Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) |
12 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2020 | |
| Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | |
| Basis of presentation |
These financial statements have been prepared by management in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“US GAAP”) and include all the assets, liabilities and expenses of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries Ur-Energy USA Inc.; NFU Wyoming, LLC; Lost Creek ISR, LLC; and Pathfinder Mines Corporation. All inter-company balances, and transactions have been eliminated upon consolidation. Ur‑Energy Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries are collectively referred to herein as the “Company.” |
| Exploration Stage |
The Company has established the existence of uranium resources for certain uranium projects, including the Lost Creek Property. The Company has not established proven or probable reserves, as defined by the SEC, through the completion of a final or “bankable” feasibility study for any of its uranium projects, including the Lost Creek Property. Furthermore, the Company currently has no plans to establish proven or probable reserves for any of its uranium projects for which the Company plans on utilizing in situ recovery (“ISR”) mining, such as the Lost Creek Property or the Shirley Basin Project. As a result, and even though the Company commenced recovery of uranium at the Lost Creek Project in August 2013, the Company remains in the Exploration Stage as defined under Industry Guide 7 and will continue to remain in the Exploration Stage until such time proven or probable mineral reserves have been established.
Because the Company commenced recovery of uranium at the Lost Creek Project without having established proven and probable reserves, any uranium resources established or extracted from the Lost Creek Project should not be in any way associated with having established proven or probable mineral reserves. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable to information made public by companies that have reserves in accordance with United States standards. |
| Use of estimates |
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. The most significant estimates management makes in the preparation of these consolidated financial statements relate to the fair value of stock-based compensation using the factors associated with the Black-Scholes calculations, estimation of the amount of recoverable uranium included in the in-process inventory, estimation of factors surrounding asset retirement obligations such as interest rates, discount rates and inflation rates, total cost and the time until the asset retirement commences and the offset of future income taxes through deferred tax assets. Actual results could differ from those estimates. |
| Cash and cash equivalents |
Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash balances and highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less. Cash equivalents are held for the purpose of meeting short-term cash commitments rather than for investment or other purposes. Restricted cash is excluded from cash and cash equivalents and is included in other long-term assets. |
| Restricted cash |
Cash that secures various instruments related to surety bonds, which secure reclamation obligations, and a state lease is shown as restricted cash. |
| Inventory |
In-process inventory represents uranium that has been extracted from the wellfield and captured in the processing plant and is currently being transformed into a saleable product. Plant inventory is U3O8 that is contained in yellowcake, which has been dried and packaged in drums, but not yet shipped to the conversion facility. Conversion facility inventory is U3O8 that has been shipped to the conversion facility. The amount of U3O8 in the conversion facility inventory includes the amount of U3O8 contained in drums shipped to the conversion facility plus or minus any final weighing and assay adjustments per the terms of our uranium supplier’s agreement with the conversion facility.
The Company’s inventories are measured at the lower of cost or net realizable value and reflect the U3O8 content in various stages of the production and sales process including in-process inventory, plant inventory and conversion facility inventory. |
| Mineral properties |
Acquisition costs of mineral properties are capitalized. When production is attained, amortization is calculated on a straight-line basis. The original estimated life for the Lost Creek Project was 10 years which is being used to amortize the mineral property acquisition costs. If properties are abandoned or sold, they are written off. If properties are impaired in value, the costs of the properties are written down to their estimated fair value at that time.
Exploration, evaluation, and development costs
Exploration and evaluation costs consist of annual lease and claim maintenance fees, and the associated costs of the exploration, evaluation, and regulatory departments as well as exploration costs including drilling and analysis on properties that have not reached the permitting or operations stage.
Development expense relates to the Company’s Lost Creek, LC East and Shirley Basin projects, which are more advanced in terms of permitting and preliminary economic assessment work. Development expenses include all costs associated with exploring, delineating, and permitting, the costs associated with the construction and development of permitted mine units including wells, pumps, piping, header houses, roads, and other infrastructure related to the preparation of a mine unit to begin extraction operations as well as the cost of drilling and completing disposal wells. |
| Capital assets |
Property, plant, and equipment assets, including machinery, processing equipment, enclosures, and vehicles are recorded at cost including acquisition, installation costs, and expenditures that extend the life of such assets. The enclosure costs include both the building enclosure and the processing equipment necessary for the extraction of uranium from impregnated water pumped in from the wellfield to the packaging of uranium yellowcake for delivery into sales. These enclosure costs are combined as the equipment and related installation associated with the equipment is an integral part of the structure itself. The costs of self-constructed assets include direct construction costs, direct overhead, and allocated interest during the construction phase. Depreciation is calculated using a declining balance method for most assets, except the plant enclosure and related equipment. Depreciation of the plant enclosure and related equipment is calculated on a straight-line basis. Estimated lives for depreciation purposes range from three years for computer equipment and software to 20 years for the plant enclosure and the name plate life of the related equipment. |
| Impairment of long-lived assets |
The Company assesses the possibility of impairment in the net carrying value of its long-lived assets when events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of the asset or asset group may not be recoverable. When potential impairment is indicated, management calculates the estimated undiscounted future net cash flows relating to the asset or asset group using estimated future prices, recoverable resources, and operating, capital, and reclamation costs. When the carrying value of an asset exceeds the related undiscounted cash flows, the asset is written down to its estimated fair value, which is determined using discounted future net cash flows, or other measures of fair value. |
| Right of Use Assets and Liabilities |
Right of use assets include office and office equipment leases. We recognize an asset and corresponding liability, which are included in non-current assets and other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet, based on the present value of the remaining minimum rental payments of the leases. The discount rates used are based on either the Company’s borrowing rate or the imputed interest rate based on the price of the equipment and the lease terms. |
| Debt |
Long-Term Debt is carried at amortized cost. Debt issuance costs, debt premiums and discounts and annual fees are included in the long-term debt balance and amortized using the effective interest rate over the contractual terms of the Long-Term Debt. |
| Asset retirement obligation |
For mining properties, various federal and state mining laws and regulations require the Company to reclaim the surface areas and restore groundwater quality to the pre-existing quality or class of use after the completion of mining. The Company records the fair value of an asset retirement obligation as a liability in the period in which it incurs an obligation associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets that result from the acquisition, construction, development and/or normal use of the assets.
Asset retirement obligations consist of estimated final well closures, plant closure and removal, and the associated reclamation and restoration costs to be incurred by the Company in the future. The estimated value of the asset retirement obligation is based on the current estimated reclamation cost escalated at an inflation rate and then discounted at a credit adjusted risk-free rate. This liability is recorded, and a corresponding asset is capitalized as part of the cost of the related asset. The asset is amortized over its remaining productive life. The liability accretes until the Company settles the obligation. |
| Revenue recognition |
Our revenues are primarily derived from the sale of U3O8 under either long-term (delivery in typically two to five years) or spot (immediate delivery) contracts with our customers. The contracts specify the quantity to be delivered, the price or specific calculation method of the price, payment terms, and the year(s) of the delivery. There may be some variability in the dates of the delivery or the quantity to be delivered depending on the contract, but those issues are addressed before the delivery date. When a delivery is approved, the Company notifies the conversion facility with instructions for a title transfer to the customer. Revenue is recognized once a title transfer of the U3O8 is confirmed by the conversion facility.
We also receive a small amount of revenue from disposal fees. We have contracts with our customers that specify the type and volume of disposal material we accept. Monthly, we invoice those customers based on deliveries of material to the disposal site by the customer. Materials are measured and categorized at the time of delivery and verified by the customer. We recognize the revenue at the end of the month that the material was received. |
| Stock-based compensation |
Stock-based compensation cost from the issuance of stock options and restricted share units (“RSUs”) is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized over the related service period. Stock-based compensation costs are charged to mine operations, exploration and evaluation, development, and general and administrative expense on the same basis as other compensation costs. |
| Income taxes |
The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method which requires the recognition of deferred income tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and tax bases of assets and liabilities. The Company provides a valuation allowance on deferred tax assets unless it is more likely than not that such assets will be realized. |
| Earnings and loss per share calculations |
Diluted earnings per common share are calculated by including all options that are in-the-money based on the average stock price for the period as well as RSUs that are outstanding. The treasury stock method was applied to determine the dilutive number of options. Warrants are included only if the exercise price is less than the average stock price for the quarter. In periods of loss, the diluted loss per common share is equal to the basic loss per common share due to the anti-dilutive effect of all convertible securities. |
| Classification of financial instruments |