Cameco Restarting Cigar Lake Mine in April

Cameco (TSX: CCO; NYSE: CCJ) announced today that it plans to restart production in April at its Cigar Lake uranium mine located in northern Saskatchewan.

Production at Cigar Lake was temporarily suspended in December 2020 due to increasing risks posed by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. At that time, the availability of workers in critical areas was shrinking due to the pandemic, with more individuals screening out or residing in communities with pandemic-related travel restrictions.

"The safety of our workers, their families and communities is always our top priority," said Cameco president and CEO Tim Gitzel. "In recent months we have implemented several enhanced safety protocols for Cigar Lake, including increased distancing between passengers on flights, mandatory medical-grade masks for all workers and increased sanitization and physical barriers in our eating areas. We also worked with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and have established a licensed COVID-19 testing facility at the mine site.

"These further safety measures, along with the provincial vaccine rollout program and increased confidence around our ability to manage our critical workforce, have given us greater certainty that Cigar Lake will be able to operate safely and sustainably."

As the restart process begins, Cameco will closely monitor the COVID-19 case counts and the ongoing success of the vaccine rollout, and will continue to have regular dialogue with public health authorities and northern Saskatchewan leaders.

The timing of production restart and the production rate at Cigar Lake will be dependent on how quickly we are able to remobilize the workforce. Cameco will not be in a position to provide updates to our outlook for 2021 until production has resumed and we understand the rate at which we will be able to sustainably operate the mine.

"Having Cigar Lake running is part of our strategy and it was always our intention to resume production," Gitzel said. "There are significant costs associated with having the mine in temporary care and maintenance, and we have a home in our contract portfolio for these low-cost pounds. We will also continue to purchase material, as needed, to meet our committed deliveries.

"Having said that, worker health and safety is our top priority, and we will not hesitate to take further action if we feel our ability to operate safely is compromised due to the pandemic."

Cameco continues to deliver into its contract portfolio and its strong balance sheet has provided the company with the financial capacity to successfully manage the production disruption at Cigar Lake. As of December 31, 2020, Cameco had $943 million in cash and short-term investments and a $1 billion undrawn credit facility.

The Cigar Lake operation is owned by Cameco (50.025%), Orano Canada Inc. (37.1%), Idemitsu Canada Resources Ltd. (7.875%) and TEPCO Resources Inc. (5.0%) and is operated by Cameco.

Profile

Cameco is one of the largest global providers of the uranium fuel needed to energize a clean-air world. Our competitive position is based on our controlling ownership of the world's largest high-grade reserves and low-cost operations. Utilities around the world rely on our nuclear fuel products to generate power in safe, reliable, carbon-free nuclear reactors. Our shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges. Our head office is in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This news release includes statements and information about our expectations for the future, which we refer to as forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on our current views, which can change significantly, and actual results and events may be significantly different from what we currently expect.

Examples of forward-looking information in this news release include: our plan to restart production at Cigar Lake in April 2021; our views regarding the availability of our workforce and the ability of Cigar Lake to operate safely and sustainably; our intention to continue monitoring the COVID-19 case counts and the success of the vaccine rollout, and to continue dialogue with public health authorities and northern Saskatchewan leaders; the factors impacting our ability to update our outlook for 2021; our intention to purchase material to meet committed deliveries; and our intention to take further action if necessary if we feel our ability to operate safely is compromised due to the pandemic. Material risks that could lead to different results include: our plans to restart production at Cigar Lake may be delayed or may not succeed for any reason, including delays in remobilizing our workforce; we may not be able to monitor developments in the COVID-19 case counts, the success of the vaccine rollout or other risks associated with the pandemic due to a lack of available information, or for other reasons; our ability to update our outlook for 2021 may be delayed by other factors; our intention to purchase material to meet committed deliveries may be impacted by market conditions; and we may not successfully be able to take further action in response to increasing risks. In presenting this forward-looking information, we have made material assumptions which may prove incorrect, including assumptions regarding the availability of our workforce and other factors which may affect the timing of our planned restart of production at Cigar Lake; assumptions regarding our ability to monitor and respond to any increase in risks associated with the pandemic; our ability to purchase material needed to meet committed deliveries; and our ability to update our outlook for 2021. Forward-looking information is designed to help you understand management's current views of our near-term and longer-term prospects, and it may not be appropriate for other purposes. We will not necessarily update this information unless we are required to by securities laws.

Qualified Person

The above scientific and technical information relating to the Cigar Lake uranium mining operation was approved by Lloyd Rowson, general manager, Cigar Lake, Cameco.

Investor inquiries:
Rachelle Girard
306-956-6403
rachelle_girard@cameco.com

Media inquiries:
Jeff Hryhoriw
306-385-5221
jeff_hryhoriw@cameco.com


Primary Logo

News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia

The Conversation (0)
Cameco Corporation

Cameco Corporation

Cameco is one of the world's largest uranium producers. When operating at normal production, the flagship McArthur River mine in Saskatchewan accounts for roughly 50% of output in normal market conditions. Amid years of uranium price weakness, the company has reduced production, instead purchasing from the spot market to meet contracted deliveries. In the long term, Cameco has the ability increase annual uranium production by restarting shut mines and investing in new ones. In addition to its large uranium mining business, Cameco operates uranium conversion and fabrication facilities.

Drilling Planned to Update & Grow Lo Herma Resource

Drilling Planned to Update & Grow Lo Herma Resource

GTI Energy (GTR:AU) has announced Drilling Planned to Update & Grow Lo Herma Resource

Download the PDF here.

Uranium on the periodic table.

Aura Energy Plans Swedish Uranium Collaboration as Country Makes Progress on Lifting Ban

Aura Energy (ASX:AEE) is planning to enter into a strategic collaboration agreement with Neu Horizon Uranium following discussions on overturning the uranium-mining ban in Sweden.

Executives from Aura recently visited Stockholm, where they spoke productively with members of the country's governing coalition about the benefits of lifting the uranium-mining moratorium.

The ban traces back to 2018, when Sweden changed its environmental code to prioritise renewable energy; the government also wanted to reduce reliance on foreign uranium and strengthen domestic and European energy supply.

Keep reading...Show less
Aerial view of the Embalse nuclear power plant in Cordoba, Argentina.

Argentina’s Strategic Advantage as a New Frontier for Uranium Exploration

Argentina is emerging as one of the most compelling new frontiers for uranium supply, with the country’s National Atomic Energy Commission estimating about 80,000 tonnes of uranium as "exploration targets" across various geological environments. It offers a unique combination of geological potential, government support and existing nuclear infrastructure — all within a jurisdiction that is eager to expand its domestic resource base.

Global demand for uranium has increased in recent years, bolstered by renewed investment in nuclear energy and efforts to secure supply chains. Argentina’s pro-nuclear-energy stance and local technical expertise offer a promising new alternative for uranium exploration, as global demand for this critical mineral continues to soar.

Keep reading...Show less
justin huhn, uranium periodic symbol

Justin Huhn: Uranium Game On — Supply "Mirage," De-risked Demand, Next Price Move

Justin Huhn, editor and founder of Uranium Insider, talks uranium supply, demand and prices.

He emphasized that it's still "very early" in the cycle and that at this point no further catalysts are needed.

Keep reading...Show less
AuKing Mining (ASX:AKN)

High Gold Price Sparks Renewed Interest in Queensland Gold Region, Report Says

AuKing Mining (ASX:AKN) has been cited in a news report as among two Australian companies well-placed to take advantage of rising gold prices and the re-emergence of historic gold mines in Queensland.

Keep reading...Show less
 Blue Sky Uranium President and CEO Nikolaos Cacos.

Blue Sky Uranium Forges Ahead with Ivana Project Through Strategic COAM Joint Venture

Blue Sky Uranium (TSXV:BSK,OTCQB:BSURF,FWB:MAL2) is making significant strides in advancing its flagship Ivana uranium-vanadium project in Argentina. In a recent interview, President and CEO Nikolaos Cacos detailed the company's newly formed joint venture with Abatare Spain (COAM), a strategic partnership poised to accelerate the project toward production.

Cacos highlighted the establishment of a new joint venture company, Ivana Minerales, formed with COAM to drive the Ivana deposit forward. This collaboration represents a pivotal moment for Blue Sky, as COAM is committed to funding cumulative expenditures of US$35 million to acquire a 49.9 percent indirect equity interest in the deposit. Furthermore, COAM holds the option to increase its stake to 80 percent by completing a feasibility study and fully funding the project's costs.

“As far as our long-term objectives go, it achieves the first long-term objective of creating a pathway to take it right through to production, and allows us now to begin to look at and focus on our other 100 percent owned projects that we have … coming up with a second uranium discovery,” Cacos explained.

Keep reading...Show less

Latest Press Releases

Related News

×