McArthur River uranium mine

This article is about the uranium mine in Canada. For the lead-zinc Mine in Australia, see McArthur River zinc mine. For other uranium mines in the McArthur Basin in the Northern Territory of Australia, see Ranger Uranium Mine.

McArthur River Uranium Mine
Aerial view of the mine site.
Location
McArthur River Uranium Mine Location in Saskatchewan 57°45′45″N 105°03′07″W / 57.7625°N 105.05194°W / 57.7625; -105.05194Coordinates: 57°45′45″N 105°03′07″W / 57.7625°N 105.05194°W / 57.7625; -105.05194
Location	Athabasca Basin
Province	Saskatchewan
Country	Canada
Owner
Company	Cameco(70%) and AREVA(30%)
Year of acquisition	1988 (Discovery)
Production
Products	Uranium
History
Opened	2000

The McArthur River Uranium Mine, in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, is the world's largest high-grade uranium deposit.

The McArthur River deposit was discovered in 1988. The property is located 620 air kilometres north of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and 80 kilometres northeast of the Key Lake mill in the uranium rich Athabasca Basin. Mine construction began in 1997, with production commencing in 1999. The mine achieved full commercial production in November 2000. Production is regulated at 18.7 million pounds of yellowcake a year with the ore being processed through the Key Lake mill.

Reserves

As of December 31, 2009, the mine has proven and probable reserves of 778,500 tonnes at an average grade of 19.53% U₃O₈.^[1] (335.2 Million pounds)

Awards

The McArthur River mine has been awarded the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum's John T. Ryan Trophy for the best safety record for metal mines several times. This award is given to the metal mine with the best safety record for the previous year.

National Trophy

• 2000
• 2010

Regional Trophy - Prairies and Northwest Territories

• 2011

Ownership

The mine is owned by Cameco Corporation (70%) and AREVA Resources Canada Inc (30%), formerly COGEMA Resources Inc. Cameco is the mine operator.

Access

The mine is serviced by the McArthur River Airport to the northeast. It is also connected to the south by road. According to Google Maps, this road is Saskatchewan Highway 914, however the official 2011 highway map of Saskatchewan indicates that 914 terminates at the Key Lake mine, with the road that continues to McArthur not actually on the map.

See also

• Unconformity uranium deposits
• Uranium mining

References

1. ^ "Financial Reporting - Reserves". Cameco Corporation. http://www.cameco.com/investors/financial_reporting/reserves/. Retrieved 2010-03-20. 

External links

• "McArthur River". Cameco Corporation. http://www.cameco.com/mining/mcarthur_river/. 
• "McArthur River/Key Lake". AREVA. http://www.cri.ca/uranium/mcarthur.html.