2 Jun (NucNet): The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has approved the expansion of the annual operating capacity at the McClean Lake uranium milling facility to 24 million pounds of uranium concentrate (U3O8 – 9,200 tonnes U metal), Cameco said in a statement.
Ore from Cameco’s Cigar Lake mine in Canada’s northern Saskatchewan is processed and packaged at the McClean Lake mill, about 70 km from the Cigar Lake mine.
Prior to the approval, the McClean Lake mill’s operating licence had an annual production limit of 13 million pounds of U3O8 (5,000 tonnes), the statement said.
In January, Cameco said it expected to produce 16 million packaged pounds of U3O8 in 2016, a capacity subjected to CNSC’s approval at the time.
According to Cameco, the Cigar Lake mine is now expected to reach a production volume of 18 million pounds in 2017.
Cigar Lake is owned by Cameco (50.025%), Areva Resources Canada Inc (37.1%), Idemitsu Canada Resources Ltd (7.875%) and Tepco Resources Inc (5%) and is operated by Cameco.
The McClean Lake mill is majority-owned and operated by Areva Canada Resources Inc.
