Cameco CAMECOCORPORATION
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
(c. Cameco CAMECO CORPORATION Corporate Office 2121 — 11th Street West Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada S7M 1i3 June 20, 2011 Tel 306.956.6200 Fax 306.956.6201 www.cameco.com VIA COURIER Jean LeClair Brian Torrie Director Director Uranium Mines and Mills Division Environmental Assessment Division Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission 280 Slater Street 280 Slater Street P0 Box 1046, Station B P0 Box 1046, Station B Ottawa, ON K1P 5S9 Ottawa, ON K1P 5S9 Tim Moulding Tareq Al Zabet Manager Director Environmental Protection and Audit Division Environmental Protection and Audit Division Industrial Branch Environmental Assessment Branch Uranium Mines and Northern Operations Saskatchewan Ministry4th of Environment Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment 3211 Albert Street, Floor 112 Research Drive Regina, SK S4S 5W6 Saskatoon, SK S7K 2H6 Dear Sirs: Rabbit Lake Tailings North Pit Expansion Project - Project Description Cameco Corporation’s vision for the future of the Rabbit Lake Operation is continued safe, clean, economic and reliable production, with flexibility to adapt to emerging mining and milling opportunities in the region, while limiting the environmental footprint on the land and drainage systems. This approach of limiting the uranium mining and milling industry’s environmental footprint is consistent with previous joint federal-provincial panel recommendations. In keeping with this vision, please find enclosed a Project Description for the proposed Rabbit Lake Tailings North Pit Expansion. The discovery of additional ore at the Eagle Point mine has necessitated acquiring additional tailings capacity. Cameco believes that the expansion of the NUCLEAR. The Clean Air Energy. Messrs. Torrie, LeClair, Moulding and Zabet June 20, 2011 Page 2 current Rabbit Lake Tailings Management Facility (RLTMF, consisting of the existing Phase 1 Rabbit Lake In-Pit Tailings Management Facility and the existing Phase 2 Pit Crest Expansion) is the best alternative for tailings capacity at the Rabbit Lake Operation. The proposed Phase 3 North Pit Expansion (the Project) meets the criteria of acceptable long term performance while taking into consideration those aspects that are of importance to nearby community stakeholders. With the Project, Cameco is proposing to: 3) pit expansion immediately north of • Construct a 3 million cubic metre (Mm the RLTMF on the surface lease; • Maintain the same receiving environments with the expansion (Upper Link Lakes and Horseshoe Creek); and • Deposit tailings from Eagle Point mine ores, other ores on and off the Rabbit Lake Surface Lease, waste rock, and previously approved Cigar Lake uranium rich solution (assessed in the Rabbit Lake Solution Processing Project Environmental Impact Statement, 2008). Critical to achieving this vision is gaining approval for additional tailings capacity to extend operations at the Rabbit Lake operation beyond 2016. In addition to the required timing to achieve additional approved tailings capacity, construction activities related to establishing infrastructure for the receipt of tailings is anticipated to begin as early as 2014, pending regulatory approvals. Based on the applicable legislation, Cameco believes that an environmental assessment (EA) as contemplated by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act is required. Cameco believes that a screening level EA is required because the Project, as designed, is an expansion of the existing Rabbit Lake Tailings Management Facility that will not result in an increase in production capacity of more than 35 per cent. Further, the Project will take place within the existing boundaries of the licensed Rabbit Lake Operation and will utilize waste (and tailings) management processes that are authorized under the existing licence. The Project may also be considered a “development” as defined by The Environmental Assessment Act (Saskatchewan). Accordingly, Cameco believes that the attached Project Description provides the necessary information required to initiate both the federal and provincial EA processes. Cameco intends to follow-up in the near future to confirm the nature and timing of the next steps for the provincial/federal licensing and environmental assessment processes. If you require additional information or wish to discuss, please contact Kyle Wivcharuk, environmental assessment coordinator (306-956-8042) for EA matters or Kirk Lamont, superintendent SHEQ, Rabbit Lake Operation (306-633-2141, ext. 2218) to discuss licensing matters. Messrs. Torrie, LeClair, Moulding and Zabet June 20, 2011 Page 3 Sincerely, Alice Wong Vice-President Safety, Health, Environment, Quality & Regulatory Relations Cameco Corporation KW:sc Attachment — Rabbit Lake Tailings North Pit Expansion Project — Project Description c: Doug Humphries - CNSC Denis Schreyer — CNSC Jana Lung - MOE UMMD Regulatory Correspondence Regulatory Records — Cameco Rabbit Lake Tailings North Pit Expansion Project Project Description June 2011 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Rabbit Lake Tailings North Pit Expansion Project Project Description Executive Summary EXECUTIVE SUMMARY GENERAL INFORMATION Cameco is proposing to extend the life of the Rabbit Lake Operation with an expansion of tailings capacity at the site (the Project or the North Pit Expansion). Cameco expects to have sufficient tailings capacity to support milling of Eagle Point ore and a portion of the Cigar Lake uranium rich solution (URS) until approximately 2017. Additional tailings capacity is required to support the extension of Rabbit Lake’s mine life, accommodate tailings from processing Cigar Lake URS and provide a modest amount of additional tailings capacity for future processing opportunities. Cameco estimates that it will require a licence to construct the expansion by the fourth quarter of 2014 to ensure continued operation. Cameco’s vision for the future of the Rabbit Lake Operation is continued safe, clean and reliable production, with flexibility to adapt to emerging mining and milling opportunities in the region, while limiting the environmental footprint of the operation on the land and drainage systems affected by the operation. This vision is consistent with the recommendations 1997 Joint Federal-Provincial Panel on Uranium Mining Developments in Northern Saskatchewan. Previously approved activities have been implemented or are being developed at the Rabbit Lake Operation that enhance environmental performance or renew production facilities. In order to fully achieve Cameco’s vision for the future of the operation, Cameco is seeking approval for a range of necessary and potential activities related to continued production. One of these key activities is the Project. Implementation of the Project will require approval by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) pursuant to the Rabbit Lake Uranium Mine Operating Licence (UMOL-MINEMILL-RABBIT.00/2013). PROJECT INFORMATION The Project consists of a number of modifications to existing facility components and processes and licensed activities at the Rabbit Lake Operation to allow the milling of a range of Eagle Point-type ores, other ores on and off the Rabbit Lake surface lease, waste rock and Cigar Lake URS. Several of the modifications required for co-milling of Eagle Point ore and Cigar Lake URS were assessed in the previously approved 2008 Rabbit Lake solution processing project environmental assessment (2008 URS EIS). Increased tailings management capacity is the essential aspect of the Project and is to be achieved through an expansion that increases the approved capacity of the existing Rabbit Lake Tailings Management Facility (RLTMF) from the current 9 million cubic meters (Mm3) to 12 Mm3. With the proposed expansion of the existing RLTMF, Cameco will achieve an additional 3 Mm3 of tailings capacity sufficient to accommodate tailings from ores of various sources and within a range of geotechnical and geochemical properties. It is anticipated that the additional tailings capacity may extend the life of the Rabbit Lake Cameco Corporation E1 Rabbit Lake Tailings North Pit Expansion Project Project Description Executive Summary Operation to approximately 2028 or longer. Studies will be conducted as part of the environmental assessment (EA) of the Project to determine environmental effects that may result from this extension. The work and activities under consideration for the Project include: Excavation of an additional pit to the north of the existing RLTMF; Piping additions to support the Project that are still subject to a feasibility study; Installation and/or modification of infrastructure to accommodate the Project; Changes to the amount of water requiring treatment in accordance with the predictions in the 2008 URS EIS; and Changes to waste rock management facilities and overburden piles resulting from excavation required for the Project. The following activities are not considered part of the Project as they have been previously approved or are the subject of a separate approval: Development of appropriate water treatment at Eagle Point (subject to a separate EA); Planning for appropriate water treatment at the mill (approved in the 2008 URS EIS); and Other reclamation activities associated with the site. While the amount of water requiring treatment at the Rabbit Lake Operation will change from predictions in the 2008 URS EIS, the Project is not expected to require significant changes to the water management system. The expected increase in water flow from the RLTMF