Cameco employees at the Cigar Lake grand opening in 2015. Photo by Mervin Brass
Uranium giant Cameco is facing some new challenges as it ramps up production at its northern Saskatchewan mines.
One of them is doing better than expected, while another has pretty much been shut down.
The problems are at the Rabbit Lake operation, which employs about 600 people. Since early December, mining operations have been halted because of a rock fall in a mined-out area.
No one was hurt and there was no environment damage, but company spokesman Rob Gereghty says before mining can resume the area has to be assessed and stabilized.
He says that is almost done.
“We have used surface drilling to determine where the rock fall occurred,” he says. “What we have done is started filling the void with cement to ensure the ground is stable. So that’s the reason were doing it is to make sure the ground is stable and it is safe for people to work.”
Despite the problems, the Rabbit Lake mine is expected to end the year reaching its production target of 3.9 million pounds of ore. Milling operations are continuing at the site with ore that had been previously mined.
A big bright spot for Cameco has been production at Cigar Lake. That mine has only been in operation for a couple of years, but Gereghty says more ore than expected is being pulled out of the ground.
“That’s correct. Our Cigar Lake mine has consistently exceeded our expectations,” he says. “This year we expect to produce 16 million pounds of uranium concentrate.”
Officials are so optimistic they have asked the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to approve plans to mill 16 million pounds of uranium concentrate this year. The limit is currently 13 million pounds.
More details of the company’s plans and finances will be unveiled next month when it releases its fourth quarter results.
Cameco is one the largest employers of Aboriginal people in northern Saskatchewan.