Business Overview
Cameco is a pure-play nuclear company with a proven track record and the strengths to take advantage of the world's rising demand for safe, clean and reliable energy. We are one of the world's largest uranium producers with assets on three continents. Our operations and investments span the nuclear fuel cycle from exploration to fuel manufacturing.
Tier-one operations - Cigar Lake
2017 Production
9.0m lbs
Location
Northern Saskatchewan, Canada
Ownership
50%, operator
Overview
Cigar Lake is the world's second largest high-grade uranium deposit, with grades that are 100 times the world average. The mine began operation in 2014, and is one of our three material properties. As expected, now at full production, the operation is producing 9 million lbs (our share) of uranium annually.
Tier-one operations - Inkai
2017 Production
3.2m lbs
Location
Kazakhstan
Ownership
40%
Overview
Inkai is a very significant uranium deposit, located in Kazakhstan. The operator is joint venture Inkai limited liability partnership, which we jointly own (40%) with Kazatomprom (60%).
Inkai is considered a material uranium property for us.
Tier-one suspended operation - McArthur River/Key Lake
2017 Production
11.2m lbs
Location
Northern Saskatchewan, Canada
Ownership
70%, operator
Overview
McArthur River is the world’s largest, high-grade uranium mine, and Key Lake is the world’s largest uranium mill. Ore grades at the McArthur River mine are 100 times the world average, which means it can produce more than 18 million pounds per year by mining only 150 to 200 tonnes of ore per day. We are the operator of both the mine and mill.
McArthur River is considered a material uranium property for us. In July 2018, Cameco made the decision to extend a planned 10-month production suspension for an indeterminate duration.
Tier-two suspended operation - Rabbit Lake
Care and
maintenance
Location
Northern Saskatchewan, Canada
Ownership
100%, operator
Overview
Located in Saskatchewan, Canada, our 100% owned Rabbit Lake operation, which opened in 1975, is the longest operating uranium production facility in North America, and the second largest uranium mill in the world. Due to market conditions, we suspended production at Rabbit Lake during the second quarter of 2016.
A workforce of about 120 people remain on site to maintain the facilities and sustain environmental monitoring and reclamation activities. Over its forty-one year operation, Rabbit Lake produced more than 203 million lbs.
Tier-two suspended - US Operations
Curtailed
production
Location
Smith Ranch-Highland - Wyoming, US
Crow Butte - Nebraska, US
Ownership
100%, operator
Overview
Our US operations at Crow Butte and Smith Ranch-Highland are long-established in situ recovery operations.
In light of continued depressed market conditions, production has been curtailed at Cameco Resources’ US ISR operations by deferring all wellfield development. Due to the nature of ISR mining and our wellfield restoration requirements, production in the US has decreased over time as head grades decline.
Millennium
Project under
evaluation
Location
Northern Saskatchewan, Canada
Ownership
70%, operator
Overview
Millennium is a uranium deposit that could be mined in the future. It has been delineated through geophysical survey and drilling work.
Kintyre
Project under
evaluation
Location
Western Australia
Ownership
70%, operator
Overview
Kintyre is an advanced uranium exploration project in Western Australia that is amenable to open pit mining techniques. We acquired the project in 2008 and are the operator.
Yeelirrie
Project under
evaluation
Location
Western Australia
Ownership
100%, operator
Overview
Yeelirrie is a near-surface calcrete-style deposit that is amenable to open pit mining techniques and is one of Australia's largest undeveloped uranium deposits. We acquired this project at the end of 2012.
Fuel Services Division
2017 Production
7.9m kgU
Location
Blind River Refinery, Port Hope Conversion Facility, Cameco Fuel Manufacturing
Ownership
100%
Overview
Cameco's fuel services division consists of three processing segments. The world's largest refinery, located in Blind River, processes uranium concentrates into high-purity uranium trioxide (UO3), the feedstock for Cameco's conversion facility in Port Hope. The Port Hope Conversion Facility is one of only four commercial suppliers in the western world of uranium hexafluoride (UF6), which is exported internationally to be enriched for use in light water reactors. It is also the world's only commercial supplier of natural uranium dioxide (UO2) used in CANDU reactors. Cameco Fuel Manufacturing, located in Port Hope and Cobourg, is the largest Canadian-based supplier of components for CANDU reactors.
Extraordinary Reserves and Resources
Mineral reserves and resources are the foundation of our company and fundamental to our success. We have interests in uranium properties around the globe.