UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION
13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2024
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 (§232.405
of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes
☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant
is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company.
See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,”
and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☒ Smaller reporting company ☒
Emerging growth company ☒
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check
mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting
standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant
is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
As of November 14, 2024, 55,223,113 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
Interim Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)
1
Condensed
Interim Consolidated Statements of Operations and Other Comprehensive Loss (Unaudited)
2
Condensed
Interim Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity (Unaudited)
3
Condensed
Interim Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)
4
Notes
to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)
5
Item 2.
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
19
Item 3.
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
31
Item 4.
Controls
and Procedures
31
PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
32
Item 1.
Legal
Proceedings
32
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
32
Item 2.
Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
32
Item 3.
Defaults
Upon Senior Securities
32
Item 4.
Mine Safety
Disclosures
32
Item 5.
Other
Information
32
Item 6.
Exhibits
32
SIGNATURES
33
i
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item
1. Financial Statements
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
As of
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 6,646,402
$ 9,217,585
Restricted cash, current portion
75,075
75,075
Prepaid expenses
205,644
382,314
Marketable securities
-
385
Other current assets
86,183
131,255
Total current assets
7,013,304
9,806,614
Restricted cash, net of current portion
737,918
676,369
Property, plant & equipment and mineral properties, net
15,670,078
14,926,289
Kinetic separation intellectual property
9,488,051
9,488,051
Total assets
$ 32,909,351
$ 34,897,323
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
Liabilities
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
$ 763,442
$ 761,123
Reclamation liability, current portion
75,057
75,057
Total current liabilities
838,499
836,180
Reclamation liability, net of current portion
262,880
241,562
Deferred tax liability
2,708,887
2,708,887
Deferred contingent consideration
346,820
340,650
Total liabilities
4,157,086
4,127,279
Shareholders’ Equity
Common shares, no par value, unlimited authorized shares, 55,223,419 and 50,002,395 shares issued as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, and 55,223,113 and 50,002,089 shares outstanding as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively
55,178,572
49,661,910
Treasury shares, 306 shares held in treasury as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023
-
-
Accumulated deficit
( 26,161,437 )
( 18,817,857 )
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
( 264,870 )
( 74,009 )
Total shareholders’ equity
28,752,265
30,770,044
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
$ 32,909,351
$ 34,897,323
1
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
For the Three Months Ended
September 30,
For the Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Revenues
$ 52,981
$ 89,144
$ 147,035
$ 357,908
Expenses
Mining expenditures
1,166,343
730,854
3,860,173
1,992,503
Professional fees
127,049
44,382
484,926
303,312
General and administrative
813,403
365,197
2,604,516
1,384,316
Consulting fees
247,850
48,251
738,204
48,988
Total operating expenses
2,354,645
1,188,684
7,687,819
3,729,119
Operating loss
( 2,301,664 )
( 1,099,540 )
( 7,540,784 )
( 3,371,211 )
Accretion and interest income, net
( 62,492 )
( 39,498 )
( 199,202 )
( 126,979 )
Other income, net
1,998
-
1,998
( 4,000 )
Net loss
( 2,241,170 )
( 1,060,042 )
( 7,343,580 )
( 3,240,232 )
Other comprehensive (loss) income
Foreign currency translation adjustment
14,018
( 43,474 )
( 190,861 )
14,716
Comprehensive loss
$ ( 2,227,152 )
$ ( 1,103,516 )
$ ( 7,534,441 )
$ ( 3,225,516 )
Net loss per share - basic and diluted
$ ( 0.04 )
$ ( 0.02 )
$ ( 0.14 )
$ ( 0.07 )
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic and diluted
55,223,113
43,609,774
54,338,493
43,604,977
2
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED INTERIM 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
Total
Balance as of January 1, 2024
50,002,089
$ 49,661,910
306
$ -
$ ( 18,817,857 )
$ ( 74,009 )
$ 30,770,044
Foreign currency translation adjustment
-
-
-
-
-
( 142,359 )
( 142,359 )
Proceeds from the exercise of warrants
5,198,540
4,605,458
-
-
-
-
4,605,458
Stock-based compensation - stock options
-
522,862
-
-
-
-
522,862
Cashless exercise of stock options
22,484
-
-
-
-
-
-
Net loss
-
-
-
-
( 2,476,888 )
-
( 2,476,888 )
Balance as of March 31, 2024
55,223,113
$ 54,790,230
306
$ -
$ ( 21,294,745 )
$ ( 216,368 )
$ 33,279,117
Foreign currency translation adjustment
-
-
-
-
-
( 62,520 )
( 62,520 )
Stock-based compensation - stock options
-
236,442
-
-
-
-
236,442
Net loss
-
-
-
-
( 2,625,522 )
-
( 2,625,522 )
Balance as of June 30, 2024
55,223,113
$ 55,026,672
306
$ -
$ ( 23,920,267 )
$ ( 278,888 )
$ 30,827,517
Foreign currency translation adjustment
-
-
-
-
-
14,018
14,018
Stock-based compensation - stock options
-
151,900
-
-
-
-
151,900
Net loss
-
-
-
-
( 2,241,170 )
-
( 2,241,170 )
Balance as of September 30, 2024
55,223,113
$ 55,178,572
306
$ -
$ ( 26,161,437 )
$ ( 264,870 )
$ 28,752,265
Balance as of January 1, 2023
43,602,565
$ 43,394,303
306
$ -
$ ( 13,875,263 )
$ ( 261,132 )
29,257,908
Foreign currency translation adjustment
-
-
-
-
-
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
Foreign currency translation adjustment
-
-
-
-
-
51,876
51,876
Stock based compensation - stock options
-
98,158
-
-
-
-
98,158
Net loss
-
-
-
-
( 1,076,659 )
-
( 1,076,659 )
Balance as of June 30, 2023
43,602,565
$ 43,745,203
306
$ -
$ ( 16,055,453 )
$ ( 202,942 )
$ 27,486,808
Foreign currency translation adjustment
-
-
-
-
-
( 43,474 )
( 43,474 )
Proceeds from the exercise of warrants
656,000
551,629
-
-
-
-
551,629
Net loss
-
-
-
-
( 1,060,042 )
-
( 1,060,042 )
Balance as of September 30, 2023
44,258,565
$ 44,296,832
306
$ -
$ ( 17,115,495 )
$ ( 246,416 )
$ 26,934,921
3
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
For the Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2024
2023
Cash Flows Used In Operating Activities:
Net loss
$ ( 7,343,580 )
$ ( 3,240,232 )
Reconciliation of net loss to cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation
433,148
163,223
Loss on the sale of equipment
1,998
-
Accretion of reclamation liability
9,164
9,321
Stock-based compensation
893,688
350,900
Change in marketable securities
385
189
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
221,742
185,657
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
2,319
26,333
Reclamation Liability
12,154
4,035
Deferred revenue
-
( 43,860 )
Contingent consideration
6,170
( 18,853 )
Net cash used in operating activities
( 5,762,812 )
( 2,563,287 )
Cash Flows Used In Investing Activities
Purchase of property, plant & equipment and mineral properties
( 1,182,935 )
( 1,874,183 )
Proceeds from sale of equipment
4,000
-
Net cash used in investing activities
( 1,178,935 )
( 1,874,183 )
Cash Flows Provided By Financing Activities
Proceeds from warrant exercises
4,605,458
551,629
Net cash provided by financing activities
4,605,458
551,629
Effect of foreign exchange rate on cash
( 173,345 )
14,716
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash
( 2,509,634 )
( 3,871,125 )
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash - beginning
9,969,029
10,433,538
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash - ending
$ 7,459,395
$ 6,562,413
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 6,646,402
$ 5,810,969
Restricted cash, current portion
75,075
75,075
Restricted cash, noncurrent
737,918
676,369
Total cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash
$ 7,459,395
$ 6,562,413
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 INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
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. Western is a Canadian domestic issuer and Canadian reporting
issuer.
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 under the symbol “WSTRF”. 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 September 16, 2015, Western completed its
acquisition of Black Range Minerals Limited (“Black Range”). Under United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”)
rules, this transaction triggered the Company being deemed a United States domestic issuer and losing its foreign private issuer exemption.
On April 29, 2016, the Company filed a Form 10 registration statement with the Commission after converting its basis of accounting from
International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S.
GAAP”). On June 28, 2016, the Company’s registration statement became effective and Western became a United States reporting
issuer.
On June 30, 2023, Western re-qualified as a foreign
private issuer as that term is defined in Rule 3b-4(c) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”).
As a result, the Company may now utilize certain accommodations made to foreign private issuers, including (1) an exemption from complying
with the Commission’s proxy rules, (2) an exemption from the Company’s insiders having to comply with the reporting and short-swing
trading liability provisions of Section 16 under the Exchange Act, (3) the ability to make periodic filings with the Commission on the
Form 20-F and Form 6-K foreign issuer forms, and (4) the ability to offer and sell unrestricted securities outside of the United States
pursuant to Rule 903 of Regulation S. The Company intends to take advantage of these accommodations. However, the Company currently has
decided to voluntarily continue to file periodic reports with the Commission using domestic issuer forms including filing annual reports
on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. On the subsequent measurement date June 30, 2024, Western
reconfirmed its qualification as a foreign private issuer.
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 and nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company
generated a net loss of $ 2,241,170 and $ 7,343,580 , respectively. The Company expects to generate operating losses for the foreseeable
future as it incurs expenses to bring its mineral processing facilities online and further expand mining operations. As of September
30, 2024, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $ 26,161,437 and working capital of $ 6,174,805 .
Since inception, the Company has met its liquidity
requirements principally through the issuance of notes and the sale of its common shares. During the nine months ended September 30,
2024, the Company received $ 4,605,458 in proceeds from the exercise of its common share warrants. On December 12, 2023, the Company closed
a non-brokered private placement of 5,215,828 units at a price of $ 1.02 (CAD $ 1.39 ) per unit. The aggregate gross proceeds raised in
the private placement amounted to $ 5,324,988 (CAD $ 7,250,000 ) and net proceeds amounted to $ 4,836,867 (CAD $ 6,588,089 ). During the year
ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $ 1,004,044 in proceeds from the exercise of its common share warrants.
The Company’s ability to continue its planned
operations and to pay its obligations when they become due is contingent upon the Company obtaining additional financing. Management’s
plans include seeking to procure additional funds through debt and equity financing, to secure regulatory approval to fully utilize its
kinetic separation (“Kinetic Separation”) technology, and to initiate the processing of ore to generate operating cash flows.
5
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
Note
2 – Liquidity and going concern, continued
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 interim consolidated financial statements.
The accompanying condensed interim consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome
of these uncertainties.
NOTE 3 – SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying condensed interim consolidated
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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 interim consolidated financial statements. These
condensed interim 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, 2023, as filed with the
SEC on April 16, 2024. The Company has voluntarily elected to file this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September
30, 2024 notwithstanding its foreign private issuer status. Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024
are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any subsequent quarters or for the year ending December 31, 2024.
The accompanying condensed interim consolidated
financial statements include the accounts of Western and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Western Uranium Corporation (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., Black
Range Development Utah LLC and Maverick Strategic Minerals Corp. All inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated upon
consolidation.
The Company reports operating and financial results
in a single segment based on the consolidated information used by the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) in evaluating
the financial performance of its business and allocating resources. This single segment reflects the Company’s core business: produce
critical minerals. As the Company has one reportable segment, net loss, total assets and working capital are equal to consolidated results.
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 production while
the Company is in the exploration stage and while the mined material is stockpiled underground are expensed as incurred.
6
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
Note
3 – SUMMARY OF Significant Accounting Policies, CONTINUED
Exploration Stage and Mineral Properties, continued
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 interim 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.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of these condensed interim 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 interim 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 and valuation of stock-based compensation. 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 interim consolidated balance sheets.
Segment Information
The Company identifies its operating segments
in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 280, Segment Reporting, or ASC 280. Operating segments are defined as components
of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker,
or decision-making group, in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company’s chief operating decision
maker, its Chief Executive Officer, manages the Company’s operations on a consolidated basis for the purposes of allocating resources.
Accordingly, the Company has determined it operates and manages its business in a single reportable operating segment.
7
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
Note
3 – SUMMARY OF Significant Accounting Policies, CONTINUED
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly-liquid instruments
with an original maturity of three months or less at the time of issuance to be cash equivalents. There were no cash equivalents at September
30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
Marketable Securities
The Company classifies its marketable securities
as available-for-sale securities, which are carried at their fair value based on the quoted market prices of the securities with unrealized
gains and losses reported as accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income, a separate component of shareholders’ equity. Realized
gains and losses on available-for-sale securities are included in net earnings in the period earned or incurred. Effective September
30, 2024 the Company’s sole marketable security was fully impaired and written off.
Restricted Cash
Certain cash balances are restricted as they
relate to deposits with banks that have been assigned to state reclamation authorities in the United States to secure various reclamation
guarantees with respect to mineral properties in Utah and Colorado. As these funds are not available for general corporate purposes and
secure the long term reclamation liability (see Note 4), they have been separately disclosed and classified as long-term for the majority
of the Company’s mines. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company has determined that the Van 4 Mine is considered
to be in reclamation. The Company recognized the Van 4 Mine’s reclamation liability and its restricted cash in full on the Company’s
condensed interim consolidated balance sheets as current.
Property, Plant & Equipment and Mineral Properties, Net
Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost
less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method.
Revenue Recognition
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 Financial Accounting
Standards Board (“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 and cash equivalents,
restricted cash – current portion, accounts payable 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 carrying amount of restricted
cash – net of current portion, approximates fair value as the accounts earn interest at market 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).
8
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
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 (the Company had no marketable securities as of September 30, 2024):
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 December 31, 2023
$ 385
$ -
$ -
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.
9
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
Note
3 – SUMMARY OF Significant Accounting Policies, continued
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 and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 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 September 30,
For the Nine Months
Ended September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Warrants to purchase common shares
5,578,739
8,706,076
5,578,739
8,706,076
Options to purchase common shares
4,473,334
3,770,334
4,473,334
3,770,334
Total potentially dilutive securities
10,052,073
12,476,410
10,052,073
12,476,410
Recent Accounting Standards
In November 2023, the FASB issued Accounting
Standard Update (“ASU”) 2023-07, “Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures.”
This ASU requires annual and interim disclosures about significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the CODM and included
within each reported measure of segment profit or loss as well as the amount and composition of other segment items. The standard is
effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024.
The Company is still evaluating the full extent of the potential impact of the adoption of ASU 2023-09, but believes it will not have
a material impact on its condensed interim consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09
– Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which enhances the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax disclosures. The
standard is effective for public companies for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is available. The Company
is still evaluating the full extent of the potential impact of the adoption of ASU 2023-09, but believes it will not have a material
impact on its condensed interim consolidated financial statements and disclosures.
10
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
NOTE
4 - Property, plant & equipment and mineral properties, net AND Kinetic separation INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
The Company’s mining properties acquired on August 18, 2014 that the Company retains as of September 30, 2024 include:
The San Rafael Uranium Project located in Emery County, Utah; The Sunday Mine Complex located in western San Miguel County, Colorado;
The Van 4 Mine located in western Montrose County, Colorado; The Sage Mine located in San Juan County, Utah, and San Miguel County, Colorado.
These mining properties include leased land in the states of Colorado and Utah. None of these mining properties were operational at the
date of acquisition.
The Company’s mining properties acquired
on September 16, 2015 that the Company retains as of September 30, 2024 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 property, plant & equipment
and mineral properties, net and kinetic separation intellectual property are:
Estimated
Useful Lives As of
September 30,
2024 As of
December 31,
2023
Mineral properties N/A $ 11,688,841 $ 11,688,841
Mining equipment 5 years 3,144,398 2,345,055
Vehicles 5 years 1,048,246 549,703
Software 5 years 9,120 -
Construction in progress N/A 177,658 312,384
Land N/A 351,957 351,957
Total property, plant & equipment and mineral properties $ 16,420,220 $ 15,247,940
Less: accumulated depreciation 750,142 321,651
Property, plant & equipment and mineral properties, net $ 15,670,078 $ 14,926,289
Kinetic separation intellectual property $ 9,488,051 $ 9,488,051
11
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
NOTE
4 - PROPERTY, PLANT & EQUIPMENT AND MINERAL PROPERTIES, NET AND KINETIC SEPARATION INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, continued
Property, plant & equipment and mineral
properties, net
During the nine months ended September 30,
2024 and 2023, Western made purchases of $ 1,182,935 and $ 1,874,183 , which principally consisted of mining equipment and vehicles to
increase mining capacity. For the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, depreciation expense was $ 168,782 and $ 65,886 , and
for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, depreciation expense was $ 433,148 and $ 163,223 , respectively, which was
included in mining expenditures on the Company’s condensed interim consolidated statements of operations and other
comprehensive loss.
Oil and Gas Lease and Easement
In 2017, the Company entered into an oil and
gas lease that became effective with respect to minerals and mineral rights owned by the Company on 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 operator elected to extend
the oil and gas lease easement for three additional years through July 2023. This was done to provide additional time in order to complete
well construction and commence oil and gas production. 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. All sixteen (16) wells remain in production and monthly royalty payments will be ongoing in perpetuity as
long as oil and/or gas are produced from the pooled unit containing these sixteen (16) wells.
For the three months ended September 30, 2024
and 2023, the Company recognized aggregate revenue of $ 52,981 and $ 89,144 , respectively, and for the nine months ended September 30,
2024 and 2023, the Company recognized aggregate revenue of $ 147,035 and $ 357,908 , respectively, under these oil and gas lease arrangements.
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. In connection with the Company’s San Rafael Mine, during the three months ended
September 30, 2024, the Company incurred an additional gross and discounted reclamation liability of $ 61,403 and $ 12,154 , respectively.
The Company determined the gross reclamation liabilities of the mineral properties to be $ 812,027 and $ 751,444 as of September 30, 2024
and December 31, 2023, respectively. The portion of the reclamation liability related to the Van 4 Mine, which is in reclamation as of
September 30, 2024, and its related restricted cash are included in current liabilities and current assets, respectively, at a value
of $ 75,057 . During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company’s internal mining operations team has been performing
the Van 4 Mine reclamation work, and the State of Colorado has not yet reduced the associated reclamation liability amount. The Company
expects to begin incurring the reclamation liability after 2054 for all mines that are not in reclamation and accordingly, has discounted
the gross liabilities over their remaining lives using a discount rate of 5.4 %. The net discounted aggregated values as of September
30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 were $ 262,880 and $ 241,562 , respectively. The gross reclamation liabilities as of September 30, 2024 and
December 31, 2023 are secured by financial warranties in the amount of $ 812,027 and $ 751,444 , respectively.
12
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
NOTE
4 - PROPERTY, PLANT & EQUIPMENT AND MINERAL PROPERTIES, NET AND KINETIC SEPARATION INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, continued
Reclamation Liabilities, continued
Reclamation liability activity consists of:
For the Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2024
2023
Beginning balance at January 1
$ 316,619
$ 300,276
Adjustment to reclamation liability
12,154
4,035
Accretion
9,164
9,321
Ending Balance at September 30
$ 337,937
$ 313,632
Less: Reclamation liability, current portion
75,057
75,057
Reclamation liability, net of current portion
$ 262,880
$ 238,575
Topaz Mine Permitting Status
In November 2020 and December 2020, a coalition
of environmental groups (the “Plaintiffs”) filed a complaint against the Mined Land Reclamation Board (“MLRB”)
seeking partial appeals of prior MLRB decisions, requesting the termination of the Topaz Mine permit. The Company joined with the MLRB
in defense of those 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
sought a settlement with the Plaintiffs. A settlement was not reached, and the MLRB and the Company submitted answer briefs on August
20, 2021. The Plaintiffs 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 the MLRB for further proceedings consistent with its order. 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 commenced immediately at the Topaz Mine and is to be completed within five years by
March 2028.
The Company has been working toward the completion
of an updated Topaz Mine Plan of Operations (“Topaz Mine Plan”), which is a separate federal requirement of the U.S. Bureau
of Land Management (“BLM”) for the conduct of mining activities on the federal land at the Topaz Mine. This is a prerequisite
to re-permit the Topaz Mine with Colorado’s DRMS. In connection with the Topaz Mine Plan, an environmental assessment was prepared
by an outside consultant and submitted to the BLM on June 24, 2024. The BLM issued a letter to the Company on August 2, 2024 advising
that the application for the Topaz Mine Plan had run past the allowed evaluation period and was cancelled. A new federal law called the
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 was enacted that creates a one year time limit for BLM reviews. Under the transitional rules, the Topaz
project was not eligible for an extension due to its duration. However, the project can be resubmitted and be picked-up where it was left
off. The re-scoping process will need to be repeated to start the one year time clock. The Company is making a determination as to the
best means and timing to resubmit its application.
San Rafael Permitting Status
The San Rafael Uranium Project, located in Emery County, Utah, is being
developed as the Company's second production facility. During the second quarter 2024, Western submitted a Notice of Intent to the BLM
that was approved for a mineral and groundwater exploration project. During the third quarter of 2024, Utah’s Division
of Oil, Gas & Mining gave its approval of the exploration permit application and the Company posted a $ 60,300 Financial Guarantee
of reclamation costs with the BLM. Following the completion of repairs to access roads, the phase 1 drilling program is set to begin in
2024. Initially, groundwater monitoring wells will be installed at five drilling locations, reaching depths of approximately 1,000 feet.
During the borehole completion process, mineralization will also be assessed and confirmed against historical drill data. This project
will provide the baseline data needed for permitting application submission.
13
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
NOTE
4 - PROPERTY, PLANT & EQUIPMENT AND MINERAL PROPERTIES, NET AND KINETIC SEPARATION INTELLECTUAL 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 mined material 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 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 consist of:
As of
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Trade accounts payable
$
499,710
$
562,831
Accrued liabilities
263,732
198,292
Total accounts payable and accrued liabilities
$
763,442
$
761,123
14
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
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 September
30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, an unlimited number of common shares were authorized for issuance.
Warrant Exercises
During the three and nine months ended September
30, 2024, an aggregate of 0 and 5,198,540 warrants were exercised for total proceeds of $ 0 and $ 4,605,458 (CAD $ 6,238,248 ), respectively.
During the three and nine months ended September
30, 2023, an aggregate of 656,000 warrants were exercised for total gross proceeds of $ 551,629 .
Incentive Stock Option Plan
The Company maintains an Incentive Stock Option
Plan (the “Plan”) that permits the granting of stock options as incentive compensation.
The purpose of the Plan is to attract, retain,
and motivate directors, management, staff, and consultants by providing them with the opportunity, through stock options, to acquire
a proprietary interest in the Company and benefit from its growth.
The Plan provides that the aggregate number of common shares for which
stock options may be granted will not exceed 10 % of the issued and outstanding common shares at the time stock options are granted. As
of September 30, 2024, a total of 55,223,113 common shares were outstanding. As of September 30, 2024, the maximum number of stock options
eligible to be issued under the Plan would be 5,522,311 and net of 4,473,334 options outstanding as of September 30, 2024, there remain
1,048,977 stock options available to be issued under the Plan.
Shareholder Rights Plan
On May 24, 2023, the Company adopted and on June
29, 2023, the shareholders approved a shareholder rights plan, which is designed to ensure the fair treatment of shareholders in connection
with any take-over bid for the Company and to provide the Board of Directors and shareholders with sufficient time to fully consider
any unsolicited takeover bid (the “Shareholder Rights Plan”). The Shareholder Rights Plan also provides the Board of Directors
with time to pursue, if appropriate, other alternatives to maximize shareholder value in the event of a takeover bid.
Pursuant to the terms of the Shareholder Rights
Plan subject to a triggering event as defined in the Shareholder Rights Plan and as determined by the Board of Directors, rights (the
“Rights”) will be issued to holders of Common Shares at a rate of one Right for each Share outstanding.
15
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
NOTE 6 - SHARE CAPITAL AND OTHER EQUITY INSTRUMENTS, CONTINUED
Stock Options
During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company issued 22,484
shares of common stock pursuant to the cashless exercise of 41,666 stock options with an exercise price of $ 0.79 (CAD $ 1.03 ).
During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company granted
a stock option to a director for the purchase of 100,000 shares of common stock with a weighted average grant date fair value of $ 0.80
per share.
The Company utilized the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine
the fair value of this grant, using the assumptions as outlined below:
For the Nine Months
Ended
September 30,
2024
Stock price
CAD $ 2.00
Exercise price
CAD $ 2.00
Dividend yield
0
%
Expected volatility
79.1 % - 88.0
%
Weighted average risk-free interest rate
4.22
%
Expected life (in years)
2.55 - 3.05
There were no stock options granted during the nine months ended September
30, 2023.
Number of
Shares Weighted
Average
Exercise Price Weighted
Average
Contractual Life
(Years) Intrinsic
Value
Outstanding – January 1, 2024 4,917,666 $ 1.22 3.85 $ 214,875
Granted 100,000 1.47
Forfeited and expired ( 502,666 ) 1.50
Exercised ( 41,666 ) 0.79
Outstanding – September 30, 2024 4,473,334 $ 1.19 3.40 $ 1,057,764
Exercisable – September 30, 2024 3,948,326 $ 1.19 3.14 $ 952,300
The Company’s stock-based compensation
expense (net of effect of forfeitures) related to stock options for the three months ended September 30, 2024 was $ 149,038 of which ($ 3,918 )
and $ 152,956 was included in mining expenditures and general and administrative expenses, respectively, on the Company’s condensed
interim consolidated statements of operations and other comprehensive loss. The Company’s stock-based compensation expense related
to stock options for the three months ended September 30, 2023 was $ 0 . The Company’s stock-based compensation expense related to
stock options for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 was $ 893,688 , of which $ 203,607 and $ 690,081 was included in mining expenditures
and general and administrative expenses, respectively, on the Company’s condensed interim consolidated statements of operations
and other comprehensive loss. The Company’s stock-based compensation expense related to stock options for the nine months ended
September 30, 2023 was $ 350,900 , of which $ 57,417 and $ 293,483 was included in mining expenditures and general and administrative expenses,
respectively, on the Company’s condensed interim consolidated statements of operations and other comprehensive loss. As of September
30, 2024, there was approximately $ 130,928 of unrecognized share-based compensation for unvested stock option grants, which is expected
to be recognized over a weighted average period of 0.34 years.
Warrants
Number of
Shares Weighted Average
Exercise Price Weighted Average
Contractual Life
(Years) Intrinsic
Value
Outstanding – January 1, 2024 10,804,539 $ 1.30 1.31 $ 1,576,511
Issued -
-
Exercised ( 5,198,540 ) 0.88
Expired/Forfeited ( 27,260 ) 0.88
Outstanding – September 30, 2024 5,578,739 $ 1.61 1.65 $ 38,090
Exercisable – September 30, 2024 5,578,739 $ 1.61 1.65 $ 38,090
16
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
Note
7- Mining Expenditures
For the Three Months Ended
September 30,
For the Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Mining costs
$ 614,454
$ 421,064
$ 1,967,452
$ 1,042,186
Permits
28,267
26,662
91,904
81,340
Labor and related benefits
523,622
280,704
1,795,517
863,958
Royalties
-
2,424
5,300
5,019
Total mining expenses
$ 1,166,343
$ 730,854
$ 3,860,173
$ 1,992,503
Joint Venture
During February 2024, PRM entered into a joint
venture agreement with Rimrock Exploration and Development Inc. (“Rimrock”) to explore, develop and mine (the “Mining
Operations”) certain uranium and vanadium permitted mines and mining claims located in Colorado and owned by Rimrock (the “JV”).
Pursuant to the terms of the JV, Rimrock will contribute certain assets into the JV and PRM will contribute $ 200,000 (the “Initial
Contribution”) to be used to fund the Mining Operations. Thereafter, each party will own a 50 % interest in the assets of the JV.
During the initial phase of the JV, Rimrock will be the operator and the permits and licenses for the operator will remain in the name
of Rimrock. The JV intends to sell the mined material to the Company under terms to be determined. During the term of the JV, PRM will
pay the costs of the Mining Operations and will be entitled to recover 50 % of such costs subsequent to the contribution of the full amount
of the Initial Contribution. The JV will fund the recovery payments to be made to PRM from the proceeds of the sale of mined material.
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, PRM funded $ 55,643 and $ 234,192 to the JV, respectively, which was expensed
to mining expenditures within the condensed interim consolidated statements of operations and other comprehensive loss and reflected within
mining cost in the table above. The Company has completed its earn-in through the Initial Contribution and now owns a 50 % interest in
the assets of the JV.
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 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 $ 346,820 (AUD $ 500,000 ) to Seller within 60 days of the first commercial application
of the Kinetic Separation technology. The Company 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 $ 346,820 and $ 340,650 as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, 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 rental of office, workshop, warehouse and employee housing facilities. The Company incurred rent expense of $ 26,325
and $ 17,925 in connection with these arrangements for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The Company incurred
rent expense of $ 76,175 and $ 53,775 in connection with these arrangements for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
The Company is obligated to pay Mr. Glasier for
reimbursable expenses in the amount of $ 23,832 and $ 50,010 , included within accounts payable and accrued liabilities, as of September
30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, the Company
purchased approximately $ 9,000 and $ 25,800 of mining related equipment from Silver Hawk Ltd, respectively.
See Note 9 - Subsequent Events.
17
WESTERN URANIUM & VANADIUM CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Stated in USD)
(Unaudited)
NOTE 9 – Subsequent events
Purchase of Colorado Mill Site
On October 1, 2024, Western, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Western
Uranium Corporation, executed a binding Stock Purchase Agreement (the “PRC Agreement”) to purchase 100 % of the shares of Pinon
Ridge Corporation, a Colorado corporation (“PRC”), from a private investor group and thereby acquire Pinion Ridge Resources
Corporation (“PRRC”), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of PRC. PRRC owns an approximately 900 -acre property located in Montrose
County, Colorado, where a uranium processing mill was previously licensed but never constructed. While the mill was never constructed,
it was fully licensed and thus provides leverage from past expenditures unique to this specific site supporting the permitting process.
The acquisition becomes the second property package that Western has acquired, in addition to the Maverick Minerals Processing Plant site
in Utah, and is part of Western’s plans for developing and licensing one or more uranium and vanadium processing facilities to process
production from its resource properties in Colorado and Utah.
Pursuant to the PRC Agreement, the former PRC
shareholders were paid $ 829,167 for their PRC equity and shareholder loan repayments. As of October 3, 2024, Western has completed all
such payments and the transaction has closed. After closing, a creditor holding a security interest against PRRC was paid a total of $ 1,148,125
to pay off an outstanding promissory note. Western also assumed certain PRC liabilities and obligations in the transaction, including
royalty obligations payable to an unrelated third party based upon the mineral volume processed through any mineral processing plant that
is located on the property.
The transaction will be accounted for as a purchase
of an asset.
George Glasier, the President, CEO and a director
of Western, and his wife Kathleen owned 50 % of the shares of PRC, and Andrew Wilder, a director of Western, indirectly owned 3 % of the
shares of PRC, and so the transaction was considered a related party transaction. The Company’s Board of Directors established
an independent committee of the Board comprised of directors who were not considered to have an interest in the transaction, and the
independent committee oversaw the negotiation and approved the entering into the Agreement on behalf of the Company. Of the total cash
paid to the sellers, approximately $ 414,000 was paid to George Glasier and approximately $ 24,000 was paid to an affiliate of Andrew Wilder.
November 2024 Private Placement
On November 8, 2024, the Company announced a private placement of up
to 4,166,666 units at a price of CAD $ 1.32 per unit, which if fully subscribed would result in aggregate gross proceeds of up to approximately
CAD $ 5,500,000 , subject to a 15 % discretionary overallotment increase. Each unit is comprised of one common share of Western and one common
share purchase warrant. Each warrant is exercisable into one common share at a price of CAD $1.78 per share for a period of four years
following the closing date of the private placement. This private placement is expected to close on November 15, 2024.
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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 (the “Securities Act”), 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 interim consolidated 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. Western is a Canadian domestic issuer and Canadian
reporting issuer.
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 2021 was 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.
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Under United States Securities and Exchange Commission
(“Commission”) rules, the Black Range transaction triggered the Company being deemed a United States domestic issuer and losing
its foreign private issuer exemption. On April 29, 2016, the Company filed a Form 10 registration statement with the Commission after
shifting its basis of accounting from IFRS to U.S. GAAP. On June 28, 2016, the Company’s registration statement became effective
and Western became a United States reporting issuer.
On June 30, 2023, Western re-qualified as a foreign
private issuer as that term is defined in Rule 3b-4(c) promulgated under the Exchange Act. As a result, the Company may now utilize certain
accommodations made to foreign private issuers, including (1) an exemption from complying with the Commission’s proxy rules, (2)
an exemption from the Company’s insiders having to comply with the reporting and short-swing trading liability provisions of Section
16 under the Exchange Act, (3) the ability to make periodic filings with the Commission on the Form 20-F and Form 6-K foreign issuer forms,
and (4) the ability to offer and sell unrestricted securities outside of the United States pursuant to Rule 903 of Regulation S. The Company
plans to take advantage of these accommodations. However, the Company currently has decided to voluntarily continue to file periodic reports
with the Commission using domestic issuer forms including filing annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current
reports on Form 8-K. On the subsequent measurement date June 30, 2024, Western reconfirmed its qualification as a foreign private issuer.
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”).
Recent Developments
Bullen Property (Weld County)
In 2017, 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 operator elected to extend
the oil and gas lease easement for three additional years through July 2023. This was done to provide additional time in order to complete
well construction and commence oil and gas production. 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. All sixteen (16) wells remain in production and monthly royalty payments will be ongoing in perpetuity as long
as oil and/or gas are produced from the pooled unit containing these sixteen (16) wells.
During the three months ended September 30, 2024
and 2023, we recognized aggregate revenue of $52,981 and $89,144, respectively, and for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023,
we recognized aggregate revenue of $147,035 and $357,908, respectively, under these oil and gas lease arrangements. For the three months
ended September 30, 2024, oil and gas royalties declined due to lower volumes attributable to production decline curves. For the nine
months ended September 30, 2024, the decline in oil and gas royalties was principally attributable to short-term well-pad maintenance
shutdowns of eight (8) wells during the second quarter and lower production volumes attributable to production decline curves.
Sunday Mine Complex Project Update
Western continues to ramp up operations to achieve
its annualized production target of 1 million pounds of uranium and 6 million pounds of vanadium. Following the expansion of infrastructure
deeper into the West Sunday Mine, the mining teams commenced driving a drift which is approximately 2,700 feet in distance to the Leonard
& Clark deposit. To date, a total of 573 feet has been developed, including 466 feet of ramp footage. A jumbo drill was deployed to
increase progress.
The drilling teams continue to define additional
mining areas utilizing underground horizontal drilling. Between January 25th and March 31st, the team drilled a total of 13,153 linear
feet. During the second quarter, the underground horizontal drilling program achieved 12,339 additional linear feet, and in the third
quarter an additional 4,983 linear feet were achieved.
Also, during the third quarter, the operations
team moved to an area of the Sunday Mine where the last operator ceased production. Existing underground workings were rehabilitated and
utilities were installed in a large stope area close to the former production face.
At the beginning of 2024, Western expanded the Sunday Mine Complex
mining operations by deploying two alternating mining crews and two alternating drilling teams who operated seven days a week. In early
January, a schedule of alternating weeks with seven workdays per week was implemented for the mining and drilling teams at the Sunday
Mine Complex. By early July, mining operations transitioned back to a four workdays per week schedule to enhance coordination and efficiency
during the summer months. For the next phase of the work program, the mining team is transitioning back to the seven day work schedule
in November 2024.
20
The mining team encountered a previously unknown uranium mineral deposit
while drifting to the Leonard & Clark deposit. Consequently, the Company has paused the drifting project and the mining team and the
drilling team switched the locations from which they were working. The drilling station was relocated to this newly discovered uranium
deposit in order to facilitate an assessment of its size. As this is a previously unexplored area, this discovery was not unexpected as
our expectation is that we will encounter additional significant mineral deposits. Significant drilling, probing and data collection was
done in this area, and reporting will be completed under the supervision of Western’s new geologist, to be hired in the fourth quarter
of 2024.
San Rafael
The San Rafael Uranium Project, located in Emery County, Utah, is being
developed as the Company's second production facility. During the second quarter 2024, Western submitted a Notice of Intent to the U.S.
Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) that was approved for a mineral and groundwater exploration project. During
the third quarter of 2024, Utah’s Division of Oil, Gas & Mining gave its approval of the exploration permit application and
the Company posted a $60,300 Financial Guarantee of reclamation costs with the BLM. Following the completion of repairs to access roads,
the phase 1 drilling program is set to begin in 2024. Initially, groundwater monitoring wells will be installed at five drilling locations,
reaching depths of approximately 1,000 feet. During the borehole completion process, mineralization will also be assessed and confirmed
against historical drill data. This project will provide the baseline data needed for permitting application submission.
Joint Venture with Rimrock Exploration and
Development Inc.
Western has entered into a joint venture with
Rimrock Exploration and Development Inc. (“Rimrock”), a private company which owns two fully permitted, developed, and past
producing uranium mines in Colorado. Western will fund mining operations and initially Rimrock will be the operator. Upon the payment
of the initial contribution, each party will own a 50% interest in the assets of the joint venture. During the three and nine months ended
September 30, 2024, $55,643 and $234,192, respectively, in funding was provided to the JV, and this amount has been fully expensed to
mining expenditures. The Company completed its earn-in during the third quarter of 2024, through payment of the initial contribution and
now owns a 50% interest in the assets of the JV. These mines access shallow uranium deposits where mined material is available at depths
of 60 and 120 feet. The joint venture will sell the mined material to Western under terms to be determined. The mines do not have a technical
report but are anticipated to provide marginal production to supplement Western’s Sunday Mine Complex production. The next step
in advancing the project is for the Rimrock team to drill in front of their mining stations to establish more mineralized material and
determine future mining areas based upon the trend of the mineral deposit.
Topaz Mine Permitting Status
In November 2020 and December 2020, a coalition
of environmental groups (the “Plaintiffs”) filed a complaint against the Mined Land Reclamation Board (“MLRB”)
seeking partial appeals of prior MLRB decisions, requesting the termination of the Topaz Mine permit. The Company joined with the MLRB
in defense of those 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
sought a settlement with the Plaintiffs. A settlement was not reached, and the MLRB and the Company submitted answer briefs on August
20, 2021. The Plaintiffs 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 the MLRB for further proceedings consistent with its order. 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 commenced immediately at the Topaz Mine and is to be completed within five years by March 2028.
The Company has been working toward the completion of an updated Topaz
Mine Plan of Operations since 2020. This is a separate federal requirement of the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) for the
conduct of mining activities on the federal land at the Topaz Mine and is a prerequisite to re-permit the Topaz Mine with Colorado’s
DRMS. An Environmental Assessment (“EA”) was prepared by an outside consultant to the BLM and submitted on June 24, 2024 for
BLM’s internal review. On August 2, 2024, the BLM issued a letter advising that the Plan of Operations Environmental Assessment
had been cancelled. A new federal law called the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 was enacted that creates a one year time limit for
BLM reviews. Under the transitional rules, the Topaz project was not eligible for an extension. However, the project can be resubmitted
and be picked up where it left off. The re-scoping process will need to be repeated to start the one year time clock. At this time
the Company has the ability to modify the Plan of Operations or proceed with the version previously submitted. Given this optionality,
the Company is making a determination as to the best way to move forward.
Energy Fuels Ore Buying Program
Energy Fuels has announced that it expects to commence an ore buying
program from third-party miners in 2024 to increase its uranium production profile at the White Mesa Mill, currently, the only operational
conventional uranium/vanadium mill in the United States. Western and Energy Fuels have had discussions regarding the delivery of mined
material from the Sunday Mine Complex. The process can move forward once Energy Fuels makes available a final Ore Purchase Agreement with
the program terms. If a mutually beneficial arrangement can be established, Western could pivot its current mining operations to begin
deliveries of mined material in as little as 30 days.
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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 minerals processing plant (the “Maverick Minerals Processing Plant”). This facility will be designed to
recover uranium, vanadium and cobalt both from conventional materials mined from Company mines and materials 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 $75 million. After permitting and construction, the processing of uranium and vanadium materials is expected to commence
in late 2027. 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.
The development of the Maverick Minerals Processing Plant in Green
River, Utah, has advanced considerably. In the second quarter 2023, the land acquisition was completed and in the third quarter 2023 the
project design and permitting activities commenced with the engagement of a full team of consulting firms, chosen for their expertise
in engineering / mill design, permit preparation, environmental, hydrology, and air quality. Site evaluation work was undertaken and a
preliminary plant and property site plan was compiled for the location of monitor wells, meteorological towers, buildings, processing
circuits, tailings and evaporation ponds, roads/infrastructure and ore storage facilities. At a pre-application permitting meeting in
November 2023, the Company and its consultants met onsite with local officials. During the first nine months of 2024, additional progress
has been made. The baseline data required for submission of the permitting application continues to be collected from the onsite meteorological
towers. A final plant and animal study was completed. This study confirmed the site is clear of endangered plant life that is only observable
during the spring growing season. Additional consulting commitments were made to advance the licensing and development with Precision
Systems Engineering (PSE), a leading engineering, and design consulting firm headquartered in Sandy, Utah. Initially, PSE’s target
was to release the preliminary engineering design and cost estimate in June 2024 for a 500 ton per day mill; this timing has been deferred
while Western reassesses its design and strategy now that it has purchased a previously licensed mill site in Colorado (please see Colorado
Mill Site Purchase, below).
At this stage of development, we are continuing to analyze a range
of scenarios to determine the most advantageous approach. Notably, we are exploring downsizing the mill through the application of Kinetic
Separation. In addition to variable sizing and the application of Kinetic Separation, we intend to retain the modular build approach,
and the potential to utilize multiple facility locations.
Colorado Mill Site Purchase
On October 1, 2024, Western, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Western
Uranium Corporation, executed a binding Stock Purchase Agreement (the “PRC Agreement”) to purchase 100% of the shares of Pinon
Ridge Corporation, a Colorado corporation (“PRC”), from a private investor group and thereby acquire Pinion Ridge Resources
Corporation (“PRRC”), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of PRC. PRRC owns an approximately 900-acre property located in Montrose
County, Colorado, where a uranium processing mill was previously licensed but never constructed. While the mill was never constructed,
it was fully licensed and thus provides leverage from past expenditures unique to this specific site supporting the permitting process.
The acquisition becomes the second property package, that Western has acquired in addition to the Maverick Minerals Processing Plant site
in Utah, and is part of Western’s plans for developing and licensing one or more uranium and vanadium processing facilities to process
production from its resource properties in Colorado and Utah.
Pursuant to the PRC Agreement, the former PRC
shareholders were paid $829,167 for their PRC equity and shareholder loan repayments. As of October 3, 2024, Western has completed all
such payments and the transaction has closed. After closing, a creditor holding a security interest against PRRC was paid a total of $1,148,125
to pay off an outstanding promissory note. Western also assumed certain PRC liabilities and obligations in the transaction, including
royalty obligations payable to an unrelated third party based upon the mineral volume processed through any mineral processing plant that
is located on the property.
The transaction will be accounted for as a purchase
of an asset.
George Glasier, the President, CEO and a director
of Western, and his wife Kathleen owned 50% of the shares of PRC, and Andrew Wilder, a director of Western, indirectly owned 3% of the
shares of PRC, and so the transaction was considered a related party transaction. The Company’s Board of Directors established an
independent committee of the Board comprised of directors who were not considered to have an interest in the transaction, and the independent
committee oversaw the negotiation and approved the entering into the Agreement on behalf of the Company. Of the total cash paid to the
sellers, approximately $414,000 was paid to George Glasier and approximately $24,000 was paid to an affiliate of Andrew Wilder.
22
The operations team has moved rapidly to deploy instruments for the
collection of water and air quality data. This baseline testing is being completed to update existing site data as a critical input for
the permitting and licensing application.
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 approximately $20 per pound. Later in May 2022 and June 2022, the spot price receded to $45 levels, before recovering to the $50 +/-
per pound price level. This price level was maintained for an extended period as the immediate ban/sanctions anticipated by investors
of nuclear fuel and services from Russia couldn’t be implemented.
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.
There has been significant legislative progress
favorable to increasing domestic uranium and nuclear fuel production in the United States. The U.S. Senate established a Nuclear Fuel
Security Program in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This amendment requires the Secretary of Energy to establish a Nuclear
Fuel Security Program, expand the American Assured Fuel Supply Program, establish a High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) for Advanced
Nuclear Reactor Demonstration Projects Program, submit a report on a civil nuclear credit program, and to enhance programs to build workforce
capacity to meet mission critical needs of the Department of Energy (DOE). In advance of the United States putting in place a ban or sanctions
on Russian uranium, the DOE continues to make preparations for a Russian counter-sanction terminating the flow of nuclear fuel and services
from Russia.
UNITED STATES BAN OF RUSSIAN URANIUM:
In response to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the United States legislature passed the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act (H.R. 1042)
to ban Russian uranium imports into the U.S. Unanimous passage of The Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act (H.R. 1042) in April 2024
by the U.S. Senate followed the U.S. House of Representatives' passage of the bill in December 2023. Subsequently, on May 13, 2024, President
Biden signed this legislation into law. The ban will now go into effect 90 days after its enactment and will be phased in under Department
of Energy conditional waivers before becoming a complete ban on January 1, 2028. Importantly, the enactment of a Russian ban releases
funding to support the American nuclear supply chain. This funding will be deployed by the DOE under a new program called the Low-Enriched
Uranium (LEU) – Enrichment Acquisition. A Request for Proposal was disseminated in June, an Industry day was organized in July,
and bids will be due in August. Through nuclear energy diplomacy, Russia’s control of the global nuclear fuel supply chain extends
to many countries. However, as the United States has the world’s largest civilian nuclear reactor fleet, it has now taken steps
to reduce its reliance on state-sponsored Russian nuclear fuel. As of August 11, 2024, the Russian uranium ban has become effective and
a waiver is required for U.S. parties to receive Russian uranium until January 1, 2028 when Russian material is fully banned.
RUSSIAN RESPONSE TO URANIUM BAN:
On May 14, 2024, the day following the ban enactment, Bloomberg reported that Russia had responded with TENEX issuing force majeure notices
to U.S. utility customers. TENEX is the subsidiary of Rosatom, the state nuclear energy corporation, and the entity through which U.S.
counterparties contract for Russian uranium product imports into the United States.
23
The TENEX force majeure notices require U.S. customers to secure waivers
within 60 days that exempt them from the new U.S. Russian uranium ban or risk being moved to the back of the line for uranium deliveries
if they are granted a waiver later. TENEX’s notice is based on their intention to honor their contracts, but they acknowledge this
could be overridden by the Kremlin. This deadline has now passed and the DOE is currently granting waivers to the ban. Multiple waivers
have been partially or fully approved, however the details are not in the public domain. The waiver process does not appear restrictive
and will likely allow the majority of previously contracted Russian material into the United States prior to January 1, 2028. Western
is unaware of TENEX taking any further actions subsequent to its force majeure notices.
On May 21, 2024, the DOE published their process
and instructions for requesting a waiver. The waiver process does not appear restrictive and will likely allow most of the previously
contracted Russian material into the United States prior to January 1, 2028. The U.S. legislative intentions were to deprive Russia of
the revenue associated with U.S. purchases of Russian nuclear fuel and counter Russia’s control of the global nuclear fuel cycle
by flooding U.S. and international markets with state-supported Russian uranium and services.
We continue to believe the shift away from Russia/Rosatom will be a
major catalyst in the realignment of nuclear fuel markets which will benefit western producers. We anticipate this process will culminate
in tremendous support for the U.S. nuclear fuel industry. As a result, we have been and will be continuing to accelerate the advancement
of our operational strategy in anticipation of increasing uranium price levels that will reward near-term scaled-up production.
Nuclear Fuel and Uranium Market Conditions
During the first nine months of 2024, the spot uranium price decreased
$9.00 from $91.00 to $82.00. Notably, the long-term price increased from $68.00 to $81.50 during a period of rising conversion and enrichment
services prices. However this follows an extremely strong period in the market where spot uranium prices have reacted to supply/demand
constraints and geopolitical risks. Since July 2023, spot uranium increased from the approximately $50/lbs. level to over $100/lbs. in
January 2024, before settling back into its current levels. 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 uranium equity prices will continue to strengthen and reflect
the underlying positive fundamentals in the nuclear/uranium sector. Most notably during the quarter, multiple market analysts have flagged
low availability of mobile secondary inventories. We believe the continued draw down of inventories to be a market catalyst of the recent
uptick in uranium prices.
Positive nuclear energy news has continued to
highlight the global growth of future nuclear electricity generation which will drive increased nuclear fuel demand. In terms of future
supply, utility contracting has continued into 2024, and some uranium mining companies are moving toward restarting production. However,
due to the lead time needed for future uranium production, we are entering a phase where the supply-demand fundamentals are in a deep
multi-year structural supply deficit. The future is not clear as we believe some miners with available near-term production are waiting
for higher price levels and/or project funding before making full start-up commitments. Utilities are also deferring contracting to understand
how regulations and geopolitics will modify their future access to Russian uranium, conversion and enrichment services.
In the second quarter of 2024, investors began purchasing nuclear and
uranium equities as a means to create long exposure for their positive view on Artificial Intelligence (AI), due to the vast energy requirements
of data centers. Recent transactions have been announced as tech giants Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have sought deals to source nuclear
power for their data centers from full scale reactors and SMRs. Microsoft most prominently signed an agreement with Constellation Energy
to restart a Three Mile Island reactor in Pennsylvania and purchase 100% of the power generated for two decades.
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. Both Urenco and Orano have
announced that they will invest to expand their uranium enrichment capacity respectively in the United States and France, which represents
a shift away from Russia. Utilities are demonstrating their desire for increased security of their nuclear fuel supply chains. 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
has put 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.
24
In late July 2023, soldiers of Niger’s presidential
guard deposed from power President Mohamed Bazoum; and replaced him with a military junta. This is significant because the new government
is opposed to Western interests and has escalated anti-French rhetoric, while seeking support from Russia and its mercenary group. Uranium
is Niger’s main export and this small West African country holds the 7th largest uranium resource in the world and was producing
about 5% of global production. The Junta has initiated multiple actions that are counter to French interests, which include Orano, the
French state-backed nuclear energy company. Most importantly, Niger’s Junta has threatened the export of uranium to France which
has serious implications because France acquires 20% of its natural uranium from Niger. Subsequently, French President Macron has visited
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, both former Soviet Republics, citing the vast potential for further cooperation in regard to nuclear power.
Military alliances are changing as the Junta has signed a new military
agreement with Russia and has brought Russian military instructors into the country in April 2024. In addition to the French military
evacuating/being expelled from Niger, the U.S. military has agreed to depart the country. During May 2024 in a joint statement, Niger
and the U.S. announced that no later than September 2024 all U.S. military troops would be withdrawn from Niger. Under pressure from the
government of Niger, the U.S. completed the final withdrawal of all military personnel on August 5, 2024. The Junta is now utilizing Russian
military support as a replacement.
This conflict is impacting future global uranium supply. Several uranium
mine development projects in the country continue to proceed despite the evacuation of many foreign nationals and difficulties receiving
supplies. Re-establishing political stability is likely a prerequisite to these companies receiving the funding packages needed to cover
the significant project development costs. Recently, the government of Niger has revoked operating permits from foreign uranium companies,
including Orano in June 2024 and Goviex in July 2024. Subsequently in October 2024, Orano suspended production at its last operating mine
in Niger. This was due to the financial strain from a border closing, which has stranded stockpiled uranium. Further, the government is
not responding to proposed export alternatives.
During October 2023, geopolitical instabilities spread further to the
Middle East after a Hamas attack on Israel triggered a counterattack by Israel on the Gaza Strip. The Israel-Hamas hostilities have escalated
over the Summer of 2024 and then spread to other countries in the Middle East. This additional hot spot further increases volatility in
the world and destabilizes the Middle East region that is highly influential on global energy prices.
United States Presidential Election
On November 5, 2024, the United States held a highly contested Presidential
election between Republicans (Trump-Vance) and Democrats (Harris-Walz). The Trump-Vance Republican ticket won, thus returning former-President
Donald Trump to a second Presidential term. Also, Republicans appear to have assumed control of Congress by achieving majorities in both
the Senate and House of Representatives. Nuclear energy currently enjoys bipartisan support, but each of these Presidential Administrations
has taken a different approach in their support. Given the Republican wins in these elections, this is likely to lead to changes in the
approach to various issues that could affect the Company’s business but can’t be predicted with any certainty. However, based upon available information, we speculate that Biden-Harris’ climate change and clean energy initiatives will be de-emphasized
in favor of Trump administration campaign themes involving energy independence and America first policies.
25
Results of Operations
The following table presents the Company’s
financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
For the Three Months Ended
September 30,
For the Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Revenue
$ 52,981
$ 89,144
$ 147,035
$ 357,908
Expenses
Mining expenditures
1,166,343
730,854
3,860,173
1,992,503
Professional fees
127,049
44,382
484,926
303,312
General and administrative
813,403
365,197
2,604,516
1,384,316
Consulting fees
247,850
48,251
738,204
48,988
Total operating expenses
2,354,645
1,188,684
7,687,819
3,729,119
Operating loss
(2,301,664 )
(1,099,540 )
(7,540,784 )
(3,371,211 )
Accretion and interest income, net
(62,492 )
(39,498 )
(199,202 )
(126,979 )
Other income, net
1,998
-
1,998
(4,000 )
Net loss
(2,241,170 )
(1,060,042 )
(7,343,580 )
(3,240,232 )
Other Comprehensive (loss) income
Foreign currency translation adjustment
14,018
(43,474 )
(190,861 )
14,716
Comprehensive loss
$ (2,227,152 )
$ (1,103,516 )
$ (7,534,441 )
$ (3,225,516 )
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024 as Compared to the Three
Months Ended September 30, 2023
Summary:
Our condensed consolidated net loss for the three
months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 was $2,241,170 and $1,060,042, respectively. The principal components of these year over year
changes are discussed below.
Our comprehensive loss for the three months ended
September 30, 2024 and 2023 was $2,227,152 and $1,103,516, respectively.
Revenues
Our revenue for the three months ended September
30, 2024 and 2023 was $52,981 and $89,144, respectively. The decrease in revenues of $36,163, or 41% was primarily related to lower oil
and gas well volumes attributable to production decline curves during the three months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the three
months ended September 30, 2023.
Mining Expenditures
Mining expenditures for the three months ended
September 30, 2024 were $1,166,343 as compared to $730,854 for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The increase in mining expenditures
of $435,489, or 60% was principally attributable to scaling up mining activities at the Company’s Sunday Mine Complex which involved
the hiring of additional mining personnel, increased mining services and supplies costs, and increased maintenance and depreciation costs
for mining equipment and vehicles placed into service.
Professional Fees
Professional fees for the three months ended September
30, 2024 were $127,049 as compared to $44,382 for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The increase in professional fees of $82,667,
or 186% was due to increased accounting and legal costs in connection with increased business and mining activities.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses for the three
months ended September 30, 2024 were $813,403 as compared to $365,197 for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The increase in general
and administrative expense of $448,206, or 123%, is primarily due to an increase in headcount and employee benefits, non-cash stock-based
compensation expense and insurance costs in connection with increased mining activities.
26
Consulting fees
Consulting fees for the three months ended September
30, 2024 were $247,850 as compared to $48,251 for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The increase in consulting fees of $199,599
was due to the increased costs incurred for the licensing and permitting of a mineral processing plant.
Accretion and interest income, net
Accretion and interest income, net for the three
months ended September 30, 2024 was $62,492 as compared to $39,498 for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The increase in interest
income, net of $22,994 or 58% was principally attributable to higher interest rates earned and larger invested cash balances during the
three months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023.
Other income, net
Other income, net for the three months ended September
30, 2024 was $1,998 as compared to $0 for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The change was attributable to a loss on the sale
of a used vehicle during the three months ended September 30, 2024.
Foreign currency translation adjustment
Foreign currency translation adjustment for the
three months ended September 30, 2024 was a gain of $14,018 as compared to a loss of $43,474 for the three months ended September 30,
2023. The change in foreign exchange is primarily due to the strengthening of the USD against the CAD.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024 as Compared to the Nine
Months Ended September 30, 2023
Summary:
Our condensed consolidated net loss for the nine
months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 was $7,343,580 and $3,240,232, respectively. The principal components of these year over year
changes are discussed below.
Our comprehensive loss for the nine months ended
September 30, 2024 and 2023 was $7,534,441 and $3,225,516, respectively.
Revenues
Our revenue for the nine months ended September
30, 2024 and 2023 was $147,035 and $357,908, respectively. The decrease in revenues of $210,873, or 59% was primarily related to lower
production volumes from the oil and gas wells due to short-term well-pad maintenance shutdown in the second quarter and lower well performance
during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
Mining Expenditures
Mining expenditures for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 were
$3,860,173 as compared to $1,992,503 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The increase in mining expenditures of $1,867,670,
or 94% was principally attributable to scaling up mining activities at the Company’s Sunday Mine Complex, which involved the hiring
of additional mining personnel, increased mining services and supplies costs, and increased maintenance and depreciation costs for mining
equipment and vehicles placed into service.
Professional Fees
Professional fees for the nine months ended September
30, 2024 were $484,926 as compared to $303,312 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The increase in professional fees of $181,614,
or 60% was due to increased accounting and legal costs in connection with increased business and mining activities.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses for the nine
months ended September 30, 2024 were $2,604,516 as compared to $1,384,316 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The increase in
general and administrative expense of $1,220,200, or 88% is primarily due to an increase in headcount and employee benefits, non-cash
stock-based compensation expense and insurance costs in connection with increased mining activities.
27
Consulting fees
Consulting fees for the nine months ended September
30, 2024 were $738,204 as compared to $48,988 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The increase in consulting fees of $689,216
was due to the increased costs incurred for the licensing and permitting of a mineral processing plant.
Accretion and interest income, net
Accretion and interest income, net for the nine
months ended September 30, 2024 was $199,202 as compared to $126,979 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The increase in interest
income, net of $72,223, or 57% was principally attributable to higher interest rates earned and larger invested cash balances during the
nine months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
Other income, net
Other income, net for the nine months ended September
30, 2024 was a loss of $1,998 as compared to a gain of $4,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The change was principally
attributable to a gain on the sale of a used vehicles during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to a loss on the sale of
a used vehicle during the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
Foreign currency translation adjustment
Foreign currency translation adjustment for the
nine months ended September 30, 2024 was a loss of $190,861 as compared to a gain of $14,716 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
The change in foreign exchange is primarily due to the weakening of the USD against the CAD.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash
balance as of September 30, 2024 was $7,459,395. Our cash position is highly dependent on our ability to raise capital through the issuance
of debt and equity and our management of expenditures for mining development and for fulfillment of our public company reporting responsibilities.
Our management believes that in order to finance the development of the mining properties and Kinetic Separation, to secure regulatory
licenses and to construct the Maverick Minerals Processing Plant for the processing of uranium and vanadium, we will be required to raise
additional capital by way of debt and/or equity. We will also require additional working capital to continue to scale-up its mining operations
at the Sunday Mine Complex. This outlook is based on our current financial position and is subject to change if opportunities become available
based on current exploration program results and/or external opportunities.
Net cash used in operating activities
Net cash used in operating activities was $5,762,812
for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, as compared with $2,563,287 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The increase of
$3,199,525 in cash used in operating activities was principally driven by an increase in net loss of $4,103,348, offset by an increase
of $542,788 in stock-based compensation and an increase of $269,925 in depreciation.
Net cash used in investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities was $1,178,935
for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, as compared with $1,874,183 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The decrease in
cash used in investing activities of $695,248 was principally due to elevated purchases of equipment in the 2023 period in connection
initial mining mobilization related to the Sunday Mine Complex.
Net cash provided by financing activities
Net cash provided by financing activities for
the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 were $4,605,458 and $551,629, respectively. The increase in cash provided by financing
activities of $4,053,829 was due to proceeds of $4,605,458 from the exercise of warrants during the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
28
Reclamation Liability
Our mines are subject to certain asset retirement
obligations, which we have 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 our best estimate of the present value of future reclamation costs in connection with the mineral
properties. In connection with our San Rafael Mine, during the three months ended September 30, 2024, we incurred an additional gross
and discounted reclamation liability of $61,403 and $12,154, respectively. We determined the gross reclamation liabilities of the mineral
properties to be $812,027 and $751,444, as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. The portion of the reclamation liability
related to the Van 4 Mine, which is in reclamation as of September 30, 2024, and its related restricted cash are included in current liabilities
and current assets, respectively, at a value of $75,075. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, our internal mining operations
team has been performing the Van 4 Mine reclamation work, and the State of Colorado has not yet reduced the reclamation liability amount.
We expect to begin incurring the reclamation liability after 2054 for all mines that are not in reclamation and accordingly, have discounted
the gross liabilities over their remaining lives using a discount rate of 5.4%. The net discounted aggregated values as of September 30,
2024 and December 31, 2023 were $262,880 and $241,562, respectively. The gross reclamation liabilities as of September 30, 2024 and December
31, 2023 are secured by financial warranties in the amount of $812,027 and $751,444, respectively.
Oil and Gas Lease and Easement
We entered into an oil and gas lease that became
effective with respect to minerals and mineral rights owned by us on approximately 160 surface acres of our property in Colorado. As consideration
for entering into the lease, the lessee has agreed to pay us a royalty from the lessee’s revenue attributed to oil and gas produced,
saved, and sold attributable to the net mineral interest. We have also received cash payments from the lessee related to the easement
that we are 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. All sixteen (16) wells
remain in production and monthly royalty payments will be ongoing in perpetuity as long as oil and/or gas are produced from the pooled
unit containing these sixteen (16) wells.
Under the oil and gas lease and easement arrangements,
during the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, we recognized aggregate revenue of $52,981 and $89,144, respectively, and for
the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, the Company recognized aggregate revenue of $147,035 and $357,908, respectively, under
these oil and gas lease arrangements
Related Party Transactions
We have 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 $346,820 (AUD $500,000) to Seller within 60 days of the first commercial application
of the Kinetic Separation technology. We 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, we recorded the deferred contingent consideration as an assumed liability
in the amount of $346,820 and $340,650 as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
On October 1, 2024, Western, through its wholly
owned subsidiary, Western Uranium Corporation (“WUC”), executed a binding Stock Purchase Agreement (the “PRC Agreement”)
to purchase 100% of the shares of Pinon Ridge Corporation, a Colorado corporation (“PRC”), from a private investor group and
thereby acquire an approximately 900-acre property located in Montrose County, Colorado, where a uranium processing plant was previously
licensed but never constructed. George Glasier, the President, CEO and a director of Western, and his wife Kathleen owned 50% of the shares
of PRC, and Andrew Wilder, a director of Western, indirectly owned 3% of the shares of PRC. Therefore, this transaction constitutes a
related party transaction. The Company’s Board of Directors established an independent committee of the Board, comprised of directors
who are not considered to have an interest in the transaction. The independent committee of the Board has overseen the negotiation and
approved the entering into the Agreement on behalf of the Corporation. Of the total cash paid to the sellers, approximately $414,000 was
paid to George Glasier and approximately $24,000 was paid to an affiliate of Andrew Wilder.
We have 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 rental of office, workshop, warehouse and employee housing facilities. We incurred rent expense of $26,325 and $17,925 in
connection with these arrangements for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We incurred rent expense of $76,175
and $53,775 in connection with these arrangements for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
29
We are obligated to pay Mr. Glasier for reimbursable
expenses in the amount of $23,832 and $50,010, included within accounts payable and accrued liabilities, as of September 30, 2024 and
December 31, 2023, respectively.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2024
and 2023, the Company purchased approximately $9,000 and $25,800 of mining related equipment from Silver Hawk Ltd, respectively.
Going Concern
With the exception of the quarter ended June 30,
2022, we had incurred losses from our operations and as of September 30, 2024, had an accumulated deficit of $26,161,437 and working capital
of $6,174,805.
Since inception, we have met our liquidity requirements
principally through the issuance of notes, the sale of our common shares and from limited revenue sources. During the nine months ended
September 30, 2024, we received $4,605,458 in proceeds from the exercise of our common share warrants. On December 12, 2023, we closed
a non-brokered private placement of 5,215,828 units at a price of CAD $1.39 per unit. The aggregate gross proceeds raised in the private
placement amounted to CAD $7,250,000 (USD $4,836,867 in net proceeds). During the year ended December 31, 2023, we received $1,004,044
in proceeds from the exercise of our common share warrants.
Our ability to continue our operations and to
pay our obligations when they become due is contingent upon us 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 our Kinetic Separation,
to construct Maverick Minerals Processing Plant for the processing of uranium and vanadium and to incorporate Kinetic Separation in the
processing uranium and vanadium bearing materials to generate operating cash flows. We will need additional capital to continue ongoing
mining operations by our in-house mining team at the Sunday Mine Complex while simultaneously permitting and constructing a processing
plant.
There are no assurances that we will be able to
raise capital on terms acceptable to us or at all, or that cash flows generated from its operations will be sufficient to meet our current
operating costs and required debt service. If we are unable to obtain sufficient amounts of additional capital, we may be required to
reduce the scope of our planned product development, which could harm our financial condition and operating results, or we may not be
able to continue to fund our ongoing operations. These conditions raise substantial doubt about our 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 September 30, 2024, there were no off-balance
sheet transactions. We have not entered into any specialized financial agreements to minimize our investment risk, currency risk or commodity
risk.
Critical Accounting Estimates and Policies
The preparation of these condensed interim consolidated
financial statements requires management to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets
and liabilities at the date of the condensed interim 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 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.
30
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures
About Market Risk
Not applicable.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of the end of the period covered by this report,
our principal executive officer and principal financial officer evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures
(as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)).
Based on their evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded
that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of September 30, 2024, 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.
Our management is responsible for establishing
and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed under
the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to provide
reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes
in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Based on this evaluation, our chief executive
officer and chief financial officer have concluded that during the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures
were not effective, due to our identified material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting.
Based upon its assessment, as of September 30,
2024, management has identified the following material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting, inclusive of the control
weakness related to disclosure controls and procedures:
1.
The lack of sufficient dedicated accounting personnel, resulting in delays around the timely collection of inputs and the preparation and review of financial reporting, as well as the inability to provide for effective segregation of duties, and
2.
The lack of formal documentation of the design of the control environment and the related control processes and procedures.
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 third fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially
affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
31
PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
In the opinion of management, we are not involved
in any claims, legal actions or regulatory proceedings as of September 30, 2024, the ultimate disposition of which would have a material
adverse effect on our condensed interim consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
In addition to the other information set forth in this Form 10-Q, including
in Part I, Item 2—“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” under
the heading “Forward-Looking Statements” and elsewhere in Item 2, the risks and uncertainties which could adversely affect
our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects that we believe are most important for you to consider
are discussed in Part I, Item 1A—“Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023
filed with the SEC on April 16, 2024. The risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 are not
the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we presently deem less significant may also
impair our business operations. There are no material changes to the Risk Factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2023.
Item
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities, Use of Proceeds, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
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 September 30, 2024, 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
4.1**
Shareholder Rights Plan Agreement, as of May 24, 2023
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.
32.1
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.
**
Previously filed as an exhibit to the Company’s Form 10-Q Quarterly Report for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 filed on August 18, 2023 and incorporated herein by reference.
32
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: November 14, 2024
By:
/s/ George Glasier
George Glasier
Chief Executive Officer and President
Date: November 14, 2024
By:
/s/ Robert Klein
Robert Klein
Chief Financial Officer
33
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