In a three-car caravan, we made our way through a dusty trail in a desolate corner of Oregon near the Nevada border. It’s a tough journey, filled with ruts and bumps, but we eventually made it to the rim of the McDermitt Caldera, the remnant of an ancient volcano.
While the view of the valley below is spectacular, Mark Mukhija sees something more: a metal that will fuel a nation. Just under the surface of this expanse is minable uranium—an estimated 37 million pounds of it.
“It is the largest extractable, measured and indicated uranium deposit in the country,” Mukhija explains, adding, “This is ours.”
The McDermitt Caldera in Oregon (Photo: Holden Robinson)
Mukhija, an engineer who has mined around the world, founded Eagle Energy Metals in 2024 and building a team that includes top mining executives, financial advisors and former NFL star Frostee Rucker, who now serves as a vice president at a venture capital firm that invested early in the project.
“It’s just a matter of time where we can explore and really start digging,” Rucker said.
In a new nuclear era where major players are staking dozens of claims on uranium deposits, Mukhija’s team has been racing to the top.
Eagle Nuclear Energy’s CEO Mark Mukhija talks with Spotlight on America’s Duane Pohlman about plans to open what could soon be America’s largest uranium mine (Photo: Holden Robinson)
After a name change, Eagle Nuclear Energy went public listed on NASDAQ as NUCL for the first time on Feb. 25. Two weeks later, the team celebrated by ringing the opening bell.
The public stock offer allowed Eagle Nuclear Energy to purchase 7,500 acres at the McDermitt Caldera, which is known as the Aurora Uranium Project. If state and federal permits are issued, it will become the nation’s largest uranium resource.
“You are sitting on a property that’s more valuable than a gold mine,” noted Local 12’s Duane Pohlman. “Potentially,” Mukhija replied.
Tests and core samples from hundreds of drill sites confirm there’s more than just potential. Experts like Troy Blackledge say the high grade of the uranium is undeniable.
Eagle Nuclear Energy’s Troy Blackledge shows core samples that confirm high-grade uranium deposits at the Aurora Uranium Deposit (Photo: Holden Robinson)
The area is already mapped out, with red zones indicating higher-grade deposits ready to be mined.
Mukhija believes the project is essential to provide raw power for a new generation of American nuclear reactors.
“I see it as a national security issue. I see it as an energy independence issue,” Mukhija told us.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, who is leading the charge for a domestic nuclear renaissance, agrees. Wright is pushing to cut red tape to deploy new micro and small modular nuclear reactors to feed the future, particularly power-hungry artificial intelligence (AI) data centers that are being built across the country.
“We’re going to unleash American innovation, American nuclear technology to the betterment of our country and to the betterment of the world,” Wright told us during his recent trip to the Idaho National Laboratory.
And the raw ingredient for that innovation is uranium. Mukhija said it is vital to rebuild domestic capability for producing the fuel.
Eagle Nuclear Energy’s CEO Mark Mukhija and, VP of Operations Vishal Gupta show map where uranium has been confirmed (Photo: Holden Robinson)
While Eagle Nuclear Energy is developing its own small modular reactor and making plans to refine the uranium it extracts at a site just across the border in Nevada, Mukhija knows the foundation of his company is grounded in this land in the McDermitt Caldera. He believes the uranium mined here will fuel America’s future.
“To continue living the lives that we want to do, we have to have this uranium come out of the ground,” Mukhija said.