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 March 31 , 2023
or
☐ 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 requirements 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 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 May 17, 2023, 43,602,565 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 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
14
Item
3.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
24
Item
4.
Controls and Procedures
24
PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
25
Item
1.
Legal Proceedings
25
Item
1A.
Risk Factors
25
Item
2.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
36
Item
3.
Defaults Upon Senior Securities
36
Item
4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
36
Item
5.
Other Information
36
Item
6.
Exhibits
36
SIGNATURES
37
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
March 31,
2023
December 31,
2022
Assets
Current assets:
Cash
$ 8,434,891
$ 9,682,133
Restricted cash, current portion
75,057
75,057
Prepaid expenses
166,005
254,105
Marketable securities
567
612
Other current assets
129,012
227,588
Total current assets
8,805,532
10,239,495
Restricted cash, net of current portion
676,367
676,348
Mineral properties and equipment, net
13,378,909
12,798,904
Kinetic separation intellectual property
9,488,051
9,488,051
Total assets
$ 32,348,859
$ 33,202,798
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
Liabilities
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
$ 560,949
$ 551,615
Reclamation liability, current portion
75,057
75,057
Deferred revenue, current portion
27,705
43,860
Total current liabilities
663,711
670,532
Reclamation liability, net of current portion
227,961
225,219
Deferred tax liability
2,708,887
2,708,887
Deferred contingent consideration
334,867
340,252
Total liabilities
3,935,426
3,944,890
Shareholders’ Equity
Common shares, no par value, unlimited authorized shares, 43,602,871 shares issued as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, and 43,602,565 shares outstanding as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022
43,647,045
43,394,303
Treasury shares, 306 shares held in treasury as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022
-
-
Accumulated deficit
( 14,978,794 )
( 13,875,263 )
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
( 254,818 )
( 261,132 )
Total shareholders’ equity
28,413,433
29,257,908
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
$ 32,348,859
$ 33,202,798
1
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS
OF OPERATIONS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
For the Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023
2022
Revenues
$ 165,975
$ 156,226
Expenses
Mining expenditures
605,104
289,038
Professional fees
87,096
136,060
General and administrative
613,365
863,062
Consulting fees
737
39,512
Total operating expenses
1,306,302
1,327,672
Operating loss
( 1,140,327 )
( 1,171,446 )
Accretion and interest (income) expense, net
( 35,296 )
2,157
Other income
( 1,500 )
-
Net loss
( 1,103,531 )
( 1,173,603 )
Other comprehensive loss
Foreign exchange gain
6,314
56,661
Comprehensive loss
$ ( 1,097,217 )
$ ( 1,116,942 )
Net loss per share - basic and diluted
$ ( 0.03 )
$ ( 0.03 )
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic and diluted
43,602,565
41,054,767
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
(Loss) Income
Total
Balance as of January 1, 2023
43,602,565
$ 43,394,303
306
$ -
$ ( 13,875,263 )
$ ( 261,132 )
$ 29,257,908
Foreign exchange gain
-
-
-
-
-
6,314
6,314
Stock based compensation - stock options
-
252,742
-
-
-
-
252,742
Net loss
-
-
-
-
( 1,103,531 )
-
( 1,103,531 )
Balance as of March 31, 2023
43,602,565
$ 43,647,045
306
$ -
$ ( 14,978,794 )
$ ( 254,818 )
$ 28,413,433
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, net of offering costs
2,495,575
3,011,878
-
-
-
-
3,011,878
Proceeds from exercise of warrants
268,204
341,850
-
-
-
-
341,850
Stock based compensation - stock options
-
502,145
-
-
-
-
502,145
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
3
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS
OF CASH FLOWS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
For the Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023
2022
Cash Flows From (Used In) Operating Activities:
Net loss
$ ( 1,103,531 )
$ ( 1,173,603 )
Reconciliation of net loss to cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Depreciation
43,618
5,908
Accretion of reclamation liability
2,742
2,577
Stock based compensation
252,742
495,120
Change in marketable securities
45
381
Change in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
186,676
( 59,800 )
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
9,334
( 195,338 )
Subscription payable
-
( 146,177 )
Deferred revenue
( 16,155 )
( 16,155 )
Contingent consideration
( 5,385 )
-
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
( 629,914 )
( 1,087,087 )
Cash Flows Used In Investing Activities
Purchase of mineral properties and equipment
( 623,623 )
( 369,900 )
Net cash used in investing activities
( 623,623 )
( 369,900 )
Cash Flows From Financing Activities
Proceeds from warrant exercises
-
341,850
Issuances of common shares, net of offering costs
-
3,011,878
Net cash provided by financing activities
-
3,353,728
Effect of foreign exchange rate on cash
6,314
20,655
Net (decrease) increase in cash and restricted cash
( 1,247,223 )
1,917,396
Cash and restricted cash - beginning
10,433,538
1,621,267
Cash and restricted cash - ending
$ 9,186,315
$ 3,538,663
Cash
$ 8,434,891
$ 2,798,217
Restricted cash, current portion
75,057
75,057
Restricted cash, noncurrent
676,367
665,389
Total
$ 9,186,315
$ 3,538,663
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid during the period for:
Interest
$ -
$ -
Income taxes
$ -
$ -
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 ended June 30,
2022, the Company has incurred losses from its operations. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, the Company generated a comprehensive
loss of $ 1,097,217 . The Company expects to generate operating losses for the foreseeable future as it incurs expenses to bring its mining
operations online. As of March 31, 2023, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $ 14,978,794 and working capital of $ 8,141,821 .
Since inception, the Company has met its liquidity
requirements principally through the issuance of notes and the sale of its common shares.
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 by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. 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, 2022, as filed with the SEC on April 17, 2023. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2023 are
not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any subsequent quarters or for the year ending December 31, 2023.
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.
The functional currencies of the subsidiaries is the United States 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 loss” in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Revenue Recognition
The Company, from time to time, purchases prepaid
uranium concentrate contracts for future delivery of uranium concentrate pursuant to supply agreements. 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, 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 Canadian dollars, and
as a result, the Company is subject to 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 March 31, 2023
$ 567
$ -
$ -
Marketable securities as of December 31, 2022
$ 612
$ -
$ -
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.
Net Loss per Share
Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing
net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is 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
computation of net loss per share for each of the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 is the same for both basic and fully diluted.
Potentially dilutive securities outlined in the
table below have been excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share because the effect of their inclusion would have been
anti-dilutive.
For the Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023
2022
Warrants to purchase common shares
9,362,076
11,351,080
Options to purchase common shares
4,098,000
3,108,000
Total potentially dilutive securities
13,460,076
14,459,080
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.
8
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 March 31, 2023 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 March 31, 2023 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,
net and kinetic separation intellectual property are:
As of
March 31,
2023
As of
December 31,
2022
Mineral properties and equipment, net
$ 13,378,909
$ 12,798,904
Kinetic separation intellectual property
$ 9,488,051
$ 9,488,051
Mineral Properties and Equipment
During the three months ended March 31, 2023 and
2022, Western made purchases of $ 623,623 and $ 369,900 , which principally consisted of mining equipment and vehicles, to increase mining
capacity. During the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, depreciation expense was $ 43,618 and $ 5,908 , respectively.
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 a first set of eight (8) wells which commenced oil and gas production
by August 2021. During 2022, the operator completed a second set of eight (8) wells which commenced oil and gas production by August
2022. Monthly royalty payments are ongoing on the sixteen (16) wells.
During the three months ended March 31, 2023 and
2022 the Company recognized aggregate revenue of $ 165,975 and $ 156,226 , respectively, under these oil and gas lease arrangements.
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, 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 $ 751,424 and $ 751,405 as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, 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 March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 were $303,018 and
$300,276, respectively. The gross reclamation liabilities as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 are secured by financial warranties
in the amount of $ 751,424 and $ 751,405 , respectively.
Reclamation liability activity for the three months ended March 31,
2023 and 2022 consists of:
For the Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023
2022
Beginning balance at January 1
$ 300,276
$ 271,620
Accretion
2,742
2,577
Ending Balance at March 31
$ 303,018
$ 274,197
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. Subsequently on March 20, 2023, the MLRB issued a board order for the Company to commence final reclamation, which
upon completion will terminate mining operations at the Topaz Mine. Reclamation is to commence immediately at the Topaz Mine and is to
be completed within five years by March 2028. The Company is currently working 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
and needed to re-permit the Topaz Mine with Colorado’s DRMS.
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
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.
NOTE 5 – Accounts Payable
and Accrued Liabilities
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities consisted of:
As of
March 31,
2023
December 31,
2022
Trade accounts payable
$ 414,247
$ 403,705
Accrued liabilities
146,702
147,910
Total accounts payable and accrued liabilities
$ 560,949
$ 551,615
11
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
NOTE 6 – 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 March 31,
2023 and December 31, 2022, an unlimited number of common shares were authorized for issuance.
Warrant Exercises
During the three months ended March 31, 2022, an aggregate 268,204
warrants were exercised for total gross proceeds of $ 341,850 . There were no warrant exercises during the three months ended March 31,
2023.
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. On October 1, 2021, the Company further amended the Plan, principally to allow for the cashless exercise of stock
options.
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 March 31, 2023, a total of 43,602,565 common shares were outstanding, and at that date the maximum number of
stock options eligible for issue under the Plan was 4,360,257 .
Stock Options
Number
of Shares
Weighted
Average
Exercise Price
Weighted
Average
Contractual
Life (Years)
Weighted
Average Grant
Date Fair Value
Intrinsic
Value
Outstanding – January 1, 2023
4,306,334
$ 1.24
3.35
$ 0.61
$ 60,965
Granted
-
-
-
-
Expired
( 208,334 )
1.18
-
0.17
Exercised
-
-
-
-
Outstanding – March 31, 2023
4,098,000
$ 1.25
3.26
$ 0.65
$ 37,698
Exercisable – March 31, 2023
3,265,500
$ 1.26
2.81
$ 0.64
$ 37,698
The Company’s stock-based compensation expense related to stock
options for the three months ended March 31, 2023 was $ 252,742 , of which $ 41,330 and $ 211,412 was included in mining expenditures and
general and administrative expenses, respectively, on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations and other comprehensive
loss. The Company’s stock-based compensation expense related to stock options for the three months ended March 31, 2022 was $ 495,120 ,
which was included in general and administrative expenses on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations and other
comprehensive loss. As of March 31, 2023, the Company had $ 98,159 of unamortized stock option expense.
12
WESTERN
URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
NOTE 6 – SHARE CAPITAL AND OTHER EQUITY INSTRUMENTS, CONTINUED
Warrants
Number
of Shares
Weighted
Average
Exercise Price
Weighted
Average
Contractual
Life (Years)
Intrinsic
Value
Outstanding – January 1, 2023
9,362,076
$ 1.19
1.43
$ 27,227
Issued
-
-
-
Exercised
-
-
-
Expired/Forfeited
-
-
-
Outstanding – March 31, 2023
9,362,076
$ 1.19
1.18
$ 20,457
Exercisable – March 31, 2023
9,362,076
$ 1.19
1.18
$ 20,457
Note
7 – Mining Expenditures
For the Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023
2022
Mining costs
$ 276,139
$ 259,870
Labor and related benefits
298,866
-
Permits
27,946
27,767
Royalties
2,153
1,401
$ 605,104
$ 289,038
NOTE
8 – 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 $334,867 as of March 31, 2023) 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 $ 334,867 and $ 340,252 as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
The Company has multiple lease arrangements with
Silver Hawk Ltd., an entity which is owned by George Glasier and his wife Kathleen Glasier. These leases, which are all on a month-to-month
basis, are for the Company’s rental of office, workshop, warehouse and employee housing facilities. The Company incurred rent expense
of $ 17,925 and $ 12,198 in connection with these arrangement for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
The Company also owed Mr. Glasier reimbursable
expenses in the amount of $ 35,252 and $ 87,221 as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, which are recorded in accounts
payable and accrued liabilities.
13
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 and are currently valid. 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 2021was assigned “Active” status 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”).
14
Recent
Developments
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.
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 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.
In
early 2020 Bison Oil & Gas (“Bison”) traded this lease to Mallard Exploration (“Mallard”). Mallard subsequently
filed an application with the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) to update the permitting to create a new pooled
unit.
In
late 2020 Mallard began development of the pooled unit. These DJ-Basin wells target the Niobrara formation. During 2021, the operator
completed all well development stages and eight (8) wells commenced oil and gas production by August 2021. The first royalty payment
was made in January 2022. During 2022, the operator completed all well development stages on a second set of eight (8) wells which commenced
oil and gas production by August 2022. The first monthly royalty payment including production from the new wells was made in January
2023. Monthly royalty payments are ongoing.
In
January 2023, Mallard was acquired by Bison.
During
the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, we recognized aggregate revenue of $165,975 and $156,226, respectively, under these oil
and gas lease arrangements.
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 proposed alternatives. However, management has decided not to proceed at this
time, given its present opportunity set.
15
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. Subsequently on March 20, 2023, the MLRB issued a
board order for the Company to commence final reclamation, which upon completion will terminate mining operations at the Topaz Mine.
Reclamation is to commence immediately at the Topaz Mine and is to be completed within five years by March 2028. The Company is currently
working 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 and needed to re-permit the Topaz Mine with Colorado’s DRMS.
Sunday
Mine Complex Project 2021/2022 Project
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). The Sunday Mine Complex is the
Company’s core resource property and in July 2021 was assigned “Active” status when mining operations were restarted.
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.
At the end of March 2022, the mining contractor engaged by Western
decided to retire from contract mining operations. Thereafter, Western began the acquisition of a full complement of mining equipment
and personnel to take over mining operations. Western’s transition from employing a mining contractor to building an in-house mining
operation has now been completed. Since this transition began in spring 2022, additional employees have been hired to support mining operations
and mining equipment and vehicles have been acquired to support deployment of two (2) fully equipped mining teams. The equipment has been
prepared for operations and readied for deployment; site infrastructure upgrades have been finished. In early 2023, the mines were reopened
for ventilation and infrastructure upgrades. Mining operations restarted in April 2023 and will initially involve additional development
of the GMG Ore Body, stockpiling of high-grade ore and underground drilling/exploration to define additional production zones. The next
project will be similar in scope but on the St. Jude Mine target areas defined during the 2019/2020 work project.
Stockpiled Ore Inventory
From
December 2021 to March 2022, 3,140 tons of uranium/vanadium ore was mined from the Sunday Mine Complex. The mining contractor calculated
uranium grades based upon scintillometer sampling of each 10-ton truckload and vanadium quantities were derived by applying the 6:1 historical
ratio. The estimated stockpiled ore inventory is 50,289 pounds of uranium and 301,736 pounds of vanadium. Using March 31, 2023 commodity
prices and historical recovery rates, and before incurring milling and processing costs, the gross post-processing value of the stockpiled
ore is approximately $4.5 million . This value is not reflected as
an asset on the balance sheet as the costs to produce the stockpiled ore inventory were expensed in accordance with Regulation SK-1300.
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 DoC in 2018 to assess the impact to national
security of the importation of the vast majority of uranium utilized by the approximately 100 operative civilian nuclear reactors within
the United States. In response to the Section 232 report, the White House disseminated a Presidential Memoranda in July 2019. At that
time, President Trump formed the Nuclear Fuel Working Group (“NFWG”) to find solutions for reviving and expanding domestic
nuclear fuel production and reinvigorating recommendations.
16
In
April 2020, the 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. The undertaking of some NFWG findings and recommendations was
a positive outcome for the U.S. nuclear industry and U.S. uranium miners.
The
Russian Suspension Agreement was extended for an additional 20 years until 2040. Existing categories of quotas on imports of Russian
uranium into the U.S. were reduced by a graduated scale, and additional provisions were modified to eliminate loopholes. Also, the DoE
made multiple investment awards to companies advancing new nuclear technologies. TerraPower and X-energy received awards to build demonstration
models of their advanced reactor designs, and NuScale received support to deploy the first U.S. small modular reactor (“SMR”)
plan comprised of 12 modules at the Idaho National Laboratory. The International Development Finance Corp. signed a letter of intent
to finance NuScale’s development of 42 SMR modules in South Africa. In an acknowledgement of the future growth potential of new
nuclear technologies, the U.S. government has increased its industry support.
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. The Biden-Harris Administration has rolled the 2021 funding into its 2022 fiscal year budget to
continue this initiative. 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”.
The
Russian invasion of Ukraine has fast tracked the Uranium Reserve Program. On May 5, 2022, the U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm
testified before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources that the DoE “would make direct purchases of domestically
mined and converted uranium this calendar year to establish a strategic uranium reserve”. Secretary Granholm’s comments make
clear that the U.S. is thinking larger. Granholm stated that “We should not be sending any money to Russia for any American energy
or for any other reason,” and “if we move away from Russia right away, we want to make sure we have the ability to continue
to keep the fleet afloat.” To accomplish this she further disclosed that the DoE is “developing a full-on uranium strategy
that’s going through the interagency process.”
Subsequently in June 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”)
released program guidelines to initiate purchases of up to $75 million of U.S. domestic origin uranium inventory from existing storage
at the Honeywell Metropolis Works uranium conversion facility in Metropolis, Illinois. The DOE awarded contracts in December 2022 for
the purchase of 1,100,000 lbs of uranium that were delivered in the first quarter of 2023. Five uranium companies disclosed receiving
contract awards within a price range from $59.50 to $70.50 per pound. Western did not hold qualifying inventory, and as such did not submit
a bid proposal. An expansion of the U.S. Uranium Reserve program continues to be discussed. As originally proposed, the program contemplated
$150M in annual purchases for a 10 year period which would aggregate to $1.5 billion over its lifetime.
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-pollution free energy in electricity
generation by 2035. Since taking office, President Biden has given all agencies climate change initiatives and has started a climate
change working group. 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. A White House national climate advisor told the media in a press briefing
that the Biden-Harris Administration intends to seek a national clean energy standard that includes nuclear energy. The Company believes
that nuclear energy will be increasingly able to compete on a level playing field with renewable energy technologies. The Harris-Biden
DoE has been a supporter of new nuclear technologies and invested in next generation demonstration reactors due to its pro-climate agenda.
17
On
August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, which is a significantly reduced version of the Build Back
Better plan. This Act provides 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 uranium demand. While this represents the largest funding support of the
U.S. nuclear industry in decades, there could be a larger secondary benefit as greater funding was allocated to battery technologies
including vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB).
During
2022, we have observed the DoE becoming increasingly outspoken and working hard at creating nuclear fuel solutions to address the current
dependence on Russia and promote a geopolitical realignment of the nuclear fuel cycle away from Russia. As an example, during September
2022, activity in the U.S. escalated in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm,
in an address to the IAEA Vienna conference stated: “And for those countries held hostage by Russian fossil fuels right now, nuclear
power—freed of Russian supply chains—is part of the solution to sever that dependence.” The Biden-Harris Administration
requested $1.5 billion in emergency funding to replace nuclear fuel and services coming from Russia. This followed the DOE $4.3 billion
commitment for the development of expanded domestic reactor fuel supply chain specifically focused on domestic enrichment and conversion
services. Most notably, the DoE continues to make preparations for a Russian counter-sanction terminating the flow of nuclear fuel and
services from Russia. Multiple bills were introduced into the U.S. legislature, and many of these have bipartisan support.
Nuclear
Fuel and Uranium Effect from the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
The
start of the Russia/Ukraine war created extraordinary volatility in uranium markets during the first half of 2022. At the peak, the spot
price was at an 11 year high. Prior to the invasion on February 24, 2022, uranium spot prices were in the $43 per pound range and rose
to slightly over $63 per pound by April 2022; an increase of ~$20 per pound. Later in May 2022 and June 2022, the spot price receded
to $45 levels, before recovering to the $50 level into September 2022. In the subsequent six months, the spot price of uranium has been
range bound at $50 +/- per pound levels.
Equity
markets followed the price action of physical uranium prices in speculation that governments worldwide would sanction and ban nuclear
fuel from Russia. This was in recognition of Russia’s dominant position in nuclear fuel services including 38% of world conversion
capacity and 46% of world enrichment capacity. The market position of Rosatom, Russia’s national nuclear company, was developed
through decades of government subsidies. However, because of the lack of replacement capacity in the global nuclear fuel cycle, Rosatom
has avoided sanctions.
Because
of the Ukraine invasion, new contracts are largely not being signed with Rosatom, but deliveries under existing contracts continue to
be made. Customer dependencies upon the Russian supply of uranium, conversion and enrichment are being addressed slowly by governments
as alternative suppliers are not currently available. However, a desire to stay away from bad actors and the threat of Russia weaponizing
energy exports or a Russian embargo 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 United States, multiple new nuclear
funding programs have already been put in place and the language from the Department of Energy 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.”
In
January 2023, ban and sanction discussions intensified as Rosatom was shown to have become an active participant in the Ukraine war.
An article entitled “Russia’s nuclear entity aids war effort, leading to calls for sanctions” was published by the
Washington Post. Obtained documents show that the Rosatom state nuclear power conglomerate was supplying the Russian military with “components,
technology, and raw materials for missile fuel” to be used in the Ukraine war. In the months since, multiple legislative sanction
proposals have been put forth in the United States, including banning Russian uranium imports. As the U.S. has the largest fleet of nuclear
reactors, these actions have the potential to cause a realignment of uranium markets.
We
believe the shift away from Russia/Rosatom will be a major catalyst in the realignment of nuclear fuel markets which will benefit western
producers. As a result, Western continues to accelerate the advancement of our operational strategy in anticipation of increasing uranium
price levels that will reward near-term scaled-up ore production.
18
Nuclear Fuel Fundamentals Disconnected from
Capital Markets
During the 1Q2023, the spot uranium price increased
+$5.25 to $52.93 and the long-term uranium price increased $1.50 to $53.50. This followed 2022 where long-term prices increased from $42.75
to $52.00 and a price surge for conversion and enrichment services. However, uranium equities had a down quarter which in our opinion
was due to macroeconomic general market factors. The events of 2022 have set in motion uranium market and nuclear fuel opportunities for
the next decade and beyond. There are positive catalysts across multiple levels of the nuclear fuel and uranium markets. Underlying fundamentals
are the strongest in decades. This is attributable to multiple factors, including climate change, energy security, supply chain and energy
scarcity initiatives. The supply/demand imbalance has flipped from a market with excess supply into a market with excess future demand.
With the reduced availability of secondary supplies, utilities have begun adding multi-year contracts with mining companies for primary
supply. The drivers expanding the demand for nuclear fuel include non-nuclear nations adding nuclear power generation, nuclear nations
expanding fleets and/or extending lives of existing reactors, idled nuclear reactors being redeployed, the reversal of phase outs and
shutdowns, and the deployment of advanced reactors / SMRs. However, the challenge is in meeting increasing demand simultaneously with
supply constraints from the world’s largest suppliers. We believe future uranium equity prices will reflect the underlying positive
fundamentals in the nuclear/uranium sector after general market conditions improve.
Nuclear Fuel Supply Chain Concentration
Risks
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing
global energy crisis has focused attention on security of supply and supply chain risks. This has caused most of the world to re-evaluate
their dependence upon nuclear fuel exported by Russia. In spite of the dominant market position of Rosatom, future deliveries potentially
could be at risk due to sanctions, legislation, or a Russian embargo. Customer dependence upon the Russian supply of uranium, conversion
and enrichment are being addressed slowly by governments as alternative suppliers are not currently available. Kazakhstan is also a concern
because the world’s largest uranium producing country has an unguarded and the second longest continuous land border in the world
shared with Russia. The potential exists for Russia to exert influence over Kazakhstan. Additionally, Kazatomprom is currently working
toward putting large long-term contracts in place with China. This supply is needed for China to fulfill its 15 year plan to deploy 150
new nuclear reactors. China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC) has recently opened a uranium trading hub /warehouse facility, on the China
/ Kazakhstan border, with the capacity to store 60 million pounds of uranium. It has become evident that the nuclear fuel supply chain
has become increasingly concentrated and interconnected in this very small area of the world. Expanding Kazakhstan uranium exports to
Russia and China significantly reduces future supply for Western nuclear fuel buyers.
Sprott
Physical Uranium Trust
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 bought significant quantities
of uranium causing spot prices to increase. In the first year since the Trust initiated its ATM program in August 2021, over 39 million
pounds of uranium were purchased. Subsequently, additional physical uranium funds have been launched in Kazakhstan and Switzerland. Notably,
Kazatomprom, the world’s largest uranium producer, is both an investor and uranium supplier to the new physical uranium fund launched
in Kazakhstan.
Utah
Mineral Processing Plant
In January 2023, the Company issued news releases
announcing that it has begun site and facility design and permitting on a property acquired in Green River, Emery County, Utah to build
a state-of-the-art mineral processing plant. This facility will be designed to recover uranium, vanadium and cobalt from conventional
ore mined both from Company mines and ore produced by other mining companies. Selecting and acquiring the processing site has taken over
one year to find a location with the road, power and water infrastructure required. The processing plant will utilize the latest processing
technology, including Western’s patented Kinetic Separation process. These technology advancements will result in lower overall
capital and processing costs. This processing plant is expected to have a cost of approximately $50 to $60 million. After permitting and
construction, the processing of uranium and vanadium ore is expected to commence in late 2026. The facility will be designed to recover
cobalt, a metal essential in battery technology and electric vehicles. Within the state of Utah, there are numerous occurrences of cobalt
which may be economical to mine, if a processing facility were available. Construction of the cobalt circuit will be dependent on the
availability of feed material. The processing plant is expected to be licensed and constructed for annual production of two million pounds
of U3O8 and six to eight million pounds of V2O5.
19
Results
of Operations
Three
Months Ended March 31, 2023 as Compared to the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
The
following table presents the Company’s financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.
For the Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023
2022
Revenue
$ 165,975
$ 156,226
Expenses
Mining expenditures
605,104
289,038
Professional fees
87,096
136,060
General and administrative
613,365
863,062
Consulting fees
737
39,512
Total operating expenses
1,306,302
1,327,672
Operating loss
(1,140,327 )
(1,171,446 )
Accretion and interest (income) expense, net
(35,296 )
2,157
Other income
(1,500 )
-
Net loss
(1,103,531 )
(1,173,603 )
Other comprehensive loss
Foreign exchange gain
6,314
56,661
Comprehensive loss
$ (1,097,217 )
$ (1,116,942 )
Net loss per share - basic and diluted
$ (0.03 )
$ (0.03 )
Summary:
Our
consolidated net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 was $1,103,531 and $1,173,603 or $0.03 and $0.03 per share,
respectively. The principal components of these year over year changes are discussed below.
Our
comprehensive loss for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 was $1,097,217 and $1,116,942, respectively.
Revenue
Our revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 was
$165,975 and $156,226, respectively. The increase in revenue of $9,749 was primarily related to additional oil and gas royalty revenue.
Sixteen (16) oil and gas wells were producing in the current period versus eight (8) in the prior period.
Mining
Expenditures
Mining expenditures for the three months ended
March 31, 2023 were $605,104 as compared to $289,038 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase in mining expenditures of
$316,066 was principally attributable to scaling up mining activities at the Company’s Sunday Mine Complex. Cost increases were
attributable to the hiring of additional personnel, increases in cost of equipment, vehicles, and supplies, and stock-based compensation
expense for the mining team.
20
Professional
Fees
Professional fees for the three months ended March
31, 2023 were $87,096 as compared to $136,060 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The decrease in professional fees of $48,964,
or 36% was primarily due to a $39,742 decrease in legal services.
General
and Administrative
General
and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2023 were $613,365 as compared to $863,062 for the three months ended
March 31, 2022. The decrease in general and administrative expense of $249,697, or 29% was due primarily to a $283,708 decrease in stock-based
compensation expense.
Consulting
Fees
Consulting fees for the three months ended March
31, 2023 were $737 as compared to $39,512 for three months ended March 31, 2022. The decrease in consulting fees of $38,775, or 98% was
principally due to the decreased use of consultants due to the increased use of the Company’s expanded in-house staff.
Accretion
and Interest Income (Expense), net
Accretion and interest (income) expense, net for
the three months ended March 31, 2023 was income of $35,296 as compared to expense of $2,157 for the three months ended March 31, 2022.
The increase in income of $37,453 was principally attributable to investment interest earned on higher level cash balances and higher
interest rates during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022.
Foreign
Exchange
Foreign
exchange gain for the three months ended March 31, 2023 was $6,314, as compared to $56,661 for the three months ended March 31, 2022.
The decrease of the foreign exchange gain is primarily due to lower differences between the principal functional currency and the reporting
currency.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
The
Company’s cash and restricted cash balance as of March 31, 2023 was $9,186,315. 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, to secure regulatory licenses and to construct a conventional mill for the processing of uranium
and vanadium, the Company will be required to raise additional capital by way of debt and/or equity. Western will also require additional
working capital to continue to scale-up its mining operations at the Sunday Mine Complex. 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 used in operating activities was $629,914 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, as compared with $1,087,087 used in operating
activities for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The decrease of $457,173 in cash used in operating activities was due principally
to a decrease of $591,940 in cash used to fund operating assets and liabilities.
21
Net
cash used in investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities was $623,623
for the three months ended March 31, 2023, as compared with $369,900 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase in cash used
in investing activities of $253,723 was due principally to the purchase of additional mining equipment and vehicles, as the Company scales
up its mining operations.
Net
cash provided by financing activities
Net
cash provided by financing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 was $0 and $3,353,728, respectively. There were
no financing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2023 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022, when we completed
a private placement during the first quarter of 2022 representing aggregate net proceeds of $3,011,878 and received $341,850 from the
exercise of warrants.
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 $751,424 and $751,405 as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, 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 March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 were $303,018 and $300,276, respectively. The gross reclamation liabilities as of March 31, 2023
and December 31, 2022 are secured by financial warranties in the amount of $751,424 and $751,405, respectively.
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 a first set of eight (8) wells which commenced oil and gas production by August 2021. During 2022, the operator
completed a second set of eight (8) wells which commenced oil and gas production by August 2022. Monthly royalty payments are ongoing
on the sixteen (16) wells.
During
the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized aggregate revenue of $165,975 and $156,226, respectively, under
these oil and gas lease arrangements.
22
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 $334,867 as of March 31, 2023) 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 $334,867 and $340,252 as of March 31, 2023 and December 31 2022, respectively.
The
Company has multiple lease arrangements with Silver Hawk Ltd., an entity which is owned by George Glasier and his wife Kathleen Glasier.
These leases, which are all on a month-to-month basis, are for the Company’s rental of office, workshop, warehouse and employee
housing facilities The Company incurred rent expense of $17,925 and $12,198 in connection with these arrangement for the three months
ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
The
Company is obligated to pay Mr. Glasier for reimbursable expenses in the amount of $35,252 and $87,221 as of March 31, 2023 and December
31 2022, respectively.
Going
Concern
With
the exception of the quarter ended June 30, 2022, we incurred losses from our operations, and as of March 31, 2023, the Company
had an accumulated deficit of $14,978,794 and working capital of $8,141,821.
Since inception, the Company has met its liquidity
requirements principally through the issuance of notes, the sale of its common shares and from limited revenue sources. During the three
months ended March 31, 2023, the Company received oil and gas royalty and lease revenues of $165,975. During the three months ended June
30, 2022, we realized revenue of $7.2 million and corresponding costs of $4.0 million in connection with a single sale of uranium concentrate.
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 licenses to fully utilize its Kinetic Separation, to construct a conventional mill for the processing of uranium
and vanadium and to incorporate Kinetic Separation in the processing of ore to generate operating cash flows. Western will need additional
capital to continue ongoing mining operations by its in-house mining team at the Sunday Mine Complex while simultaneously permitting
and construction a processing plant.
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 consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments
that might result from the outcome of these uncertainties.
Off
Balance Sheet Arrangements
As
of March 31, 2023, 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 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 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.
23
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 March 31, 2023,
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 disclosure.
Description
of Material Weakness
Management
has concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of March 31, 2023, due to 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 Company’s first fiscal quarter that have materially
affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
24
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 March 31, 2023, 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 and monetize the uranium and vanadium processed at our mill on a profitable basis, and can then
leverage those proceeds 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.
We
expect to generate operating losses for the next several years as we incur expenses to scale up mining at our Sunday Mine Complex. During
the three months ended March 31, 2023, we generated a net loss of $1,103,531. As of March 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of
$14,978,794 and working capital of $8,141,821.
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, to scale up its mining operations at Sunday Mine Complex,
to construct its own ore processing mill that is expected to be licensed to utilize Kinetic Separation, 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.
Our
ability to function as an operating mining company will be dependent on our ability to mine our properties and permit, build and operate
our mill 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, operate our mill profitably 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.
25
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. In addition, in January 2023, we announced our plans to permit and develop a mill for the processing of uranium
and vanadium.
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 $15.0 million and $13.9 million at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, 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
March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had working capital of $8,141,821 and $9,568,963, 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 three months ended March 31, 2023 were prepared assuming that the Company would continue as
a going concern. These 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.
Our
long-term success, including the recoverability of the carrying values of our assets, 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.
26
Our
operations are capital intensive, and we will require significant additional financing to continue production at the Sunday Mine Complex,
to permit and construct the ore processing mill, to continue exploration and begin pre-extraction activities on our other existing uranium/vanadium
projects, and to 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, to permit and construct the ore processing
mill, 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.
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.
27
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.
Because
the number of mills permitted for processing of uranium and vanadium is very limited, we have determined that we will seek a permit and
then construct our own uranium and vanadium ore processing mill. The capital required and risks involved in such an endeavor could negatively
affect our ability to do business.
The
construction of a facility for the processing of uranium ore is both a capital-intensive and regulatory intensive endeavor. Obtaining
a license to construct and operate a processing plant to mill uranium and vanadium is subject to a number of risks including local, state
and national regulations, and political and environmental influences. Furthermore, we must raise sufficient capital to fund the permitting
efforts and construction of the mill. We are subject to the risks that adequate capital in general may not be available at the levels
needed and risks that adequate capital may not be available for investments in the front-end of the nuclear fuel cycle. If we are not
able to address these risks and build a processing plant/mill, we would need to arrange with a third party for conventional milling
services. It may be difficult for the Company to gain access to a third party’s 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.
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 plans to apply for its own milling license for a processing facility. If this is not practical
or feasible the Company would need to arrange to utilize a third party’s mill. There are substantial costs and risks associated
with both of these alternatives. The Company is open to continuing to seek an alternative path forward that would allow the use of Kinetic
Separation either inside a uranium mine or on the surface outside of the underground workings to further reduce transportation costs.
However, there is no assurance that such an alternative approach will be approved for Western or other companies with comparable processes
pursuing regulatory remedies.
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.
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.
28
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.
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.
29
We
may not be able to obtain, maintain or amend rights, authorizations, licenses, permits or consents required for our operations.
Our
exploration mining and planned uranium and vanadium ore processing activities at the proposed company owned mill 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.
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.
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.
30
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.
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.
31
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.
The
Company may be subject to certain tax consequences in its business, which may increase the cost of doing business.
The
Company may not be able to structure its acquisitions to result in tax-free treatment for the companies or their stockholders, which
could deter third parties from entering into certain business combinations with the Company or result in being taxed on consideration
received in a transaction.
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 and its companies, institutions, officials and oligarchs. 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 significant trade 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, such as recession, 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 and/or impair global equity prices, including Western’s.
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.
32
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.
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 $8,434,891 in cash at March 31, 2023. 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.
33
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.
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.
34
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 12.5% 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 between the format required
for an S-K 1300 technical report summary and the format required for an NI 43-101 technical report), 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.
35
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
None.
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 March 31, 2023, 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.
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.
95 Mine Safety Disclosure Exhibit
101.INS
Inline XBRL
Instance Document
101.SCH
Inline XBRL
Taxonomy Extension Schema
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.
36
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.
Date:
May 17, 2023
By:
/s/
George Glasier
George Glasier
Chief
Executive Officer and President
Date:
May 17, 2023
By:
/s/
Robert Klein
Robert
Klein
Chief
Financial Officer
37
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.