|
|
| Fig. 1: World Uranium Production in 2020. [2] (Image Source: A. Klingberg) |
The uranium production industry in Canada can be traced back to the early 1930s following the discovery of uranium deposits at Great Bear Lake, located in the Northwest Territories. [1] While these deposits were initially utilized for radium, mining resources were directed towards uranium following an increase in demand driven by the Manhattan Project in 1942. [2] Production would only see moderate growth until the mid-1970s, where uranium price and demand became significant enough to promote a boom in the development of mines and corresponding facilities. [2] In the following years, uranium output would steadily grow and the focus shifted towards mines in Saskatchewan. The pinnacle of Canada's uranium production occurred in 2016 at 14,039 metric tons of uranium produced, as this was when Cigar Lake mine in northern Saskatchewan reached full output. [2] In the years since, production is still centered in Saskatchewan, but has slowed down due to variability in uranium prices and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Presently, the uranium that Canada produces is a result of the McArthur River and Cigar Lake projects located in northern Saskatchewan. [2] Although these sites are operated by Cameco Corporation, the McArthur River site is a joint venture between Cameco Corporation and Orano, while the Cigar Lake site is owned by Cameco Corporation, Orano, and TEPCO Resources Inc. [3]
At the McArthur River site, all of the ore can be found in water-bearing ground. Thus, before mining can take place, the ground is frozen by distributing a cooled brine mixture throughout the planned mining area. Once the ground is sufficiently frozen, conventional mining techniques can be utilized. One such technique for uranium extraction is Blasthole Stoping, where the ore is drilled from above ground and extracted underground beneath the uranium deposit. The ore that is extracted in this process is either a high grade slurry or a low-grade rock structure. Following the extraction, these deposit mixtures are sent to a processing center at Key Lake mill to isolate the uranium ore concentrate. [4] Although there was no activity in 2022 (as low uranium prices resulted in a halt of production) the planned production McArthur River in 2023 is an estimated 15 million pounds of uranium. [4]
In the case of the Cigar Lake site, all the processing of its uranium is done at the McClean Lake plant operated by Orano. [3,4] While Cigar Lake is the world's highest grade uranium mine, the uranium deposits are also unique in that, due to geological restrictions, they require jet boring. [3] Jet boring is a mining technique that again requires the freezing of the ore before drilling, but instead of drilling from above, a hole is drilled from below the mining depository and into the orebody. High pressure water is then used to cut away at the ore. The resulting slurry of water and ore produced is then collected and transported to an underground processing system. [4] Once mining and extraction is complete, the hole is sealed with concrete. Utilizing this technique, the total production from Cigar Lake in 2022 was 18 million pounds. [4]
 |
| Fig. 2: Canadian Uranium Production. [2] (Image Source: A. Klingberg) |
In 2009, Kazakhstan passed Canada as the world's largest producer of uranium. In the years following, increased production in Australia and Namibia has led to Canada being the fourth largest producer worldwide. [2] The estimated global ranking of uranium producers as of 2020 is shown in Fig. 1. Despite this fall in world wide rank, Canada continues to be an important provider of uranium, and the dominant producer in North America.
Trends in yearly uranium production, shown in Fig. 2, have been studied and reported by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). There was a sharp increase in production from 9,136 tonnes U in 2014 to 13,325 tonnes U in 2015. This drastic change corresponds to the opening of Cigar Lake Mine, which would come to reach full production capacity by 2016. In 2018, it was decided that McArthur River mine and Key Lake mill would suspend production in response to unfavorable market conditions. [2] This action resulted in Canadian production declining by 46.7% from 2017 to 2018. The COVID-19 pandemic additionally affected production, as there was a six month suspension of production in 2020. As of 2021, production had still not returned to pre-pandemic levels, despite Cigar Lake mine and McClean Lake mill being returned to operation that April. [2]
Looking forward, McArthur River mine and Key Lake mill have officially restarted and will be contributing to Canada's uranium production in the years to come. Additionally, two Saskatchewan mining projects have been proposed depending on if uranium prices increase sufficiently in the next decade. [2] The Midwest mine and Millenium mine projects would feed into existing mills and infrastructure in Saskatchewan, allowing for increased production while limiting development cost. While the realization of these projects is still uncertain, they provide insight into the anticipated landscape of uranium production in Saskatchewan post-pandemic.
Although Canada is no longer the world's leader in uranium production, it remains a crucial player in the global market. From its early days at Great Bear Lake to the shift towards Saskatchewan mining and production facilities, Canada continues to take advantage of its abundant resources of some of the highest grade uranium in the world. As uranium mining and production begin to ramp up again in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, total uranium production is expected to steadily increase, even if they do not reach their pre-pandemic peaks. [2]
© Andrew Klingberg. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] R. A. J Hurst et al., Canada Enters the Nuclear Age (McGill-Queens University Press, 1997).
[2] "Uranium 2022: Resources, Production and Demand," Nuclear Energy Agency, NEA No. 7634, February 2023; also 2020, 2018, and 2016 issues.
[3] "2022 Annual Report," Cameco, Februay 2023.
[4] "Annual Activity Report 2022," Orano, 2022