enCore Energy has received a final decision from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management that allows construction to begin on parts of its Dewey-Burdock uranium project in southwest South Dakota, clearing what the company described as the last major federal hurdle before construction.

The decision follows the BLM’s final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact. It authorizes enCore subsidiary Powertech to build initial ancillary infrastructure on about 240 acres of BLM-managed land within the broader 10,580-acre project area.

The approval is limited to supporting infrastructure on public land rather than the full uranium operation. It covers sections of the primary and secondary access roads, light-use roads, four groundwater monitoring wells, and overhead powerlines. The production wellfields, processing plant, and uranium recovery facilities are on nearby private land and remain governed by separate permits.

"Securing the BLM’s approval to commence construction on BLM lands marks a significant milestone for the Dewey Burdock Project", Executive Chair William Sheriff said.

He also said the company’s work within the federal Fast-41 permitting program helped move the process forward, and that enCore would continue working with U.S. agencies and state regulators on the project.

The BLM said its decision came after it published a draft assessment on April 14 and reviewed public comments on groundwater, cultural resources, tribal concerns, and environmental justice.

Dewey-Burdock, located in Custer and Fall River counties, would use in-situ recovery, a process in which a solution is pumped underground to dissolve uranium in place instead of excavating it. The project was added to the Fast-41 priority permitting track last August under a White House effort to increase domestic mineral output.

According to the company, the deposit contains measured and indicated resources of about 17.1 million pounds of uranium, with most of that in the measured category. The project has gone through roughly fifteen years of permitting and litigation, including repeated challenges from the Oglala Sioux Tribe and local groups.

enCore Energy last traded at $2.30 on the TSX Venture.

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