Suspension was due to ‘challenges’ at McClean Lake mill
Production activities have resumed at Cameco’s Cigar Lake mine in northern Saskatchewan following a temporary suspension due to challenges at Orano’s McClean Lake mill, where Cigar Lake ore is processed.
The McClean Lake mill has now resumed operations, Cigar Lake has begun shipping stockpiled ore to the mill, and has restarted production at the mine, Cameco said.
The Canadian uranium miner said its 2026 production outlook range for Cigar Lake has not been impacted by the temporary suspension of production and remains between 17.5 million and 18.0 million pounds of U3O8 (100% basis).
Cameco said earlier this month that the pause in mining followed operational difficulties with the sulphuric acid plant at McClean Lake.
It said Orano was attempting to restart the acid plant and was also exploring alternative sources of sulphuric acid while waiting for replacement parts needed for repairs.
In May, Cameco announced that Key Lake mill had temporarily halted production activities and McArthur River mine had reduced activities due to the impact of flooding in northern Saskatchewan. Those facilities resumed operations at the end of May.
