Cameco pauses production at northern Sask. mill due to flooding

A patch is seen on an employee during a Cameco media tour of the uranium mine in Cigar Lake, Wednesday, September 23, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards

Cameco, one of the largest global providers of uranium, says it’s temporarily halted production activities at the Key Lake Mill and reduced activity at McArther River mine due to flooding in Northern Saskatchewan.

Cameco, headquartered in Saskatoon, says northern Saskatchewan sites are not directly impacted by flood waters, but adds flooding has caused the collapse of the Smoothstone River Bridge, the primary route used to transport supplies to the McArthur River and Key Lake sites.

Premier Scott Moe spoke about the flooding on CTV Your Morning Saskatchewan on Monday.

“We have the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, the Ministry of Highways and other organizations out supporting residents. We’re going to have a lot of roads we’re going to have to work with municipalities to fix in the months ahead.”

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In a news release, Cameco says there are restrictions in place on the use of an alternative roadway, and it remains in regular contact with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways.

“The Cigar Lake mine continues to operate, and our consolidated annual production plan remains unchanged,” Cameco said in the news release. “The timeline for the resumption of normal deliveries is currently unknown.”

The company notes that depending on the duration of road restrictions and the ability to make deliveries of critical operating materials, there’s a risk the 2026 production outlook for the McArthur River/Key Lake operation could be impacted.