IsoEnergy and Cameco Pause Operations Due to Wildfires and Mill Repairs
Ongoing wildfires and processing equipment failures have forced temporary shutdowns at two uranium operations in Northern Saskatchewan’s prolific Athabasca Basin region.
Uranium explorer IsoEnergy (TSX:ISO,NYSEAMERICAN:ISOU) has halted exploration and evacuated the majority of its field personnel from the Larocque East project following direct advisement from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), which cited dangerous conditions from an encroaching, lightning-caused wildfire.
While the flames do not currently pose a direct threat to the site, three contractors remain at the camp to operate pump and sprinkler systems to protect infrastructure.
IsoEnergy confirmed in a Monday (June 29) press release that all personnel are accounted for with no injuries reported, noting that crews have secured drill core storage and equipment prior to the evacuation. The company expects the delay to last up to a week, but maintains it will complete its 8,000 meter summer drill program.
SPSA officials reported 56 active wildfires on Tuesday (June 30), with 41 igniting in the past week predominantly from lightning strikes. Precipitation in the southern half of the province is providing logistical relief for fire crews.
“(With the) rain activity and the (precipitation) we’ve been receiving in the south, conditions have been favourable for us, so that everything is nice and wet,” SPSA Executive Director of Land Operations Bryan Chartrand told Global News.
To support containment, the SPSA is backfilling its aerial suppression fleet while two provincial waterbombers undergo maintenance and federally regulated inspections. New Brunswick has deployed four 802 skimmer aircraft and one Bird Dog plane to the province, supplemented by a federal Q400 aircraft.
Cameco suspends mining at Cigar Lake
On Wednesday (July 1), uranium producer Cameco (TSX:CCO,NYSE:CCJ) suspended mining operations at its Cigar Lake operation due to a structural failure downstream at Orano’s McClean Lake mill, which processes Cigar Lake’s ore.
The mill’s sulfuric acid plant is currently shut down for repairs. Because Cigar Lake lacks sufficient on-site ore storage, extraction is fully paused until Orano secures an alternative acid supply or finishes repairs.
Cameco anticipates a two week delay and is holding its 2026 production outlook steady, though it warned that a prolonged repair schedule at McClean Lake poses a direct risk to annual output.
The Cigar Lake shutdown marks Cameco’s second major operational disruption in Northern Saskatchewan in recent months, following a production suspension at its Key Lake mill when regional flooding destroyed a critical supply bridge.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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