Cameco halts conversion facility in Ontario – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Northern Miner – April 8, 2020)

Global mining news

Canada’s Cameco (TSX: CCO; NYSE:CCJ), the world’s largest publicly traded uranium miner, is placing its plant at the Port Hope conversion facility, in Ontario, in a temporary safe shutdown state for four weeks.

The move comes as the company faces the increasing challenge of maintaining an adequate workforce as a result of screening protocols and other measures put in place to combat the covid-19 pandemic.

Since the majority of the UO3 produced at the Blind River refinery is used to produce UF6 at the conversion facility, the refinery’s production would also be temporarily suspended and, where possible, summer maintenance work brought forward.

“The UF6 plant is designed for continuous operation, and we need to prevent unplanned interruptions arising from personnel shortages,” president and chief executive, Tim Gitzel, said on Wednesday.

While production at the refinery is temporarily suspended, the operation will remain open to receive uranium concentrate deliveries, Cameco said.

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