Orano Canada operates on the full range of mining activities, from exploration to decommissioning, mining and treatment. The Canadian subsidiary is a shareholder in the Mc Arthur River and Cigar Lake mines, operated by Cameco, and runs the McClean Lake
processing plant. It has also successfully completed the first uranium mine redevelopment after the uranium reserves at the Cluff Lake site were depleted.
Innovative methods
Underground mines and very high uranium grades that require specific technologies.
High-performance mining technologies
Jet Boring in Cigar Lake
Because it is located 450 metres below ground and has very high-grade uranium, the deposit requires the use of techniques that strengthen the ground and control upwelling. The method consists of hardening the soil by a freezing process before starting the extraction phase, then mining the ore using a high-pressure water jet (Jet Boring).
Because it is located 450 metres below ground and has very high-grade uranium, the deposit requires the use of techniques that strengthen the ground and control upwelling. The method consists of hardening the soil by a freezing process before starting the extraction phase, then mining the ore using a high-pressure water jet (Jet Boring).
- Niger Niger's mining companies Somaïr and Cominak draw value from the country's uranium potential by mining respectively deposits in the desert region of the Aïr.
- Kazakhstan Created in 1997 by Orano and Kazatomprom in Kazakhstan KATCO operates the world’s largest SRI uranium mine.
- Leading uranium producer With mines operating in Canada, Kazakhstan and Niger, Orano is a leading world producer of uranium.