.
36
The
price of alternative energy sources affects the demand for and price of uranium.
The
attractiveness of uranium as an alternative fuel to generate electricity may be dependent on the relative prices of oil, gas, wind, solar,
coal and hydro-electricity and the possibility of developing other low-cost sources of energy. If the prices of alternative energy sources
decrease or new low-cost alternative energy sources are developed, the demand for uranium could decrease, which may result in a decrease
in the price of uranium.
The
title to our mineral property interests may be challenged.
Although
we have taken reasonable measures to ensure proper title to our interests in mineral properties and other assets, there is no guarantee
that the title to any of such interests will not be challenged. No assurance can be given that we will be able to secure the grant or
the renewal of existing mineral rights and tenures on terms satisfactory to us, or that governments in the jurisdictions in which we
operate will not revoke or significantly alter such rights or tenures or that such rights or tenures will not be challenged or impugned
by third parties, including local governments, aboriginal peoples or other claimants. Our mineral properties may be subject to prior
unregistered agreements, transfers or claims, and title may be affected by, among other things, undetected defects. A successful challenge
to the precise area and location of our claims could result in us being unable to operate on our properties as permitted or being unable
to enforce our rights with respect to our properties.
Due
to the nature of our business, we may be subject to legal proceedings which may divert management’s time and attention from our
business and result in substantial damage awards.
Due
to the nature of our business, we may be subject to numerous regulatory investigations, securities claims, civil claims, lawsuits and
other proceedings in the ordinary course of our business. The outcome of these lawsuits is uncertain and subject to inherent uncertainties,
and the actual costs to be incurred will depend upon many unknown factors. We may be forced to expend significant resources in the defense
of these suits, and we may not prevail. Defending against these and other lawsuits in the future may not only require us to incur significant
legal fees and expenses, but may become time-consuming for us and detract from our ability to fully focus our internal resources on our
business activities. The results of any legal proceeding cannot be predicted with certainty due to the uncertainty inherent in litigation,
the difficulty of predicting decisions of regulators, judges and juries and the possibility that decisions may be reversed on appeal.
There can be no assurances that these matters will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position or operating
results.
Competition
from better-capitalized companies affects prices and our ability to acquire both properties and personnel.
There
is global competition for uranium/vanadium properties, ore processing mills, capital, customers and the employment and retention of qualified
personnel. In the production and marketing of uranium and vanadium, there are a number of producing entities, some of which are government
controlled and all of which are significantly larger and better capitalized than we are. Many of these organizations also have substantially
greater financial, technical, manufacturing and distribution resources than we have.
Our
uranium production also competes with uranium recovered from the de-enrichment of highly enriched uranium obtained from the dismantling
of United States and Russian nuclear weapons and imports to the United States of uranium from the former Soviet Union and from the sale
of uranium inventory held by the DoE. In addition, there are numerous entities in the market that compete with us for properties and
mills and are attempting to become licensed to operate ISR and/or underground mining facilities. If we are unable to successfully compete
for properties, mills, capital, customers or employees or with alternative uranium sources, it could have a materially adverse effect
on our results of operations.
37
Because
we have limited capital, inherent mining risks pose a significant threat to us compared with our larger competitors.
Because
we have limited capital, we may be unable to withstand significant losses that can result from inherent risks associated with mining,
including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, flooding, earthquake, interruptions due to weather conditions and other acts of
nature which larger competitors could withstand. Such risks could result in damage to or destruction of our infrastructure and production
facilities, as well as to adjacent properties, personal injury, environmental damage and processing and production delays, causing monetary
losses and possible legal liability. Our business could be harmed if we lose the services of our key personnel.
Our
business and mineral exploration programs depend upon our ability to employ the services of geologists, engineers and other experts.
In operating our business and in order to continue our programs, we compete for the services of professionals with other mineral exploration
companies and businesses. Our ability to maintain and expand our business and continue our exploration programs may be impaired if we
are unable to continue to employ or engage those parties currently providing services and expertise to us or identify and engage other
qualified personnel to do so in their place. To retain key personnel, we may face increased compensation costs, including potential new
stock incentive grants and there can be no assurance that the incentive measures we implement will be successful in helping us retain
our key personnel.
If
we fail to maintain proper and effective internal controls, our ability to produce accurate and timely condensed consolidated financial
statements could be impaired, which could harm our operating results, our ability to operate our business and investors’ views
of us.
Ensuring
that we have adequate internal financial and accounting controls and procedures in place so that we can produce accurate condensed consolidated
financial statements on a timely basis is a costly and time-consuming effort that will need to be evaluated frequently. Section 404 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires public companies to conduct an annual review and evaluation of their internal controls, which the Company
does each year. Our failure to maintain the effectiveness of our internal controls in accordance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act could have a material adverse effect on our business. We could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial
reports, which could have an adverse effect on the price of our common shares.
38
Our
business, financial condition and results of operations may be negatively affected by economic and other consequences from Russia’s
military action against Ukraine and the international sanctions imposed in response to that action.
In
late February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale military attack on Ukraine. The invasion significantly amplified already existing
geopolitical tensions among Russia, Ukraine, Europe, NATO and the West, including the United States. In response to the military
action by Russia, various countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and European Union issued broad-ranging economic
sanctions against Russia. Such sanctions included, among other things, a prohibition on doing business with certain Russian companies,
large financial institutions, officials and oligarchs; a commitment by certain countries and the European Union to remove selected Russian
banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications, or SWIFT, the electronic banking network that connects banks
globally; a ban of oil imports from Russia to the United States; and restrictive measures to prevent the Russian Central Bank from undermining
the impact of the sanctions. Additional sanctions have been and may be imposed in the future. Such sanctions (and any future sanctions)
and other actions against Russia may adversely impact, among other things, the Russian economy and various sectors of the economy, including
but not limited to, financial, energy, metals and mining, engineering and defense and defense-related materials sectors; result in a
decline in the value and liquidity of Russian securities; result in boycotts, tariffs, and purchasing and financing restrictions on Russia’s
government, companies and certain individuals; weaken the value of the ruble; downgrade the country’s credit rating; freeze Russian
securities and/or funds invested in prohibited assets and impair the ability to trade in Russian securities and/or other assets; and
have other adverse consequences on the Russian government, economy, companies and region. Further, several large corporations and U.S.
states have announced plans to divest interests or otherwise curtail business dealings with certain Russian businesses.
The
ramifications of the hostilities and sanctions may not be limited to Russia, Ukraine and Russian and Ukrainian companies and
may spill over to and negatively impact other regional and global economic markets (including Europe and the United States), companies
in other countries (particularly those that have done business with Russia and Ukraine) and on various sectors, industries and markets
for securities and commodities globally, such as oil and natural gas. Accordingly, the actions discussed above and the potential for
a wider conflict could increase financial market volatility and cause severe negative effects on regional and global economic markets,
industries, and companies. In addition, Russia may take retaliatory actions and other countermeasures, including cyberattacks and espionage
against other countries and companies around the world, which may negatively impact such countries and companies.
The
extent and duration of the military action or future escalation of such hostilities, the extent and impact of existing and future sanctions,
market disruptions and volatility, and the result of any diplomatic negotiations cannot be predicted.
While
we expect any direct impacts to our business to be limited, the indirect impacts on the economy and on the mining industry and other
industries in general could negatively affect our business and may make it more difficult for us to raise equity or debt financing.
In
addition, the impact of other current macro-economic factors on our business, which may be exacerbated by the war in Ukraine –
including inflation, supply chain constraints and geopolitical events – is uncertain.
39
The
COVID-19 coronavirus could adversely impact our business, including our mine development plans.
In
December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. Since then, the COVID-19 coronavirus
has spread to multiple countries, including the United States. As the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to spread in the United States,
we may experience disruptions that could severely impact our business, including:
● interruption
of key mining activities due to limitations on travel, gathering, or business operations
imposed or recommended by federal or state governments, employers and others.
● limitations
in employee resources, including because of sickness of employees or their families or the
desire of employees to avoid contact with large groups of people.
● delays
in financial reporting and filings due to the impact of mitigation efforts on staff and service
providers
● changes
in local regulations as part of a response to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak which may
require us to change the ways in which mining is conducted, which may result in unexpected
costs.
● delays
in necessary interactions with regulators and other important agencies and contractors due
to limitations in employee resources or new procedures due to limitations imposed by COVID-19.
● reduction
in the global demand for uranium and/or vanadium due to reduced primary applications of uranium
(nuclear power generation) and vanadium (steelmaking).
● COVID-19
restrictions could cause a decline in energy consumption or indirectly reduced oil prices
could lessen the demand for nuclear power.
● COVID-19
previously caused uranium mine closures that have taken substantial uranium supply offline
and increased the spot price of uranium to date during this crisis, there is no guarantee
that this relationship will continue as the COVID-19 crisis is ongoing and the dynamic of
the mine closure/spot price relationship may change.
The
global outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to evolve. The extent to which the COVID-19 coronavirus and its subvariants may
impact our business will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, such as the
ultimate geographic spread of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, travel restrictions and social distancing in the United States
and other countries, business closures or business disruptions and the effectiveness of actions taken in the United States and other
countries to contain and treat the disease.
40
Risks
Related to Our Stock
If
we are unable to raise additional capital, our business may fail and shareholders may lose their entire investment.
We
had $10,468,789 and $880,821 in cash at September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. There can be no assurance that we will
be able to obtain additional capital after we exhaust our current cash. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale
of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of such securities would likely result in substantial dilution to existing shareholders.
If we borrow money, we will have to pay interest and may also have to agree to restrictions that limit our operating flexibility.
If
additional capital is not available in sufficient amounts or on a timely basis, we will experience liquidity problems, and we could face
the need to significantly curtail current operations, change our planned business strategies and pursue other remedial measures. Any
curtailment of business operations would have a material negative effect on operating results, the value of our outstanding stock is
likely to fall, and our business may fail, causing our shareholders to lose their entire investment.
Shareholders
could be diluted if we were to use common shares to raise capital.
We
may need to seek additional capital to carry our business plan. This financing could involve one or more types of securities including
common shares, convertible debt or warrants to acquire common shares. These securities could be issued at or below the then prevailing
market price for our common shares. Any issuance of additional common shares could be dilutive to existing shareholders and could adversely
affect the market price of our common shares.
The
Company’s common shares may at times be traded in low volumes, which may negatively affect your ability to sell shares.
The
Company’s common shares may trade at times in low volumes on both the CSE and OTCQX, meaning that the number of persons interested
in purchasing our common shares at or near bid prices at any given time may be relatively small. This situation may be attributable to
a number of factors, including the fact that we are a small company that is relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional
investors and others in the investment community who can generate or influence sales volume, and that even if we came to the attention
of such institutionally oriented persons, they tend to be risk-averse in this environment and would be reluctant to follow an early stage
company such as ours or purchase or recommend the purchase of our shares until such time as we became more advanced and viable. As a
consequence, there may be periods of several days or more when trading activity in the Company’s shares is minimal, as compared
to a seasoned issuer which has a large and steady volume of trading activity that will generally support continuous sales without an
adverse effect on share price. The Company cannot give you any assurance that a broader or more active public trading market for
our common shares will develop or be sustained. Due to these conditions, we can give you no assurance that you will be able to sell your
shares at or near bid prices or at all if you need money or otherwise desire to liquidate your shares. Further, certain institutional
and other investors may have investment guidelines that restrict or prohibit investing in securities traded in the over-the-counter market. These
factors may have an adverse impact on the trading and price of our securities and could result in the loss by investors of all or part
of their investment.
41
The
Company’s common share price may be volatile.
The
future trading price of the Company’s common shares may be volatile and may fluctuate substantially. The price of the common shares
may be higher or lower than the price you pay for your shares, depending on many factors, some of which are beyond the Company’s
control and may not be directly related to its operating performance. These factors include the following:
● price
and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market from time to time;
● significant
volatility in the market price and trading volume of securities of mineral exploration and
mining companies;
● changes
in government regulations or regulatory policies with respect to mineral exploration and
mining companies or in the status of our regulatory approvals;
● actual
or anticipated changes in earnings or fluctuations in operating results;
● announcements
by us or by our competitors of acquisitions or of new products, commercial relationships
or capital commitments;
● disruption
to our operations or those of other contractors critical to our operations;
● the
emergence of new competitors;
● commencement
of, or our involvement in, litigation;
● dilutive
issuances of our common shares or the incurrence of additional debt;
● adoption
of new or different accounting standards;
● general
economic conditions and trends and slow or negative growth of related markets;
● loss
of a major funding source; or
● departures
of key personnel.
Due
to the continued potential volatility of its stock price, the Company may be the target of securities litigation in the future. Securities
litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources from the business.
42
The
sale of shares by our directors and officers may adversely affect the market price for our shares.
Sales
of significant amounts of common shares held by our officers and directors, or the prospect of these sales, could adversely affect the
market price of our common shares. Management’s stock ownership may discourage a potential acquirer from making a tender offer
or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us, which in turn could reduce our stock price or prevent our shareholders from realizing
a premium over our stock price.
We
have never paid or declared any dividends on our common shares.
We
have never paid or declared any dividends on our common shares. Likewise, we do not anticipate paying dividends or distributions on our
common shares. Any future dividends on common shares will be declared, if at all, at the discretion of our board of directors and will
depend, among other things, on our earnings, our financial requirements for future operations and growth, and other facts as we may then
deem appropriate.
Our
Chief Executive Officer is our largest shareholder, and as a result he may be able to exert control over us and may have actual or potential
interests that may diverge from yours.
George
Glasier, our CEO, beneficially owns, in the aggregate, about 12.2% of our common shares. As a result, Mr. Glasier might be able to influence
many matters requiring shareholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of mergers and other significant corporate
transactions. This concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change in control, and could
deprive our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their common shares as part of a sale of our company and may affect
the market price of our stock.
Furthermore,
Mr. Glasier may have interests that diverge from those of other holders of our common shares. As a result, Mr. Glasier may vote the shares
he owns or controls or otherwise cause us to take actions that may conflict with your best interests as a shareholder, which could adversely
affect our results of operations and the trading price of our common shares. Through this control, Mr. Glasier can exert influence over
our management, affairs and all matters requiring shareholder approval, including the approval of significant corporate transactions,
a sale of our company, decisions about our capital structure and the composition of our board of directors.
Risks
Related to Our Regulatory Environment
The
SEC’s adoption of the “Modernization of Property Disclosures for Mining Registrants,” as codified in S-K 1300, has
created new disclosure requirements for mineral reserves and mineral resources that create some ambiguity for issuers required to comply
with both the requirements of S-K 1300 and NI 43-101 and may result in increased compliance costs.
SEC
Industry Guide 7 has been rescinded and replaced by S-K 1300, which requires that we disclose specific information related to our material
mining operations, including with particularity any mineral resources and mineral reserves. Although we have established the existence
of mineralized materials on our uranium properties, we have not established any measured mineral resources or any proven or probable
reserves through the completion of a feasibility study for any of our uranium properties and we have no current plans to seek to do so,
as it would not serve a business purpose at the present time. Nevertheless, if in the future we were to seek to identify any measured
mineral resources or to establish any proven or probable reserves, we would be required to provide disclosure in that regard under both
S-K 1300 and NI 43-101. While S-K 1300 is substantively similar to NI 43-101 (with the primary difference being NI 43-101’s required
format, a matter on which S-K 1300 is silent), S-K 1300 is potentially subject to unknown interpretations, which could require the Company
to incur substantial costs associated with compliance. We cannot predict the nature of any future enforcement, interpretation, or application
of S-K 1300. Any further revisions to, or interpretations of, S-K 1300 or NI 43-101 could result our company incurring unforeseen costs
associated with compliance with both of those disclosure regimes.
43
Item
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
The Company made no unregistered sales of securities during the quarter
covered by this report.
Item
3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
Item
4. Mine Safety Disclosures
For
Western, safety is a core value, and we strive for superior performance. Our health and safety management system, which includes detailed
standards and procedures for safe production, addresses topics such as employee training, risk management, workplace inspection, emergency
response, accident investigation, and program auditing. In addition to strong leadership and involvement from all levels of the organization,
these programs and procedures form the cornerstone of safety at Western, ensuring that employees are provided a safe and healthy environment
and are intended to reduce workplace accidents, incidents and losses, comply with all mining-related regulations, and provide support
for both regulators and the industry to improve mine safety.
The
operation of our U.S. based mine is subject to regulation by the Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (“MSHA”) under
the “Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977” (the “Mine Act”). MSHA inspects our mine on a regular basis
and issues various citations and orders when it believes a violation has occurred under the Mine Act. Following passage of “The
Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006,” MSHA significantly increased the number of citations and orders charged
against mining operations. The dollar penalties assessed for citations issued has also increased in recent years.
Pursuant
to Section 1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), issuers
that are operators, or that have a subsidiary that is an operator, of a coal or other mine in the United States, and that is subject
to regulation by the Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration under the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (“Mine Safety Act”),
are required to disclose in their periodic reports filed with the SEC information regarding specified health and safety violations, orders
and citations, related assessments and legal actions, and mining-related fatalities. Western went into active mining operations at the
Sunday Mine Complex during 2021. During the quarter ended September 30, 2022, Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) mine inspections
have not yielded any disclosures required by Section 1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Act.”
Item
5. Other Information
None.
44
Item
6. Exhibits
Exhibit No.
Description
3.1 *
Certificate
of Incorporation, as amended
3.2 *
Amended
and Restated Bylaws
31.1
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2
Certification
of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
101.INS
Inline XBRL Instance Document.
101.SCH
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.
101.CAL
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
Document.
101.DEF
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
Document.
101.LAB
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.
101.PRE
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase
Document.
104
Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline
XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).
* Previously
filed as an exhibit to the Company’s Form 10 registration statement filed on April
29, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference.
45
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
WESTERN URANIUM &VANADIUM CORP.
Dat e: November 17, 202 2
By:
/s/ George
Glasier
George Glasier
Chief
Executive Officer
(Principal
executive officer)
Dat e: November 17, 202 2
By:
/s/ Robert
Klein
Robert Klein
Chief
Financial Officer
(Principal
financial and accounting officer)
46
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.