Tomorrow’s challenges mobilizing all talent
2010 Responsible Development of AREVA’s Mining Activities Report
Responsible uranium extraction in Niger
Discover Mining Activities
Environmental report SOMAÏR 2006" [FR]
"Rapport environmental COMINAK 2005" [FR]
Guaranteed supply for 20 years
AREVA Fast Track Inauguration, Kazakhstan, September 2010
Namibia: A desalination plant to preserve groundwater
Katco-4000 : portrait of a french-kazakh partnership
AREVA Resources Canada: from exploration to decommissioning
AREVA Resources Canada Inc. specializes in uranium exploration and uranium mining in Canada. The company is a mining operator as well as a partner in several joint ventures. It has successfully completed a first decommissioning and reclamation project after mining out a deposit.
AREVA Resources Canada Inc was created in 1993. The company consolidates all AREVA group mining operations in Canada. It is based in Saskatoon, in the province of Saskatchewan. AREVA Resources Canada Inc. has 310 employees, including 30 based at Cluff Lake, 200 at McClean Lake and 25 at exploration sites.
Most of the company's active mining projects are located in Northern Saskatchewan. AREVA Resources Canada Inc:
- is operator at the McClean Lake site;
- is a partner in the McArthur and Cigar Lake mines. These two deposits, which are exceptional in terms of reserves and uranium grade in the ore, are considered as the largest high-grade deposits in the world.
Discovering new orebodies
Shaft at the Cigar Lake underground mine
To develop and diversify its long term reserves, AREVA Resources Canada Inc. implements a major exploration program focused on the Athabasca Basin and the province of Saskatchewan.
Caribou, Shea Creek – Since 2001,the company stepped up its exploration efforts at Cluff Lake and McClean to identify low grade, shallow deposits such as Caribou, Shea Creek, etc.
Kiggavik-Sissons – In 2006, AREVA reactivated the Kiggavik-Sissons project 80 kilometers west of Baker Lake in Nunavut (Northern Canada).
Mines in operation
McClean Lake is operated by AREVA, which owns 70 % of the deposit (Denison Mines Inc.: 22.5%; OURD Canada Co. Ltd, of Japan: 7.5%). Uranium production started in 1999 with ore extraction from small orebodies near the surface. The ore is processed at the McClean Lake mill (the JEB mill), which has a capacity of 3,000 metric tons of uranium per year.
The joint venture between AREVA and its partners has 450 employees, more than 40% of whom come from the local community.
McArthur River is the largest high-grade uranium deposit in the world. It is operated by Cameco Corporation, which holds a 69.8% interest in the venture. AREVA Resources Canada holds the remaining 30.2%. The deposit was discovered in 1988 and mining began in 1999. Remotely operated equipment is used to mine the deposit to prevent exposing workers directly to the very high grade ore.
The ore is processed at the Key Lake mill located about 80 kilometers south of the mine. The mill is operated by Cameco Corporation as majority owner (83.3%). AREVA Resources owns the remaining interest (16.7%).
McArthur River has approximately 320 employees and 100 subcontract employees, more than 53% of whom are residents of Northern Saskatchewan.
Cigar Lake is the second largest high-grade uranium deposit in the world after McArthur River. The project is located 660 kilometers north of Saskatoon. It will be operated by Cameco Corporation, which holds 50.02% of the venture. AREVA holds a 37.1% interest.
AREVA discovered the deposit in 1981 and contributed to the development of the mining method.
A technology freezing the ground it was developed to mine this orebody located 450 meters below grade in unstable, porous, water-saturated rock. All support galleries will be located in solid rock under the deposit.
Cameco believes that mining could start in 2012, subject to approval by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). A total of 40 employees and 180 subcontractor personnel are currently working at the site. Staffing will rise to approximately 250 during regular operations.
Cigar Lake will produce 6,900 metric tons of uranium per year at full capacity.
Midwest – This deposit was discovered in 1978. AREVA Resources Canada owns 69.16% of the property and is the designated operator.
Anticipated production is approximately 3,000 metric tons of uranium. The ore will be processed by the JEB mill in McClean, located only 15 kilometers away.
Production startup was postponed.
A MODEL RECLAMATION EXAMPLE
For more than 20 years starting in the 1980s, AREVA Resources Canada owned and operated the Cluff Lake deposit, discovered in 1967. Mining operations ceased in 2002 when the orebody was mined out. The site reclamation and mill dismantling project started after completion of the regulatory process. The project was completed at the end of 2006. The area has been replanted and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has released the mine.
Cluff Lake is considered as a model mining reclamation program, planned from the very beginning of the project.
A company recognized for the quality of its environmental management practices
AREVA Resources Canada Inc. deploys ISO 14001-compliant environmental management systems at all sites and in all operations.
Contact
AREVA Resources Canada Inc
817 45th Street West
PO Box 9204 S7K 3X5
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Canada
Tel. (1) 306-343-45-00
Fax. (1) 306-653-38-83
