Latest news with #AuraEnergy
News.com.au
23-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Clock ticking on Sweden's uranium ban as Europe bets on the power of the atom
Sweden's government has launched a formal inquiry into lifting the country's uranium mining ban It's proposed regulating uranium as a 'concession mineral,' aligning it with other extractable resources and setting the stage for legislation by January 2026 Lifting the uranium ban could position Sweden as a leading destination for global uranium exploration with Aura Energy and Basin Energy poised to benefit The clock is ticking on Sweden's uranium mining ban amid a nuclear revival underway across Europe in response to increasing pressure for low-carbon energy and stronger energy independence. In February, Sweden's Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari led an inquiry into lifting the 2018 uranium ban that has kept mining companies from exploring the country's rich, untapped reserves for the past seven years. It recommended uranium be regulated as a 'concession mineral' under the Minerals Act, allowing economic deposits to be exploited like other natural resources in the country and paving the way for legislation to enter into force by January 2026. It aligns with a broader trend across Europe, where nations like Belgium, Germany, France, Slovakia, and Spain are delaying or rolling back nuclear phase-outs in favour of pursuing new nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs). As it stands, more than a quarter of Europe's known uranium reserves are found in Sweden's bedrock. The country produces ~30% of electricity from six active nuclear reactors and plans to construct a further 10 over the next 20 years in efforts to decarbonise Sweden's electricity. Ending the uranium moratorium could position Sweden among the world's top destinations for uranium exploration, reducing its reliance on imports and boosting the country's mining sector by creating jobs and attracting investment. Uranium winners emerge Aura Energy (ASX:AEE) stands out as one of the few companies to gain from the regulatory shift. Its Häggån deposit, situated within Sweden's AlumShale uranium district, is one of the largest undeveloped uranium resources globally with an inferred resource of 800Mlbs of contained U3O8. It has partnered with Australian public company Neu Horizons Uranium to speed up project development and collaborate on initiatives such as government engagement, uranium extraction and processing and administrative activities to streamline operations. Aura will invest $100,000 for a minority stake in Neu Horizons, with the two companies set to organise a uranium-focused symposium in Stockholm this year to encourage dialogue with international investors and policy makers. Neu Horizons holds a portfolio of high-potential uranium projects in Sweden, including the Vilhelmina shale-hosted asset adjacent to Canadian-based District Metals' Tåsjö project. Its Ravenberget asset spans over 12,000ha and contains uranium mineralisation discovered by the Swedish Geological Survey (SGU) in the 1970s with rock chip samples grading up to 1.88% U308, while the Gillberget project targets uranium-rich boulder and outcrop occurrences identified in the early 1980s. Aura was invited to provide a supporting submission for the removal of the mining ban, which remains subject to parliamentary approval with no guarantee that it will be enacted. In an interview with Stockhead, AEE managing director Andrew Grove said the market is gradually waking up to the scale of uranium resources in Sweden and the potential value that exists for those companies which hold them. 'Haggan alone hosts over three hundred years of Sweden's current domestic consumption of uranium,' he said. 'By allowing the extraction of uranium, the country is aligning its minerals policy with its energy policy. 'It has the potential to become a new regional or global supplier given it hosts Europe's largest uranium resources – the scale of its resources is way beyond covering its domestic needs.' Changing rules put Basin Energy in better position Basin Energy (ASX:BSN) is another company expected to benefit. It recently expanded its landholding in northern Sweden to 219km2 by securing an additional licence for the Trollberget project, effectively doubling its exploration area in the Arvidsjaur-Arjeplog district. Situated in northern Sweden, the asset is located right in the middle of Basin's other two projects – Björkberget and Rävaberget. Its other project, Virka, has yielded up to 1.43% U308, 9.8% zinc, 9.15% lead and 0.34% copper in rock chip assays, about 8km from historical drilling results, highlighting the polymetallic potential of the area. By revisiting legacy geological data and applying advanced multielement analysis to core samples, the company hopes to gain new insights into potential overlapping mineralisation systems. So far, Basin has completed the logging of all holes identified from Virka, along with 28 priority drillholes out of 39 at Bjork. There are currently 137 samples from Bjork at ALS Laboratory from key intervals undergoing analysis. Core samples are being analysed with multi-element analysis to continue evaluating the potential for green energy metals at the company's North Sweden projects. Following the Swedish government's proposal to lift the uranium mining ban, the company sees greater upside potential in its assets. Aura eyes permit reapplication If the Swedish uranium mining ban is lifted, Grove said the next step for Aura Energy would be to reapply for an exploration permit for a mine, which includes uranium as well as vanadium and other metals. 'A full feasibility study will need to be undertaken and then it would need go through environmental permitting and mining approvals, followed by a period for construction,' he said.
Leaders
22-06-2025
- Business
- Leaders
Mining in Mauritania: A Leading Sector with Promising Horizons
By: Mokhtar Ould Dahi Mauritania's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Moktar Ould Dahi Over the past decades, mining has become a critical driver of growth and a key source of employment. In this article, Mokhtar Ould Dahi, Ambassador of Mauritania to Saudi Arabia, explores the sector's current impact and its promising future horizons. Mauritania's Mining Sector The mining sector in Mauritania is classified as a leading and promising sector—leading at present, as evidenced by its contribution of 23% of budgetary revenues, 78% of the country's total export revenues, and 18.9% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as well as providing tens of thousands of direct and indirect job opportunities. It is also a promising and ambitious sector for the future, as confirmed by the mineral map, which indicates 900 mineral occurrence points across the country's vast area of 1.2 million km². Some of these minerals have been found in very large reserves (including Africa's largest iron ore reserve) and are already being produced. The government holds an ambitious investment vision for the mining sector aimed at multiplying and diversifying production. This vision rests on 3 pillars: Increasing the production of clean energy. Conducting precise geological mapping for critical minerals used in the energy transition, with an aim for processing and manufacturing. Developing the necessary infrastructure—roads, ports, and maps that facilitate transport and export—as well as providing water resources for processing, and investing in 'environmentally friendly mining.' Despite confirming 900 mineral occurrences and substantial reserves of various minerals, including: 6 billion tons of gypsum ore 15 billion tons of iron ore (the largest reserve and second-largest producer in Africa) 250 million tons of phosphate 150 million ounces of gold 28 million tons of copper ore 100 million pounds of uranium 400 million tons of black earth Only 4 out of 16 licensed operations are currently active (as of 2025) in production and export of iron, gold, copper, and black earth. In 2024, Mauritania's exports included: 14.3 million tons of iron 620,000 ounces of gold 13 million tons of copper There are four major upcoming projects, including: Two in iron production and export (the 'Aouj' project in partnership with Glencore, and the 'Takamul' project with SABIC of Saudi Arabia) A uranium production project in partnership with Aura Energy of Australia A project for the production and export of phosphate Encouragingly, the other 12 licenses, currently in the testing and confirmation phase, have reached advanced stages and are expected to transition to production and export of minerals like iron, gold, uranium, phosphate, and black earth. Rising Global Interest There is growing international interest in Mauritania's mining sector. The relevant institutional bodies have issued 129 exploration licenses for minerals such as gold, uranium, copper, iron, phosphate, quartz, and chromium. These are still within the customary timeline for exploration procedures, as outlined in the mining code. It is expected that more than four of these will soon transition to exploitation and export. To attract investors, Mauritania's mining code offers competitive and attractive tax incentives compared to other mineral-producing countries. These include: The exploitation license is granted via a Council of Ministers decree, valid for up to 30 years and renewable The state receives 10% of the company's capital for free, and can acquire another 10% through purchase The company must begin exploitation within two years of license issuance The exploiting company is exempt from customs duties, taxes, and the commercial and industrial profit tax for three years from the date of its first shipment Mauritania will host the seventh edition of the 'Mauritanides' event from September 8–10, 2025. This is a well-organized and content-rich forum dedicated to investment opportunities in the mining sector, including lectures and exhibitions, bringing together all relevant stakeholders. I take this opportunity to call on all investors and stakeholders in the mining sector in Saudi Arabia to register and actively participate in this high-level development event. By the grace of Allah, it will lead to the establishment of Mauritanian-Saudi investment partnerships in the extraction and production of minerals in Mauritania. Stable, Resource-Rich Destination for Investment All indicators point to abundant and diverse mineral wealth in Mauritania, alongside encouraging tax incentives, and a business-friendly climate. This is all backed by a stable political and security environment, reinforced by a natural democratic political scene, effective military and security strategies (praised by experts), and government policies focused on social justice and strengthening the rule of law. Related Topics : Khorayef, Silveira Discuss Cooperation Opportunities in Mining Sector Mining Sector Accelerates Saudi Arabia's Bold Economic Vision Bangladesh in Turmoil: Violent Protests Roil the Country, Government Extends Curfew Saudi Arabia to Increase Oil Production to 12.3 mln bpd in 2028 Short link : Post Views: 50
News.com.au
09-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Guy on Rocks: Aura Energy builds Mauritaniun uranium momentum
Guy Le Page looks at Aura Energy's acceleration heading into the development phase of its Tiris uranium project in Mauritania.
Herald Sun
02-06-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
Break it Down: Aura Energy welcomes Swedish push to lift uranium mining ban
Don't miss out on the headlines from Stockhead. Followed categories will be added to My News. Stockhead's Break it Down brings you today's leading market news in under 90 seconds. In this episode, host Tylah Tully explains the latest developments in Sweden, where the country is looking at potentially removing a ban on uranium mining. Aura Energy (ASX:AEE) has interest in uranium projects in Sweden, and is working with the coalition to get the ban lifted. Watch the video to find out the latest. While Aura Energy is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this content. Originally published as Break it Down: Aura Energy welcomes Swedish push to lift uranium mining ban Stockhead Rumble Resources could join the ASX's new gold producer class of 2025, with several key steps underway to prepare its Western Queen project for near term mining. Stockhead ReNerve has inked a strategic partnership with US-based Berkeley Biologics LLC to develop and commercialise two new complementary tissue-based product ranges.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Aura Energy (ASX:AEE) In A Good Position To Invest In Growth?
Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, although made losses for many years after listing, if you had bought and held the shares since 1999, you would have made a fortune. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers So, the natural question for Aura Energy (ASX:AEE) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. The first step is to compare its cash burn with its cash reserves, to give us its 'cash runway'. View our latest analysis for Aura Energy A company's cash runway is the amount of time it would take to burn through its cash reserves at its current cash burn rate. In December 2024, Aura Energy had AU$21m in cash, and was debt-free. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through AU$19m. That means it had a cash runway of around 13 months as of December 2024. Importantly, the one analyst we see covering the stock thinks that Aura Energy will reach cashflow breakeven in 3 years. That means unless the company reduces its cash burn quickly, it may well look to raise more cash. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time. Because Aura Energy isn't currently generating revenue, we consider it an early-stage business. So while we can't look to sales to understand growth, we can look at how the cash burn is changing to understand how expenditure is trending over time. During the last twelve months, its cash burn actually ramped up 79%. Oftentimes, increased cash burn simply means a company is accelerating its business development, but one should always be mindful that this causes the cash runway to shrink. Clearly, however, the crucial factor is whether the company will grow its business going forward. For that reason, it makes a lot of sense to take a look at our analyst forecasts for the company. Given its cash burn trajectory, Aura Energy shareholders may wish to consider how easily it could raise more cash, despite its solid cash runway. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash and drive growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate). Since it has a market capitalisation of AU$105m, Aura Energy's AU$19m in cash burn equates to about 18% of its market value. As a result, we'd venture that the company could raise more cash for growth without much trouble, albeit at the cost of some dilution. Even though its increasing cash burn makes us a little nervous, we are compelled to mention that we thought Aura Energy's cash burn relative to its market cap was relatively promising. Shareholders can take heart from the fact that at least one analyst is forecasting it will reach breakeven. We don't think its cash burn is particularly problematic, but after considering the range of factors in this article, we do think shareholders should be monitoring how it changes over time. Separately, we looked at different risks affecting the company and spotted 4 warning signs for Aura Energy (of which 3 can't be ignored!) you should know about. If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sign in to access your portfolio
