Refining: Blind River

  • The Blind River operation is the world’s largest commercial uranium refinery, refining uranium concentrates from mines around the world. 
  • The end product is uranium trioxide (UO3) powder which is transported to Cameco's Port Hope conversion facility for the next stages of processing. 
  • Cameco operates the ISO 14001 certified facility which opened in 1983 and is located in Ontario, Canada. 
Operation(As of December 31, 2016)
100% Cameco ownership
128 people employed
Production(As of December 31, 2016)
Licenced to 2022
24m kgU of licenced production capacity

Environment & Safety

Worker safety, environmental monitoring and proper decommissioning after project completion are of the utmost importance to Cameco.

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  • UO3 from Blind River is sent on for further conversion and processing at Cameco’s Port Hope facility in Ontario.  
  • Routine water sampling is part of a rigorous environmental monitoring program in place at each operation. 
  • The Blind River refinery is the world's largest with a capacity of 18 million KgU.  
  • Yellowcake from Cameco's North American mining operations is refined into a high purity UO3 at Blind River.