The president of Cameco says he’s pleased the uranium mining company has been granted new licenses at three of its operations.
This afternoon, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission issued a press release stating it has approved the company’s request for 10-year licenses at Key Lake, McArthur River and Rabbit Lake.
The licenses come into effect Nov. 1 and will expire in October 2023.
Cameco president Tim Gitzel says he’s happy with the licence renewals and doesn’t believe they come with any special conditions.
“Well we haven’t seen all of the details yet but I don’t believe there was but what we were really pleased about was the term,” he says. “The 10-year term was what we asked for.”
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for an environmental group says she’s not surprised the licences were renewed.
Candace Paul of the Committee for Future Generations says it seemed like a forgone conclusion the CNSC would give Cameco what it asked for.
However she says the public hearings in La Ronge was the first time the uranium mining company witnessed such large opposition to its plans.
“Well I think this was the very first time strong opposition came to a hearing in northern Saskatchewan and I think that’s going to grow,” she says.
Paul also says she doesn’t believe Cameco got everything it was asking for in its Key Lake application.