Areva pulls out of Baker Lake, Nunavut uranium mine remains mothballed – by Jane George (Nunatsiaq News – May 5, 2017)

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/

“We thank all the Nunavummiut who have welcomed us” Areva Resources Canada, the proponent of the Kiggavik uranium project, has decided to close shop in Baker Lake and put its office building up for sale.

“After over 10 years exploring in the territory, studying the possibility of developing the Kiggavik Project and making numerous friends in the Kivalliq region, it’s time to say good bye,” the company said in an advertisement in the Nunatsiaq News print newspaper of May 5.

“We thank all the Nunavummiut who have welcomed us, guided us and supported us over the years. It was a pleasure getting to know you and working with you.” The company is now seeking expressions of interest from bidders interested in buying building 2028 in Baker Lake.

Meanwhile, the office will remain open for a month or two more, said Barry McCallum, Areva’s manager of Nunavut affairs. The decision to sell the building comes after Areva opted to place its uranium mining project on hold.

That followed a 2015 recommendation from the Nunavut Impact Review Board that the project, 80 kilometres east of Baker Lake, should not proceed. Then, in July 2016, the four federal ministers with authority over the project said they accepted the NIRB’s recommendation.

Kiggavik will remain in care and maintenance for an “indefinite period,” McCallum said May 4. Meanwhile, its permits will be maintained and the property will be secured and visited once a year, he said.

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