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Community Updates

McClean Lake and Cluff Lake Projects

December 22, 2004

McClean Lake

The McClean Lake mill achieved its 2004 production target of 6 million pounds of U₃O₈ using stockpiled ore from the Sue C open pit mine. The Christmas shutdown began on December 21 - the mill will restart on January 4, 2005.

The Environmental Assessment work for the Sue E open pit mine was submitted to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) at the end of November. Sue E mining could begin in late 2005, pending regulatory approval, along with the hiring of 70 to 80 new employees. The current plan is to first mine the relatively small Sue A deposit (next to Sue C) beginning in the summer of 2005. Sue A was part of the initial McClean Lake environmental impact assessment process.

The CNSC hearings for early licence renewal, with an amendment to expand the JEB mill to receive and process Cigar Lake ore, are scheduled in Ottawa for January 12 and April 6, 2005. Another planned activity on the McClean Lake site is the mining equipment development and testing of alternate mining techniques conducted from the surface for small underground deposits. This could begin in 2005 pending regulatory approval.

McClean Lake has not had a spill since the last Community Update. The concentrations of elements contained in the water discharges during November were well below the limits set by the regulatory agencies.

Cluff Lake

The planned 2-year decommissioning program began in August. Contracts were issued for backfilling Claude pit and dismantling the mill. Contract provisions ensured maximum West Side employment. The Claude pit backfilling work started in late August and is now completed. The project involved about 60 people who hauled about two million cubic metres of waste rock. The first phase of the mill demolition is done.

Cluff Lake has not had a spill since the last Community Update. Concentrations of elements contained in the water discharges from the treatment plant during November were well below the limits set by the regulatory agencies.

Cigar Lake Mine to Begin Construction

On December 20, the CNSC announced its decision to issue a licence for the construction of the remaining mining and support facilities at the Cigar Lake uranium mine. The construction licence is valid until December 31, 2007. Active commissioning and operation of the ore mining, processing, storage, transport and handling systems will be the subject of a future application from Cameco and CNSC public hearing. Construction will begin in January 2005 with operation and uranium production in 2007. At full production, Cigar Lake will produce about 18 million pounds of U3O8 (yellowcake) annually.

On December 21, Tim Gitzel, Chairman of the Board of COGEMA Resources, announced the decision by the Cigar Lake Joint Venture partners to proceed with the development of Cigar Lake. Cigar Lake is the world's second largest known high-grade uranium deposit. Initially, all of the Cigar Lake ore slurry will be trucked about 70 km. to McClean Lake for processing. In the future, a portion, subject to regulatory approvals, will receive final processing at the Cameco Rabbit Lake mine. The McClean Lake mill expansion is an integral part of the Cigar Lake project. The mill expansion construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2005.

COGEMA geologists discovered the Cigar Lake orebody in 1981. COGEMA Resources owns 37% of the project. Cameco owns 50% and operates the mine, while the Japanese companies Idemitsu and TEPCO own 8% and 5%, respectively.

Human Resources