Cameco Corporation

Cameco is the world’s largest uranium producer accounting for 20% of the world’s uranium production. Its mining and conversion facilities in North America provide fuel to the western world’s nuclear power plants. Through a partnership, we also generate nuclear electricity with a share of the Bruce Power nuclear facility in Ontario. ^[1]

Cameco's McArthur River is an underground mine in Saskatchewan which started up in 1999 producing 7200 tU/yr making it the largest mine in the world producing 17.9% of world supplies. This compares with Areva's McClean Lake open cast mine, also in Saskatchewan, which started up in 1999 which produces almost 2300 tU/yr (5.7% of world supply). Cameco owns a third mine at Rabbit Lake, also in Saskatchewan, but this is expected to close in 2007. ^[2] Cameco was planning to open another massive underground mine at Cigar Lake (Saskatchewan) in early 2008 producing around 7000 tU/yr, but this has now been delayed by at least a year due to a flood in the mine. ^[3]

Cameco is a member of the World Nuclear Association and the Nuclear Energy Institute, described as "the propaganda wing of the US Nuclear Industry".

References

^ Cameco website, accessed December 2006

^ Uranium Information Centre, Canada’s Uranium Production and Nuclear Power, November 2006

See also WISE Uranium Project, Issues at operating uranium mines and mills – Canada, , Updated December 5, 2006.

^ WISE Uranium Project New uranium mining projects – Canada, December 6, 2006