Investor Insight
In the current strong market dynamic for uranium, Skyharbour Resources is a compelling investment opportunity driven by its large portfolio of exploration assets in Canada’s most prolific uranium district in the Athabasca Basin.
Overview
Nuclear energy is a critical component in the transition to net zero. There's a growing acknowledgment of the pivotal role nuclear power can play in meeting decarbonization objectives, thanks to its clean emissions profile, dependable baseload capabilities, and secure operation.
Global electricity demand is set to grow 50 percent by 2040 and nuclear energy will play an integral role in meeting this demand. This is evident in the recently released World Energy Outlook 2023 published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) which highlighted the role that nuclear energy can play in making the journey towards net-zero faster, more secure, and more affordable. With 439 reactors operating globally, about 61 reactors under construction in 15 countries and a further 400 that are either ordered, planned or proposed, the IEA anticipates a substantial growth of over 43 percent in installed nuclear capacity from 2020 to 2050
Company Highlights
- Skyharbour Resources is a junior mining company with an extensive portfolio of uranium exploration projects in Canada’s Athabasca Basin. They comprise 36 uranium projects, totaling over 614,000 hectares.
- The Athabasca Basin is the world’s most prolific uranium jurisdiction, boasting uranium grades averaging over 10-20 times higher than those found elsewhere.
- The company employs a multi-faceted strategy of focused mineral exploration at its core projects (Russell and Moore) while utilizing the prospect generator model to advance its secondary projects with strategic partners.
- The company’s co-flagship Moore project is an advanced-stage uranium exploration asset featuring high-grade uranium mineralization at the Maverick Zone. Previous drilling has returned results of 6 percent U3O8 over 5.9 meters, with a notable intercept of 20.8 percent U3O8 over 1.5 meters, at a vertical depth of 265 meters.
- Adjacent to the Moore project is Skyharbour’s second core project, the Russell Lake uranium project, wherein Skyharbour has completed the acquisition of 57.7 percent interest from Rio Tinto. The Russell Lake uranium project is a large, advanced-stage uranium exploration property totaling 73,314 hectares.
- The 2024 winter drill program at the Russell Lake uranium project led to a new discovery of high-grade, sandstone-hosted mineralization up to 2.99 percent U3O8 intersected over 0.5 meters.
- Skyharbour is fully-funded for upcoming drill programs in 2025 at its co-flagship Russell Lake and Moore uranium projects totalling approximately 16,000 to 18,000 metres in 35 to 45 holes representing the largest annual drill campaign ever carried out by the company.
- Management intends to continue building the prospect generator business by offering projects to partners who will fund the exploration and provide cash/stock to Skyharbour for an ownership interest in the projects; Skyharbour typically retains minority interests in the projects and equity holdings in the partners.
- The increasing focus on nuclear energy by governments globally to achieve decarbonization goals bodes well for uranium prices. Skyharbour, with key uranium assets in a top mining jurisdiction, stands to benefit from this shift in the global energy mix.
Flagship Projects
The Moore Project
This project covers an area of 35,705 hectares, located in the eastern Athabasca Basin near existing infrastructure with known high-grade uranium mineralization and significant discovery potential. Skyharbour acquired the project from Denison Mines (TSX:DML), a large strategic shareholder of the company. The project can be easily accessed year-round via winter and ice roads, streamlining logistics and reducing expenses. During the summer months, a significant portion of the property remains accessible as well. The property has been the subject of extensive historic exploration with over $50 million in expenditures, and over 140,000 meters of diamond drilling completed historically.
Moore hosts high-grade uranium mineralization at the Maverick zones. Over the past few years, Skyharbour Resources has conducted diamond drilling programs, resulting in the intersection of high-grade uranium mineralization in numerous drill holes along the 4.7-kilometer-long Maverick structural corridor. Some of the high-grade intercepts include:
- Hole ML-199 which intersected 20.8 percent U3O8 over 1.5 meters at 264 meters,
- Hole ML-202 from the Maverick East Zone which intersected 9.12 percent U3O8 over 1.4 meters at 278 meters.
- Hole ML20-09 which intersected 0.72 percent U3O8 over 17.5 meters from 271.5 meters to 289.0 meters, including 1 percent U3O8 over 10.0 meters represents the longest continuous drill intercept of uranium mineralization discovered to date at the project.
- Drill hole ML-61 returned 4.03 percent eU3O8 over 10 meters;
- Drill hole ML -55 encountered high-grade mineralization, returning 5.14 percent U3O8 over 6.2 meters
- Drill hole ML -47 intersected 4.01 percent U3O8 over 4.7 meters
Merely 50 percent of the total 4.7-kilometer promising Maverick corridor has undergone systematic drilling, indicating significant discovery potential both along its length and within the underlying basement rocks at depth. Skyharbour recently completed a winter drill program which consisted of 2,800m of drilling at the project which focused on infill/expansion drilling at the Main Maverick Zone.Assay results from the program intersected 5 metres of 4.61 percent U3O8 from a relatively shallow downhole depth of 265.5 metres to 270.5 metres including 10.19 percent U3O8 over 1 metre at the Main Maverick Zone from hole ML24-08. Skyharbour will continue to advance Moore through a 2,500 metre summer drill program, which has recently been completed, with assays pending.
Apart from the Maverick Zone, diamond drilling in various other target areas has encountered multiple conductors linked with notable structural disturbances, robust alteration, and anomalous concentrations of uranium and associated pathfinder elements.
Russell Lake Uranium Project
The Russell Lake project is a large, advanced-stage uranium exploration property spanning 73,314 hectares, strategically positioned between Cameco’s Key Lake and McArthur River projects. Skyharbour has completed its earn-in requirements for an option agreement with Rio Tinto and has now acquired 57.7 percent ownership interest in the Russell Lake project.
The project is adjacent to Denison’s Wheeler River project and Skyharbour’s Moore uranium project. It is supported by excellent infrastructure in terms of highway access as well as high-voltage power lines. The project has undergone a significant amount of historical exploration which includes over 95,000 meters of drilling in over 220 drill holes. The exploration identified numerous prospective target areas and several high-grade uranium showings as well as drill hole intercepts.
The property hosts several noteworthy exploration targets, including the Grayling Zone, the M-Zone Extension target, the Little Man Lake target, the Christie Lake target, and the Fox Lake Trail target. Skyharbour completed a 19-hole drilling program totaling 9,595 meters in three phases in 2023. The initial drilling phase encompassed 3,662 meters across eight completed holes at the Grayling Zone, followed by a second phase involving four holes totaling 2,730 meters drilled at the Fox Lake Trail Zone. The third drilling phase involved 3,203 meters across seven holes targeting additional areas within the Grayling Zone.
Drilling at Russell in 2024 was completed in two separate phases with a total of 3,094 metres drilled in six holes. Phase One of drilling resulted in the best intercept of uranium mineralization historically on the property from hole RSL24-02, which returned a 2.5 metre wide intercept of 0.721 percent U3O8 at a relatively shallow depth of 338.1 metres, including 2.99 percent U3O8 over 0.5 metres at 339.6 metres just above the unconformity in the sandstone. The second phase of drilling was recently completed which totalled approximately 4,500 metres, with assays pending.
Skyharbour has recently commenced its 2025 drilling program at the Russell Lake project with a first phase consisting of approximately 5,000 metres to follow up on notable recent exploration success and to test new targets developed by the geological team. The focus for this phase of drilling will be on the Fork and Sphinx targets within the broader Grayling target area, as well as the M-Zone Extension target and the Fox Lake Trail target. This initial winter program will consist of 10 to 12 drill holes, with most of the targets being road accessible and near the exploration camp, bringing the drill costs down.
Secondary Projects
Falcon Uranium Project
This project comprises 11 claims covering 42,908 hectares located approximately 50 km east of the Key Lake mine. Skyharbour Resources has entered into an option agreement with North Shore Uranium which provides North Shore with an earn-in option to acquire an initial 80 percent interest and up to a 100 percent interest in the Falcon Property. North Shore can acquire an initial 80 percent interest in the claims within three years by meeting combined commitments of C$5.3 million in cash, share issuance, and exploration expenditures. Additionally, there's an option to buy the remaining 20 percent for an extra C$10 million in cash and shares.
North Shore has collected multiple samples from two of the first three uranium prospects drilled at its 55,699-hectare Falcon property in 2024. The samples returned anomalous uranium values of greater than 300 ppm U3O8 and up to a maximum of 572 ppm U3O8. An exploration permit has been secured for the project, which will allow North Shore to conduct exploration activities at the property, including prospecting and ground geophysics, trail and drill site clearing, line cutting, drilling of up to 75 exploration drill holes and storage of drill core.
South Falcon East
This project comprises 16 claims covering 12,234 hectares located approximately 55 km east of the Key Lake mine. Skyharbour has optioned up to a 75 percent interest in a portion of the project to Terra Clean Energy (previously Tisdale). Terra will issue Skyharbour Resources 1,111,111 shares upfront, fund exploration expenditures totaling C$10.5 million, and pay Skyharbour Resources C$11.1 million in cash of which C$6.5 million can be settled for shares over a five-year earn-in. Skyharbour Resources will retain a minority interest in the South Falcon East.
East Preston
This project comprises 20,674 hectares located on the west side of the Athabasca Basin. In March 2017, Skyharbour Resources signed an option agreement with Azincourt Uranium (TSXV:AAZ) to option 70 percent of a portion of the East Preston project to Azincourt. Since then, Azincourt earned a majority interest in the project which currently stands at 85.8 percent.
Skyharbour retains 9.5 percent ownership and Dixie Gold owns the remaining 4.7 percent.
Azincourt completed a 2023 drill program comprising 3,066 meters in 13 drill holes. The company also completed the winter 2024 diamond drill program of 1,086 meters of drilling in four diamond drill holes and results indicated the following:
- Dravite and Kaolinite clay alteration zone expanded in K and H Zones
- Illite, Dravite and Kaolinite clay alteration identified in G Zone
- Illite and Kaolinite clay alteration identified in A Zone
Preston
This project comprises 49,635 hectares strategically located near Fission’s Triple R deposit and NexGen’s Arrow deposit. In March 2017, Skyharbour Resources signed an option agreement with Orano (formerly AREVA) Resources Canada to option a majority stake in the Preston project. Orano has fulfilled its first earn-in option interest for 51 percent in the project. Following this, Orano has formed a joint venture (JV) with Skyharbour and Dixie Gold for the advancement of the project. Orano holds 51 percent interest, and the remaining is split between Skyharbour and Dixie Gold, with Skyharbour retaining 25.6 percent.
Orano Canada has completed a geophysical programat the 49,635-hectare Preston uranium project which included a ground electromagnetic survey (ML-TEM) and a ground gravity survey. Orano is now preparing for exploration program which will consist of a planned 6,000 to 7,000 metre, helicopter-supported diamond drill program in approximately 26 holes at an average depth of 250 metres during the summer of 2025. Primary drill target areas include the previously untested Johnson Lake grid as well as the Canoe Lake grid; with the possibility of testing the recently surveyed FSAN-North and the West Preston Grids.
Hook Lake
This project comprises 16 claims covering 25,847 hectares on the east side of the Athabasca Basin. In February 2024, Thunderbird Resources (previously Valor) completed an earn-in for 80 percent interest and formed a JV partnership with Skyharbour which retains the remaining 20 percent interest.
Mann Lake
This project is strategically located on the east side of the Athabasca basin, 25 km southwest of Cameco’s McArthur River Mine and 15 km northeast and along strike of Cameco's Millennium uranium deposit. In October 2021, Basin Uranium signed an earn-in option to acquire a 75 percent interest in the project. Basin will pay a combination of cash and stocks over three years comprising C$4.85 million in cash plus exploration expenditure and C$1.75 million worth of shares.
South Dufferin and Bolt
The South Dufferin Project totals 13,205 hectares covering 10 claims and is located immediately south of the southern margin of the Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan. The property covers the southern extension of the Virgin River Shear Zone, which hosts known high-grade uranium mineralization at Cameco Corp.'s Dufferin Lake zone approximately 13 kilometres to the north (highlight drill results of 1.73 percent U3O8 over 6.5 metres) and Cameco Corp.'s Centennial deposit approximately 25 kilometres to the north (includes drill intersections up to 8.78 percent U3O8 over 33.9 metres).
The Bolt Project consists of two contiguous claims 100 percent owned by Skyharbour Resources Ltd. totalling 4,726 hectares and is located approximately 7 km west of the Highway 914 and about 32 km southwest of Cameco’s Key Lake Operation (which produced 209.8 million pounds of U3O8 at an average grade of 2.32 percent U3O8 from 2 deposits, where ore from the McArthur River mine is currently processed).
A definitive agreement was recently signed in October of 2024 with UraEx Resources to earn an initial 51 percent and up to 100 percent of both the South Dufferin and Bolt Projects, collectively. For an initial 51 percent, UraEx will issue common shares having an aggregate value of C$1.15 million, make total cash payments of $450,000, and incur $3 million in exploration expenditures on both the South Dufferin and Bolt properties over a 3 year period. UraEx has an option to acquire the remaining 100 percent by issuing common shares having an aggregate value of C$2.5 million, making cash payments of $1.2 million and incurring $1.5 million in exploration expenditures over an additional two-year period.
In addition to the projects being advanced by Skyharbour and its partners, the company has 21 additional 100 percent owned projects that they’re actively seeking to option out to potential new partners in the future to add to their growing prospect generator business. All in all, Skyharbour is very well positioned to benefit from an accelerating uranium bull market with increasing demand in the backdrop of a strained supply side.
Management Team
Jordan Trimble - President and CEO
With a background in entrepreneurship, Jordan Trimble has held various positions in the resource industry, focusing on management, corporate finance, strategy, shareholder communications, business development, and capital raising with multiple companies. Prior to his role at Skyharbour, he was the corporate development manager at Bayfield Ventures, a gold company with projects in Ontario. Bayfield Ventures was subsequently acquired by New Gold (TSX:NGD) in 2014. Throughout his career, Trimble has established and assisted in the management of numerous public and private enterprises. He has played a pivotal role in securing significant capital for mining companies, leveraging his extensive network of institutional and retail investors.
Jim Pettit – Chairman of the Board
Jim Pettit currently serves as a director on the boards of various public resource companies, drawing from over 30 years of experience in the industry. His expertise lies in finance, corporate governance, management and compliance, particularly in the early-stage development of both private and public enterprises. Over the past three decades, he has primarily focused on the resource sector. Previously, he served as chairman and CEO of Bayfield Ventures, which was acquired by New Gold in 2014.
David Cates - Director
David Cates currently serves as the president and CEO of Denison Mines (TSX:DML). Before assuming the role of president and CEO, Cates was the vice-president of finance, tax, and chief financial officer at Denison. In his capacity as CFO, he played a pivotal role in the company's mergers and acquisitions activities, including spearheading the acquisition of Rockgate Capital and International Enexco. Cates joined Denison in 2008, initially serving as director of taxation before he was appointed CFO. Prior to joining Denison, he held positions at Kinross Gold and PwC with a focus on the resource industry.
Joseph Gallucci - Director
Joseph Gallucci was previously a senior manager at a leading Canadian accounting firm. He possesses more than two decades of expertise in investment banking and equity research, specializing in mining, base metals, precious metals, and bulk commodities worldwide. He serves as a senior capital markets executive and corporate director. Presently, Gallucci is the managing director and head of investment banking at Laurentian Bank Securities, where he assumes responsibility for overseeing the entire investment banking practice.
Brady Rak - VP of Business Development
Brady Rak is a seasoned investment professional who has focussed on the Canadian capital markets over his 13-year career at several independent broker dealers including Ventum Financial, Salman Partners and Union Securities. As a registered investment advisor in the private client division of Ventum Financial, Brady has been involved in advising high-net-worth and corporate clients, structuring transactions, raising capital and navigating global market sentiment. Brady graduated from Northwood University with a BBA in Management and holds his Options license.
Serdar Donmez - Vice-president of Exploration
A recognized geoscientist with decades of experience in uranium exploration and development, Serdar Donmez has played an active role in numerous grassroots and advanced uranium exploration projects in northern Saskatchewan and Zambia. Donmez has an engineering degree in geology and is a registered professional geoscientist with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan. During his 17-year tenure at Denison Mines, Donmez was pivotal in advancing numerous uranium exploration and development projects. He was involved in various capacities with the Phoenix and Gryphon uranium deposits on Denison's Wheeler River project, from initial discovery to the completion of the feasibility study in 2023. As resource geology manager, he was integral to the development of mineral resource estimates and NI 43-101 technical reports for several advanced exploration projects in the Athabasca Basin. Additionally, he was part of a team exploring the application of in-situ recovery mining techniques for high-grade uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin.
Dave Billard - Head Consulting Geologist
Dave Billard is a geologist with over 35 years of experience in exploration and development, focusing on uranium, gold and base metals in western Canada and the western US. He served as chief operating officer, vice-president of exploration, and director for JNR Resources before its acquisition by Denison Mines. He played a crucial role in the discovery of JNR’s Maverick and Fraser Lakes B zones. Earlier in his career, he contributed to the discovery and development of several significant gold deposits in northern Saskatchewan. Prior to joining JNR, Billard worked as a geological consultant specializing in uranium exploration in the Athabasca Basin. He also spent over 12 years with Cameco Corporation.
Christine McKechnie - Senior Project Geologist
Christine McKechnie is a geologist with a specialization in uranium deposits, particularly those hosted in the basement and associated with unconformities in the Athabasca Basin and its vicinity. Throughout her career, she has worked with various companies such as Claude Resources, JNR Resources, CanAlaska Uranium and Cameco, engaging in gold and uranium exploration activities. She completed her B.Sc. (High Honors) in 2008 from the University of Saskatchewan and completed a M.Sc. thesis on the Fraser Lakes Zone B deposit at the Falcon Point project. She also received the 2015 CIM Barlow Medal for Best Geological Paper.
Figure 1. Location of Hidden Bay Uranium Project in the Athabasca Basin
Figure 1: Strip log displaying drillhole OV047 lithology, natural gamma responses (cps) and pXRF uranium responses (ppm U). In relation to the disclosure of pXRF results, the Company cautions that estimates of uranium elemental abundance from pXRF results should not be considered a proxy for quantitative analysis of a laboratory assay result. Assay results are required to determine the actual widths and grade of the mineralisation. The company uses an Olympus Vanta M Series portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) analyzer to screen Air Core drilling samples for mineralization prior to submitting samples to a commercial laboratory for assay. This provides an initial understanding of the mineralization distribution before sampling, ensuring submitted samples are representative of the targeted mineralization. While pXRF confirms the presence of mineralization, it does not accurately determine elemental concentrations due to limitations such as a small analysis window, uneven distribution, shallow penetration depth, and irregular surfaces. The pXRF results are indicative and the pXRF readings are subject to confirmation by chemical analysis from an independent laboratory.
