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NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: October 14, 1998

COGEMA McCLEAN TAILINGS MANAGEMENT FACILITY TEMPORARY CEASE WORK ORDER ISSUED

COGEMA Resources Inc., the operator and majority owner of the McClean Lake uranium project, today announced that a cease work order has been issued by the Atomic Energy Control Board on the construction of the JEB Tailings Management Facility. The order was issued following the discovery by both the AECB and COGEMA that some of the drain rock materials placed in the Tailings Management Facility did not meet approved specifications.

"The out of specification materials were removed and replaced within 24 hours," said Bob Pollock, COGEMA's Vice President, Environment, Health and Safety. "We have a strong quality assurance/quality control program to ensure we detect problems such as this. The approximately 6 cubic metres of material had been placed in the pit the night before the AECB inspection. It had already been sampled and was being confirmed as off-specification through our QA/QC program."

"COGEMA Resources is now assembling the documentation to demonstrate that the filter drain has been constructed in accordance with the conditions of the license," says Pollock. "We have taken precautions to ensure this facility conforms in all respects to conditions set out in our license. We are working hard to demonstrate this to the AECB this week."

COGEMA had received approvals from Provincial and Federal agencies to begin preparatory construction on the Tailings Management Facility. Construction of the initial civil work began in August. The work comprises construction of the facility's filter and drain system, including the horizontal drift and vertical raise through which water from the facility would be pumped to the surface for treatment.

The McClean deposit was first discovered in 1979. The mill, constructed in 1997, will process the ore from the mined JEB pit, the nearby SUE pits, the Cigar Lake mine, and the McClean and Midwest underground mines planned for future development. The JEB Tailings Management Facility is designed to handle the tailings from these projects.

Headquartered in Saskatoon, COGEMA Resources Inc. operates mining and milling facilities at Cluff Lake in northern Saskatchewan. COGEMA Resources is also operator and majority owner of the McClean Lake and Midwest uranium projects, and part owner of the Cigar Lake and McArthur River uranium mines. Of the company's 530 employees in Saskatchewan, 45% are from northern communities.

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For further information please contact:

Robert Pollock
Vice President, Environment Health and Safety
COGEMA Resources Inc.
Phone:(306) 343-4548