Utah regulators issue draft license and discharge permit to Anfield Energy for Shootaring Canyon uranium mill
Utah’s Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control handed Anfield Energy a concrete regulatory win on October 21, 2026 — draft copies of both a renewed radioactive materials license and a groundwater discharge permit for the Shootaring Canyon uranium mill in Garfield County, Utah. The facility is one of only three licensed, permitted, and constructed conventional uranium mills in the entire country.
Utah regulators deliver draft license documents to Anfield
That October 21 delivery was a real step forward in a renewal process that’s been running for more than two years. Anfield’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Anfield Resources Holding Corp., filed its license renewal application on April 5, 2024, and has since handed over everything the Division asked for.
Anfield is now going through both documents and expects to meet with Division staff in the coming weeks to work through the details. No public objections have been raised — the company’s tone has been straightforwardly positive about where things stand.
A 45-day public comment period is expected to kick off either in late 2026 or early 2027, though the exact timing is the Division’s call and could still shift.
Why the draft permits were issued now
Getting from application to draft documents wasn’t automatic. Anfield had to field follow-up questions from the Division and supply all the supporting materials the DWMRC needed to finish its technical review — those submissions directly shaped what ended up in both the Draft License and the Draft Permit.
The Division didn’t issue the drafts on a fixed schedule. It issued them because Anfield cleared the informational bar the review process required. The draft documents are the formal output of that completed review — the next structured step before any final decision can happen.
Key terms of the draft license and next regulatory steps
As currently written — and subject to change before anything becomes final — the Draft License would authorize Anfield to possess natural uranium and 11e.(2) byproduct material at Shootaring Canyon. Mill production would be capped at 1,500 tons, or 3 million pounds, of yellowcake per year.
The draft also requires Anfield to maintain a financial surety and a valid groundwater discharge permit at all times. Groundwater monitoring network requirements, compliance reporting obligations, and best available technology performance standards for the mill’s process ponds, South Cell, and decontamination pad are all spelled out.
A 45-day public comment period is expected to kick off either in late 2026 or early 2027, though the exact timing is the Division’s call and could still shift. Anfield is targeting receipt of the final renewed license in the second quarter of 2027.
Planned refurbishment and site preparation already under way
Anfield isn’t sitting on its hands while it waits for the renewed license. Under its existing license, the company is already pulling out legacy equipment in the mill’s leach area — leach tanks, associated piping, electrical systems, pumps, motors, and related infrastructure — all of it slated for replacement during refurbishment.
The planned refurbishment is substantial. Anfield is targeting a throughput capacity of 1,000 tons per day and plans to add a new vanadium processing circuit, which would let the mill handle both uranium and vanadium ore from multiple project sources simultaneously. Major refurbishment work is targeted to begin in Q2 2027, contingent on the renewed license. The prep work happening now is expected to compress the overall timeline once that license arrives — so the groundwork being laid today has real scheduling value.
Background: Shootaring Canyon Mill and U.S. uranium milling capacity
Shootaring Canyon Mill sits at the center of Anfield’s broader strategy. The company describes it as the hub in a hub-and-spoke model built to process uranium and vanadium ore from multiple project sources across Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Its advanced Velvet-Wood project in Utah is among the assets feeding into that plan.
The mill’s scarcity value is real. Only three conventional uranium mills in the United States are licensed, permitted, and actually constructed — which makes Shootaring a strategically significant piece of domestic nuclear fuel infrastructure, not just for Anfield but for U.S. energy supply more broadly. Anfield trades on the TSX Venture Exchange, NASDAQ, and Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the ticker AEC.
What comes next for Shootaring Canyon
The immediate path forward is straightforward: Anfield reviews the draft documents, meets with Division staff, and monitors the Division’s timeline for opening the public comment window. That 45-day comment period is the last major public-facing step before the Division can move toward a final licensing decision.
If the schedule holds, a final renewed license could land in Q2 2027, triggering the start of major refurbishment work at a facility that hasn’t been in active production. The production cap of 3 million pounds of yellowcake per year, the vanadium circuit addition, and the 1,000-ton-per-day throughput target define what Anfield Energy is building toward. The draft documents issued on October 21 don’t guarantee that outcome — but they move it meaningfully closer.
Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.
