Dear Editor,
On April 29, 2026, Guyanese through Kaieteur News (an independent daily online and print newspaper), became aware that U92 Energy Corp, a Canadian based company was engaged in a 20.6 million pounds (Mlbs) uranium project located in Region Seven Guyana.
According to its company profile U92 Energy Corp was established in 2024 with a sole focus on developing the Kurupung Uranium Project in Guyana. This company has no track record or involvement in any form of mining far less uranium mining anywhere in the world. It appears that U92 Energy was founded specifically for this project which raises serious red flags due to its lack of experience in this the most environmentally challenging type of mining with long term impacts on people, air, soil, water, flora and fauna through the release of long-lived radioactive isotopes into the environment, creating contamination risks that last for thousands of years from radioactive dust, water-borne toxins, and radon gas.
U92 Energy Corp have secured rights to explore 92.2 square kilometres in Guyana. In March of 2026 they partnered with Orbit Garant “for a phase one 5,000 metre diamond drill programme in the Kurupung area in Region 7. The company also confirmed that the diamond drill rig is currently in Guyana and will be on site soon to start phase one drilling on high-priority project targets.
According to U92 Energy Corp they have already applied for an environmental application for “drill pad preparation, and that field teams are on site to complete camp infrastructure, including construction of a of a fuel storage facility in accordance with the applicable requirements and key machineries have been sourced to support access road upgrades and drill pad construction.”
This reported expansion of mining in Guyana to now incorporate uranium mining raises significant alarming issues.
Environmental Impacts of Uranium mining
Uranium mining, including open-pit, underground, and in-situ leaching, causes significant environmental damage, primarily through the long-term contamination of water and soil with heavy metals and radioactive elements like radium and radon. Mining operations generate massive quantities of radioactive waste rock and tailings that release toxic, airborne dust and leach contaminants into local ecosystems for centuries. Specific environmental risks include:
Apart from the alarming environmental risks associated with uranium mining, the issue of compliance with Guyana’s Environmental Protection Act raises further additional legal, regulatory and constitutional issues.
Environment Protection Act & U92 Energy Corp
There is no evidence of an U92 Energy Corp application for an environmental permit or authorization for any project development on the EPA’s website. There is already legal precedent that construction of a project cannot be separated from operations as such activities and should require an Environmental Impact & Social Assessment before startup of projects as happens with ExxonMobil Guyana Limited.
The Environmental Protection Act, part IV – Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) sets out very clearly projects requiring EIAs, these include “the execution of construction works or other installations or schemes,… any interference with any ecosystem or any other activity in the natural surroundings or landscape including those involving the extraction of natural resources, or any project listed in the Fourth Schedule (ss.10,11) which specifically includes construction of roads, dams and other installations designed to hold liquid or store it on a long-term basis, Installation for the treatment of waste water, industrial or domestic waste, extraction and conversion of mineral resources.
Based on above it is clear that an EIAS is required for U92 Energy Corp who are reportedly on site in the Kurupung Area involved in project works such as drill pad preparation, camp infrastructure, including construction of a of a fuel storage facility and key machineries are already onsite and or being moved on site for access road upgrades and drill pad construction.
Guyana has no specific regulations for uranium mining. The Environmental Protection Agency lacks necessary expertise on many aspects environmental matters including in the various types of radiation released through uranium mining. At an Environmental Assessment Board hearing in September of 2023 into Schlumberger Guyana Inc’s Radioactive and Source Storage Calibration Facility, the Environmental Protection Agency was specifically asked about their levels of expertise on radiation and disclosed that they had no expertise at university level on radiation studies. Their Radiation expert at that time had only completed a one-year study course, while others had attended 3-month courses.
The International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provides international safety standards, best practices, and security guidelines for uranium mining and processing. Its Safety Standards Series and Nuclear Energy Series act as global benchmarks for national regulatory bodies such as Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency. Key areas include radiation protection, environmental management, safety of operations, and mine closure.
As the overarching international body, IAEA’s international safety standards and guidelines for uranium mining, emphasize that Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) are essential, mandatory prerequisites for project licensing, operation, and closure. These standards cover the entire lifecycle, including waste management, radiation protection, and environmental remediation for Uranium mining.
EIAs are required to assess impacts on public health, safety, and the environment (water, air, land) safety standards, licensing requirements, operational safety and closure and remediation.
Guidelines require that comprehensive management systems be in place covering the entire lifecycle—from exploration to mining, processing, and closure. This includes environmental management to protect water and ecosystems and ensuring safe tailings management. Standards to optimize worker and public protection against radioactive exposure. Monitoring air quality, managing radioactive waste, and ensuring that radiation doses to workers are kept as low as reasonably achievable. Security guidelines for transporting, storing, and processing uranium to protect its safety. Safe decommissioning and long-term remediation of mining sites to protect public health and the environment, often collaborating with experts on best practices for site rehabilitation.
We as concerned Guyanese environmental defenders, and indigenous peoples make the following demand to immediately suspend all aspects of uranium mining by U92 Energy Corp until full disclosure and public information is made available to all Guyanese on this project