EnCore Energy to start seeking state permits for Dewey Burdock uranium project

Sept 16 (Reuters) - Uranium company enCore Energy EU.O said on Tuesday it will start the process to seek state permits for its Dewey Burdock project in South Dakota this year, ahead of its earlier schedule.

Shares of the company rose 3.6% in premarket trading.

The announcement comes after a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency appeals board denied a review petition by the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance and indigenous groups Oglala Sioux Tribe and NDN Collective that had challenged the project's federal permits.

The petition had alleged several violations in the EPA's initial permit decisions, including that of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act.

However, the appeals board said regulators had acted properly in approving underground injection well permits, which are essential for in-situ recovery uranium mining.

The ruling clears the way for Dewey Burdock to advance through state permitting in 2025 and finalizes all major federal authorizations, including a nuclear materials license.

EnCore said the project remains on a federal fast-track permitting program.

The White House in April had said it would fast-track permitting for 10 mining projects across the country as part of President Donald Trump's push to expand critical minerals production.

Meanwhile, uranium demand for nuclear reactors is expected to jump by almost 30% in the next five years as more governments rely on nuclear power to meet zero-carbon targets, the World Nuclear Association said earlier this month.