Uranium Night

Those planning to attend the CIM Saskatoon's technical nights are encouraged to renew their membership here. Then you can register for the technical evening via the Registration button above.

Abstract:

To safely mine requires a keen understanding of the geology surrounding any mineral deposit to ensure safe methods of extraction can be employed within the mining environment. Mining in northern Saskatchewan brings great challenge due to large differences in geology that can be found over relatively small distances and the highly important need for robust water management in mines due to these geological conditions. Mining for uranium in these conditions has additional design and operational complexity to manage naturally occurring radiation and to take into account control of radioactive substances from ore extraction to shipping. Cameco’s McArthur River and Cigar Lake operations are the largest and highest grade uranium deposits on the planet. Due to the combination of challenging geology and the high-grade nature of uranium at these mines, very specific mining methods are used to both develop mine workings and extract uranium safely. This presentation will provide a high-level overview of the mining methods at both operations, as well as provide some insight into the ongoing expansion of the Cigar Lake mine.

Presentor Bio:

Kirk Lamont was born and raised in Saskatchewan, and attended the University of Saskatchewan where he completed bachelors and masters degrees in engineering physics. Out of university he joined Cameco Corporation as a Health Physicist at the McArthur River operation. Since that time over the last 20 years, he has held various positions in health, safety, environment, quality, regulatory relations, mine operations and mine technical services across all of Cameco’s northern operations (McArthur River, Key Lake, Rabbit Lake and Cigar Lake). He is currently the General Manager of Cameco’s Cigar Lake operation, the highest grade uranium mine in the world.