Overview
Skyharbour Resources (TSXV:SYH, OTCQX:SYHBF, Frankfurt:SC1P) is a mineral exploration company that holds an extensive portfolio of uranium and thorium projects in Canada’s Athabasca Basin. The company is well-positioned to benefit from improving uranium market fundamentals with over 518,351 hectares of land comprising a total of 24 projects.
The company recently optioned from Rio Tinto, now a large strategic shareholder of the company, an initial 51-percent interest and up to a 100-percent interest in the Russell Lake Uranium project located in the central core of the Eastern Athabasca Basin of northern Saskatchewan. The large, advanced-stage uranium exploration property totalling 73,294 hectares, hosts historical high-grade drill intercepts over a large property area with robust exploration upside potential.
The 100-percent-owned co-flagship Moore Lake Project, acquired from Denison Mines in 2016 – now a large strategic shareholder of the company – is located 15 kilometers east of Denison’s Wheeler River project, 39 kilometers south of Cameco’s McArthur River uranium mine, and adjacent to the Russell Lake Project. Moore is an advanced-stage uranium exploration property with high-grade uranium mineralization at the Maverick Zone, including highlight drill results of 6 percent U3O8 over 5.9 meters including 20.8 percent U3O8 over 1.5 meters. Skyharbour is actively advancing and drilling these projects with planned and ongoing exploration programs, which include the 10,000-meter drill program at Russell Lake.
In addition to offering investors exposure to high-grade uranium discovery potential at its primary projects, Skyharbour leverages its properties through the prospect generator model, with partner companies funding exploration and development at its earlier stage or secondary assets. It is a cost-effective model that facilitates large exploration programs without substantial equity dilution.
In September 2021, Skyharbour announced the initial set of diamond drill results from its 2021 summer diamond drilling program at its 100-percent-owned, 35,705-hectare Moore Uranium Project. The summer/fall 2021 program included 6,598 meters in 19 holes and returned highlights of 2.54 percent U3O8 over 6 meters including 6.80 percent U3O8 over 2 meters in the basement rocks at Maverick East Zone as well as 0.54 percent U3O8 over 19.5 meters including 4 meters of 2.07 percent U3O8. Skyharbour drilled more than 2,400 meters in seven drill holes during the 2022 spring drilling campaign which tested new targets, including Grid Nineteen and Viper, along with a hole drilled at the Maverick East zone.
The company currently has joint ventures with industry leader Orano Canada Inc. and Azincourt Energy at the Preston and East Preston projects, respectively, whereby Orano and Azincourt earned majority interests in the projects through exploration expenditures, cash payments and share issuances. Skyharbour also has six active earn-in option partners including ASX-listed Valor Resources at the Hook Lake Uranium Project; CSE-listed Basin Uranium at the Mann Lake Uranium Project; CSE-listed Medaro Mining Corp. at the Yurchison Project; Yellow Rocks Energy, a private Australian entity, at the Wallee and Usam Island Projects; North Shore Energy Metals at the South Falcon Project; and CSE-listed Tisdale Clean Energy at the South Falcon East Project, which is host to the Fraser Lakes Zone B Uranium and Thorium Deposit (NI 43-101 inferred resource totalling 7 Mlbs of U3O8 at 0.03 percent and 5.3 Mlbs of ThO2 at 0.02 percent).
In aggregate, Skyharbour has now signed earn-in option agreements with partners that total more than $37 million in partner-funded exploration expenditures, over $28 million worth of shares being issued and over $19 million in potential cash payments coming into Skyharbour, assuming that these partner companies complete their entire earn-ins at the respective projects.
In 2023, Skyharbour made several acquisitions that brought its total land packages to 518,351 hectares across 24 properties, representing one of the largest project portfolios in the Athabasca Basin. These recent acquisitions included: the Highway Project (1,184 hectares), CBX Project (1,761 hectares), Shoe Project (609 hectares), Snow Project (212 hectares), Elevator Project (9,294 hectares), 914 Project (2,129 hectares), 914N Project (450 hectares), Karin Project (18,383 hectares), and the South Dufferin Project (13,205 hectares). Skyharbour further acquired by staking seven new prospective uranium exploration claims in Northern Saskatchewan, which include the CBX project comprising five new contiguous claims totalling 6,804 hectares, the Karin project (5,882 hectares) and the 914W project (1,260 hectares).
A world-class management and geological team lead Skyharbour Resource. The team brings years of expertise in uranium exploration, energy industries, corporate finance and capital markets. The company is well-positioned to capitalize on the uranium market’s resurgence with strong potential for resource growth and new discoveries at its project base. Skyharbour’s goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favorable jurisdictions.
Company Highlights
Skyharbour holds one of the largest project portfolios within the Athabasca Basin with more than 518,351 hectares of land package across 24 projectsThe co-flagship Moore Uranium project is an advanced-stage uranium exploration property in the eastern Athabasca Basin near existing infrastructure with known high-grade uranium mineralization and significant discovery potential; high-grade drill results include 21 percent triuranium octoxide (U3O8) over 1.5 meters with 6 percent U3O8 over 6 meters.Skyharbour recently acquired the 73,294-hectare Russell Lake Uranium Project from Rio Tinto, which is a prospective exploration property strategically situated between the company’s Moore Uranium project (to the east), Denison Mines’ Wheeler River project (to the west), and between Cameco’s Key Lake and McArthur River Projects in the eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin.Skyharbour also has a 100 percent interest in the South Falcon Point Uranium Project, which contains an NI 43-101 inferred resource totalling 7 million pounds (Mlbs) of U3O8 at 0.03 percent and 5.3 Mlbs of thorium dioxide at 0.023 percent.Joint venture with Orano Canada at the Preston project. Orano successfully earned a 51 percent interest in the project by spending C$4.8 million in exploration costs and making cash payments totalling C$100,000.Another joint venture was completed with Azincourt Energy at the East Preston Uranium Project. Azincourt earned a 70-percent interest by spending C$2.5 million on exploration, a cash payment of C$500,000 and issuing 4.5 million shares,Skyharbour has six active earn-in option agreements with Valor Resources, Basin Uranium, Medaro Mining, Yellow Rocks Energy, Tisdale Clean Energy and North Shore Energy at the Hook Lake, Mann Lake, Yurchison, Wallee & Usam, South Falcon East and South Falcon Projects respectively.Led by a strong management and geological team with track record of successSkyharbour will continue to execute its prospect generator model by acquiring projects at attractive valuations and forming joint ventures to advance secondary projects.
Key Projects
Uranium Projects – Saskatchewan
Skyharbour Resources has a dominant uranium property portfolio of 518,351 hectares in the Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan, Canada, totalling 24 top-tier exploration projects. These include the co-flagship Moore Lake and Russell Lake projects, South Falcon, South Falcon East, Preston, East Preston, Mann Lake, Hook Lake, Yurchison, Wallee, Usam Island, South Dufferin, Pluto Bay, Riou River, Foster River, Highway, Karin, 914, 914N, Elevator, 914W, Shoe and CBX Projects.
Russell Lake
The Russell Lake Project is a large, advanced-stage uranium exploration property totalling 73,294 hectares strategically located between Cameco’s Key Lake and McArthur River Projects and adjoining Denison’s Wheeler River Project to the west and Skyharbour’s Moore Uranium Project to the east. Highway 914, which services the McArthur River mine, runs through the western extent of the property and greatly enhances accessibility. Similarly, a high-voltage powerline is situated alongside Highway 914. Skyharbour’s acquisition of Russell Lake creates a large, nearly contiguous block of highly prospective uranium claims totalling 108,999 hectares between the Russell Lake and the Moore uranium projects.
In November 2023, Skyharbour announced the intersection of significant uranium mineralization at the recently completed inaugural drill program at Russell Lake, with plans for an additional 4,000 meters – 5,000 meters winter drill program set to commence. A total of 9,595 meters of drilling in nineteen holes was drilled in three phases during 2023. The first phase of drilling consisted of a total of 3,662 meters in eight completed holes at the Grayling Zone, while an additional four holes totaling 2,730 meters were drilled in the Fox Lake Trail Zone during the second phase. The recently completed third phase of drilling was comprised of 3,203 meters in seven holes on additional targets at the Grayling Zone.
Moore Lake
Skyharbour owns 100 percent of the 35,705-hectare co-flagship Moore Uranium project located 42 kilometers northeast of the Key Lake mill, approximately 15 kilometers east of Denison’s Wheeler River project, and 39 kilometers south of Cameco’s McArthur River mine.
Unconformity-hosted uranium mineralization was discovered on the property at the Maverick Zone in the early 2000s at relatively shallow depths. Skyharbour has carried out several drill programs with multiple holes intersecting high-grade uranium mineralization over the 4.7-kilometer-long Maverick corridor.
The company completed a 2,467-meter spring 2022 diamond drill program consisting of seven drill holes. Skyharbour continues to discover and delineate new zones of uranium mineralization at the high-grade Moore Project, with plans to continue drilling in 2023/24 in conjunction with drilling at Russell Lake. An NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate is currently being conducted on the project and is set to be released before year-end.
South Falcon
Skyharbour’s 100-percent-owned South Falcon Point (previously Way Lake) uranium project spans 42,908 hectares covering 11 claims, approximately 50 kilometers east of the Key Lake mine. Uranium mineralization discovered to date at South Falcon Point is shallow and is hosted in two geological settings, with the southern half hosting classic Athabasca-style basement mineralization associated with well-developed EM conductors which include EWA and Walker targets. Skyharbour recently entered into an option agreement with North Shore Energy Metals, which provides North Shore an earn-in option to acquire an initial 80 percent interest and up to a 100 percent interest in the South Falcon Property.
South Falcon East
The South Falcon East Project is a uranium project in the southeast Athabasca Basin and represents a portion of Skyharbour’s larger South Falcon Project. The project covers approximately 12,234 hectares and lies 18 kilometers outside the Athabasca Basin, approximately 55 kilometers east of the Key Lake Mine. Drilling to date on the entire Falcon Point Project area totals over 22,000 meters in more than 110 holes. More than $15 million has been invested in exploration consisting of airborne and ground geophysics, multi-phased diamond drill campaigns, detailed geochemical sampling and surveys, and ground-based prospecting, culminating in an extensive geological database for the project area.
In 2022, the company entered into an option agreement providing Tisdale Energy Corp an earn-in option to acquire an initial 51 percent interest and up to a 75 percent interest in the South Falcon East Property. TSX Venture Exchange has granted conditional acceptance for the option agreement in January 2023.
Preston
The Preston project is a large 49,635-hectare land position strategically located to the south of and proximal to NexGen Energy’s Rook 1 project, which is host to the high-grade Arrow deposit, as well as proximal to Fission Uranium’s (TSX:FCU) Patterson Lake South (PLS) project, which hosts high-grade Triple R deposit. Uranium mineralization in the Patterson Lake area bears a number of similarities to the high-grade uranium deposits in the Eastern part of the Athabasca Basin, like those at the Cigar Lake and McArthur River mines. The mineralization occurs in structurally disrupted and strongly clay-altered, commonly graphitic pelites and metapelites with narrow felsic segregations/pegmatites.
East Preston
The East Preston project is a large 20,674-hectare land position that the company advances through its prospect generator model.
Skyharbour signed an option agreement with Azincourt Energy (TSXV:AAZ) in 2017 to option 70 percent of a portion of the East Preston project. In 2021, Azincourt earned its interest in the project by completing C$2.5 million in staged exploration expenditures and making a total of C$1 million in cash payments over the previous four years, as well as issuing a total of 9.5 million common shares of Azincourt divided evenly between Skyharbour and Dixie Gold.
In March 2023, Azincourt announced the completion of its 2023 winter diamond drilling program. The program consisted of 3,066 meters in 13 holes, with a priority of evaluating alteration zones and elevated uranium identified in the winter of 2022 with a focus on the G, K, H and Q Zones. Analysis of the results shows uranium enrichment within the previously identified clay alteration zones along the K and H target zones. Uranium enrichment is identified as uranium (U) values and a uranium/thorium ratio (U/Th) above what would normally be expected in the given rock type or area.
Hook Lake (North Falcon Point)
Hook Lake (North Falcon Point) project consists of 16 contiguous mineral claims totaling 25,847 hectares. The property has seen extensive historical work, which advantageously allows for fast-tracked exploration. Uranium mineralization discovered to date at the Hook Lake Project is shallow and is characterized by structurally controlled mineralization at the Hook Lake, West Way and Nob Hill target zones. The primary Hook Lake target area at the property’s north end has returned high-grade uranium grab samples of up to 68 percent U3O8 in massive pitchblende veining at surface level.
Valor Resources completed the interpretation of airborne gravity gradiometry survey data at the Hook Lake uranium project in May-June 2022, which defined 11 new targets.
Mann Lake
The 3,473-hectare Mann Lake Uranium Project is located in the eastern Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan. It is strategically located 25 kilometers southwest of the McArthur River Mine, the largest high-grade uranium deposit in the world, and 15 kilometers to the northeast along strike of Cameco’s Millennium uranium deposit. In October 2021, the company entered into an option agreement with Basin Uranium, which provides them an earn-in option to acquire up to a 75 percent interest in the Mann Lake uranium project.
Basin Uranium Corp. announced the intersection of significant mineralization from the three-hole phase 2 drill program at the Mann Lake project. A total of 6,279 meters of diamond drilling was completed on the Mann Lake property during the 2022 season.
Yurchison Project
The Yurchison Project consists of 13 claims totalling 57,407 hectares in the Wollaston Domain of northern Saskatchewan. This contiguous set of claims covers an extensive package of Wollaston Supergroup metasediments in an area known for its base metal potential. The northeastern half of the project falls within the Courtenay Lake-Cairns Lake fold belt, which contains numerous lead-zinc-silver showings while the remainder is along trend to the north-northeast of the Janice Lake copper deposit and numerous other base metal showings in the “Wollaston Copperbelt”.
In 2022, Skyharbour’s partner company Medaro Mining commenced an airborne geophysical survey at its Yurchison uranium property. Helicopter-borne aeromagnetic, horizontal gradiometric, radiometric, and VLF-EM surveys covered a total of 7,117 line kilometers at 50-meter line spacing.
South Dufferin
Skyharbour Resources acquired 100 percent of the South Dufferin Uranium project in 2023 from Denison Mines Corp. The South Dufferin Project comprises 13,205 hectares over 10 claims in the Athabasca Basin, which is host to the highest-grade uranium deposits in the world and is consistently ranked as a top mining jurisdiction by the Fraser Institute.
Other projects
Riou River – 18,227 hectares along the Riou River within the Athabasca BasinPluto Bay – 27,918 hectares northeast of Black Lake hosting numerous uranium showings and several EM conductors east of the regional Black Lake FaultWallee – 20,765 hectares, approximately 35 kilometers northeast of Cameco’s Eagle Point deposit, numerous untested EM conductors coinciding with significant magnetic and/or gravity lows in the Wollaston DomainUsam Island – 42,186 hectares, approximately 21 kilometers northeast of Cameco’s Eagle Point deposit, contains numerous EM conductors situated along significant magnetic lows of the Wollaston DomainFoster River – 26,857 hectares, southwest and adjoining Skyharbour’s Falcon Point South project, numerous uranium showings up to 1.25 percent U3O8Highway Project – 1,184 hectares property with highway 905 running through the claims, between Michael Lake and Wollaston LakeCBX – 8,777 ha property approximately 6.5 km to 25 km north to northeast of the Eagle Point uranium mine, covering the northern shore of Wollaston Lake including parts of Cunning Bay Shoe – 609 ha property located approximately 10 to 25 km along strike to the northeast of the currently idled Eagle Point uranium mine (Cameco’s Rabbit Lake Operation)Karin – 24,265 ha property approximately 21 km to 33 km east of Highway 914 and 20 km southeast of Cameco’s Key Lake operationElevator – 9,294 ha property situated 15 km east of Highway 914 914 – 2,178 ha property situated 1 km east of Highway 914 914N – 450 ha property situated 5 km east of Highway 914914W – 1,260 ha approximately 48 km southwest of Cameco’s Key Lake Operation
Management Team
Jordan Trimble – Director, President and CEO
Jordan Trimble is an entrepreneur and has worked in the resource industry in various roles with numerous companies specializing in management, corporate finance and strategy, shareholder communications, deal structuring and capital raising. Previous to Skyharbour, he was the corporate development manager for Bayfield Ventures, a gold company with projects in Ontario, which New Gold successfully acquired in 2014. Throughout his career, Trimble has founded and helped manage several public and private companies and has been instrumental in raising substantial capital for mining companies with his extensive network of institutional and retail investors. He is a frequent speaker at resource and mining conferences globally and has appeared on various media outlets, including BNN and the Financial Post. Trimble holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia. He is a CFA charter holder and served a full term as a director of the CFA Society Vancouver.
James Pettit – Director and Chairman of the Board
Jim Pettit is currently serving as a director on the boards of several public resource companies. He offers over 30 years of experience within the industry specializing in finance, corporate governance, management and compliance. Pettit specializes in the early-stage development of private and public companies. His background over the past 30 years has been focused primarily on the resource sector and he was previously chairman and CEO of Bayfield Ventures, which was sold to New Gold in 2014.
Dr. Andrew Ramcharan – Senior Vice-president of Corporate Development
Dr. Andrew Ramcharan has an extensive background in corporate development, mining and exploration, project evaluation, and investment banking spanning over twenty years. Previously, as manager of corporate development for IAMGOLD, Ramcharan was involved in raising more than $600 million in equity financings and worked on project acquisitions totalling over $800 million. Prior to that, he was at SRK Consulting for several years and worked with uranium companies including SXR Uranium One, Ur-Energy and UraMin, which eventually sold for $2.5 billion in 2007 to Areva.
David Cates – Director
David Cates is a director of Skyharbour. He is the president and CEO of Denison Mines (TSX: DML) and Uranium Participation Corp (TSX:U). Prior to being appointed the president and CEO position, Cates served as Denison’s vice-president finance, tax and chief financial officer. As chief financial officer, Cates played a key role in the company’s mergers and acquisitions activities – leading the acquisition of Rockgate Capital Corp. and International Enexco Ltd. Cates joined Denison in 2008 and held the position of director, taxation prior to his appointment as chief financial officer. Prior to joining the company, Cates held positions at Kinross Gold Corp. and PwC LLP with a focus on the resource industry.
Paul Matysek – Advisory Board
Paul Matysek is a strategic advisor for Skyharbour and is a mining entrepreneur, professional geochemist and geologist with over 35 years of experience in the mining industry. He was the founder, president and CEO of Energy Metals Corporation, a premier uranium company that traded on the New York and Toronto Stock Exchanges. Matysek led EMC as one of the fastest-growing Canadian companies in recent years, increasing its market capitalization from $10 million in 2004 to approximately $1.8 billion when it was acquired by a larger uranium producer, Uranium One Inc., in 2007. In December 2017, Matysek was involved in the sale of Lithium X Energy Corp. for $265 million to NextView New Energy. Matysek was the president and CEO of Goldrock Mines Corp. which on June 7th, 2016 announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Fortuna Silver Mines (NYSE:FSM, TSX:FVI) for $129 million on a fully-diluted in-the-money basis. Previously, Matysek was the president and CEO of Lithium One Inc., which developed a high-quality lithium project in northern Argentina. In July 2012, Lithium One and Galaxy Resources merged with a $112 million plan to create a fully integrated lithium company. Prior to Lithium One, Matysek was the president and CEO of Potash One where he was the architect of the $434 million friendly takeover of Potash One by K+S Ag, which closed in early 2011.
Joseph Gallucci – Director
Joseph Gallucci is a senior capital markets executive and corporate director with over 20 years of experience in investment banking and equity research. His career focused on mining, base metals, precious metals and bulk commodities on a global scale. He is currently the managing director and head of investment banking at Laurentian Bank Securities. where he oversees the investment banking practice in entirety.
His career has spanned various firms including BMO Capital Markets, GMP Securities, Dundee Securities, and he was a founding principal of Eight Capital where he led their mining investment banking team.