Cameco Halts Cigar Lake Mining After McClean Lake Acid Plant Outage
CCJ•Cameco has temporarily halted operations at its Cigar Lake uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan after an unexpected outage at Orano’s McClean Lake mill sulfuric acid plant disrupted ore processing. Orano is working to repair the acid plant and assess options to resume processing, pausing Cigar Lake output until restoration.
1. Equipment Failure Disrupts McClean Lake Mill
Orano’s sulfuric acid plant at the McClean Lake mill in Saskatchewan experienced an unexpected shutdown due to operational failures, halting the processing of ore delivered from Cigar Lake.
2. Cigar Lake Operations Halted
Cameco has temporarily suspended all mining activities at its Cigar Lake uranium operation in northern Saskatchewan because the mill outage prevents the treatment of extracted ore.
3. Repair Efforts and Timeline
Technicians are conducting repairs on the sulfuric acid plant and evaluating alternative processing strategies, although no definitive timeline has been announced for the mill’s return to service.
4. Potential Impact on Uranium Supply
The suspension will delay shipments and reduce Cameco’s near-term uranium output, potentially tightening market supply if processing does not resume promptly.
