Press release
Press release
Wood awarded detailed design for Denison Mines’ flagship Uranium project in Canada
Denison Mines Corp. has awarded Wood with the construction management contract to oversee the building of the Phoenix in-situ recovery uranium mine. This is a key milestone for the Project and represents another crucial step towards the commencement of construction.
David Cates, President & CEO of Denison, commented, "In anticipation of receiving our Federal permits to prepare the site and construct the Wheeler River project, we are pleased to announce the award of the construction management contract to our trusted partners at Wood. The selection of Wood for construction management allows us to leverage our long-standing relationship with Wood's Canadian team, which began with co-authoring the 2023 Feasibility Study for Phoenix and continued with the detailed design engineering for the Project over the last two years.
We are actively organizing our teams, including the onboarding of key construction personnel, to ensure we are ready to proceed with site preparation as soon as possible upon receipt of all required permits. Given Denison's strong balance sheet, and advanced state of project engineering, construction planning, and procurement, we stand ready to make a Final Investment Decision and commence construction shortly after securing Federal approval of the Environmental Assessment and Licence to Prepare the Site for & Construct a Mine and Mill."
Kris Homer, Senior Vice President of Minerals and Metals West at Wood, commented: "We value Denison's continued trust in our team and look forward to working together to lead the Wheeler River project through the construction phase. Having supported Phoenix from the feasibility stage through detailed design, we understand the technical and execution requirements of this project.
Our priority is to enable a safe and seamless transition into execution – maintaining continuity of personnel, applying disciplined project management, and ensuring a predictable path to first production for this landmark project in the Canadian uranium industry. We look forward to continuing to work as an integrated team with Denison, combining our complementary project, construction, and uranium expertise to deliver Phoenix safely and successfully."
The CM Contract currently contemplates procurement and construction management scopes, whereby Wood will be responsible for (i) construction management of the full processing plant scope, (ii) installation of certain site infrastructure, and (iii) integrated project controls, ongoing procurement support, on-site safety oversight, as well as maintaining reporting and performance management standards. The Services will be provided by Wood in close consultation with Denison, with members of Wood's team and Denison's team holding complementary roles in an integrated project management team.
The selection of Wood for the CM Contract provides important continuity between the engineering and execution phases of the Project and aims to enable the efficient and reliable delivery of the Project during an estimated 24-month construction period. Denison has entered into the CM Contract as the operator of the Project on behalf of the Wheeler River Joint Venture.
This award comes two years after Wood was awarded the detailed design phase for the Phoenix project, reinforcing the value of our project lifecycle delivery model. By supporting the project from feasibility through design and now construction management, we are helping ensure a seamless transition into execution and a more predictable path to first production.