Cigar Lake

“World’s Largest” are two words that seem to be used in conjunction with Cameco’s uranium deposits and operations.

Earlier it was mentioned that McArthur River is “the world’s largest high-grade uranium mine, with ore grades 100 times the world’s average” and, not to be outdone, the company’s Cigar Lake project also receives world acclaim by being recognized as “The world’s largest undeveloped high-grade uranium deposit.” Regardless of the status, the two properties are world-class operations worthy of recognition.

Cigar Lake, located 660 kilometres north of Saskatoon, has a uranium deposit located at a depth of about 450 metres sandwiched between the Athabasca sandstone formation and the underlying Precambrian basement rocks.

The orebody stretches for two kilometers on an east-west axis and, when production ramps up, the mine is expected to produce 18 million pounds of uranium annually.

Because of the characteristically wet ground conditions in northern Saskatchewan, mining at Cigar Lake will involve freezing the ore body for increased safety and to prevent water inflow and to improve radiation protection. To remove the ore, Cameco plans to use a jet boring system.

The new mine, expected to have a mine life of 15 years, will employ about 250 when it is complete.