20 Year Licence Renewal

On January 18, 2023, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) announced that Cameco Fuel Manufacturing (CFM) has been granted a 20-year renewal of its Fuel Facility Operating Licence.

The renewed licence allows CFM to operate until February 28, 2043, at which time CFM can request to renew the licence for another period. As part of this licence, CFM will participate in a comprehensive mid-point (10-year) review of its operational performance. This requirement is in addition to the regulatory oversight report meeting and compliance verification activities carried out annually.

Safety is at the core of Cameco’s operations and activities, and throughout this renewed licence period we remain committed to the protection of people and the environment.

For more information please read our news release or contact:

Sara Forsey
Manager, Public & Government Affairs
sara_forsey@cameco.com
289.771.1007

Why Request a 20-year Term?

Over the last 15-20 years, the CNSC strengthened its regulatory framework, with clarity provided in CNSC regulatory documents (REGDOCs) and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) nuclear standards. As well, the CNSC has introduced annual oversight reviews for all of the facilities regulated by the CNSC. These enhancements along with strong performance, have led to increased licence terms of 10 or more years because there are mechanisms in place to ensure that facility operations remain safe and that there are opportunities for the Commission to review performance in a public proceeding.

CFM has consistently received satisfactory rankings from the CNSC while meeting all CNSC and other regulatory obligations. CFM’s consistent performance during the current licence period demonstrates our commitment to safety and the protection of people and the environment.

What is the Production Limit Change?

Currently, CFM’s licence has a monthly production limit which is 125 megagrams (1 megagram = 1 tonne) uranium dioxide (UO2) as pellets during any calendar month. We are requesting a slightly revised licence limit of an annual amount of 1,650 tonnes of uranium as UO₂.

In order to establish a consistent unit of measure for our production limits at all of our Ontario facilities, we are requesting an annual production limit in tonnes of uranium as UO₂ instead of in megagrams. Accounting for the change in unit of measurement, the requested production limit represents an increase of approximately 24%.

We are requesting this increase so that our licence limit mirrors the actual production capacity of our facility and the change from the monthly limit to an annual limit ensures that we can flex our operations as needed to meet business demands. What this translates to is a greater security of supply by ensuring we can increase production should there be a disruption in operations for any reason at any time. It will also ensure that we are able to take on new business opportunities when they arise.