US-based Uranerz Energy has received the mining permit from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) for its Nichols Ranch In-Situ Recovery (ISR) uranium project, located in Johnson and Campbell counties in the Central Powder River Basin of Wyoming, US.

The Nichols Ranch project comprises of an estimated 5.5 million pounds of uranium resources, which will serve as a platform to develop the company’s other Powder River Basin projects through the permit amendment provisions of the regulatory process.

The uranium company said that on the federal level, it will require the final materials license from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) prior to the construction commencement.

The company received the draft NRC materials license in late November 2010.

The mining permit provides Uranerz the state’s approval to construct and operate an ISR uranium mine.

Uranerz president and CEO Glenn Catchpole said that this is a very significant event for the company and it is one of the first new commercial uranium permits to mine issued by the WDEQ in almost 20 years.