14 January 2025
DEM has granted a Retention Lease (RL) to Alligator Energy for its proposed in-situ recovery (ISR) field leach trial at the Blackbush uranium deposit. RL 137 was granted for a term of 5 years and covers an area of 237.77 hectares.

• Samphire Uranium Project -  Assessment Report: Retention Lease Application
  (PDF, 1.2 MB)

19 December 2024
DEM has completed its assessment and notified the company of the conditions for a retention lease (RL) for its proposed trial of in-situ recovery (ISR) at the Blackbush uranium deposit approximately 20km southwest of Whyalla.

Alligator Energy has 28 days to consider the terms and conditions of the lease and submit a response. DEM will consider the company’s submission prior to making a decision to grant the RL.

Should the notification process highlight changes to the proposed conditions, and DEM considers that changes are required, any changes will be clearly identified in the assessment report to ensure full transparency.

The assessment report for the RL application is due to be released early in 2025.

Retention leases require the approval of a separate operational program for environment protection and rehabilitation (PEPR) before any on-ground works can be undertaken.

If a Retention Lease is granted Alligator Energy will have 12 months to prepare a PEPR.

Alligator Energy is proposing to undertake a limited scale field recovery trial using ISR mining techniques.

ISR involves pumping a mining solution (called a lixiviant) underground into a pattern of injection wells to dissolve the minerals which are then pumped to the surface through a recovery well in the centre of the injection wells.

More information on the ISR mining technique

Alligator Energy propose a field recovery trial which will run for approximately 3 months and will involve up to 5 wellfield patterns (arrays) each with a central recovery well surrounded by 4 or 5 injection wells spaced approximately 10 m apart. The total footprint area is estimated to be less than 2.5 hectares.

Fluids extracted from the central recovery well is then circulated through a containerised ion exchange plant which captures the uranium before recycling the fluids for re-injection and repetition of the cycle.

The retention lease application provides detailed information on the proposed operations including the methods proposed to rehabilitate the site at completion of the field recovery trial.

Related documents:

• Retention Lease Proposal: Samphire Uranium Project Section 1
• Retention Lease Proposal: Samphire Uranium Project Section 2 Appendix G2-J
• Retention Lease Proposal: Samphire Uranium Project Section 3 Appendix K-L

• In accordance with Section 56H of the Mining Act 1971, the retention lease application underwent a period of public consultation between 23 August 2023 and 20 September 2023.
• 20 December 2023: DEM requested that Alligator Energy provided a response document addressing the matters raised by government and in the public submissions.
  • December 2023: DEM request for response document (PDF)
• 18 March 2024: S Uranium submitted a response document as requested by DEM on 20 December 2023.
• 18 June 2024:  DEM requested S Uranium provide further information in their response document to address matters raised by DEM and South Australian government technical experts.
  • 18 June 2024: DEM request further information in S Uranium response document (PDF)
• 18 July 2024: S Uranium submitted a revised response document as requested by DEM on 18 June 2024.
• 25 July 2024: DEM requested S Uranium provide further information in the response document.
  • 25 July 2024: DEM request for further information in the S Uranium response document (PDF)
• 31 July 2024: S Uranium provided an updated response document. 
  • July 2024: Revised Samphire Uranium Project - retention lease proposal response document (PDF)
• 29 August 2024: S Uranium Response Document accepted by DEM