Uranium – Production Overview
Production in our uranium segment in the fourth quarter was 9.6 million pounds, 17% higher compared to the same period in 2014 primarily due to the rampup of production at Cigar Lake. Production for the year was 28.4 million pounds, 22% higher than in 2014. See Uranium – operating properties for more information.
Uranium production
Three months ended December 31 |
Year ended December 31 |
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Cameco share (million lbs) |
2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | 2015 Plan 1 | 2016 Plan |
|
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McArthur River/Key Lake | 3.8 | 4.4 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.7 | 14.0 |
Cigar Lake | 2.3 | 0.2 | 5.7 | 0.2 | 4.0 – 5.0 | 8.0 2 |
Inkai | 1.1 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3 | 3.0 |
Rabbit Lake | 2.0 | 2.1 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.6 |
Smith Ranch-Highland | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
Crow Butte | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
Total | 9.6 | 8.2 | 28.4 | 23.3 | 26.3 – 27.3 | 30.0 2 |
Production outlook
We remain focused on taking advantage of the long-term growth we see coming in our industry, while maintaining the ability to respond to market conditions as they evolve. Our strategy is to focus on our tier-one assets and profitably produce at a pace aligned with market signals in order to increase long-term shareholder value.
We plan to:
- ensure continued safe, reliable, low-cost production from our tier-one assets – McArthur River/Key Lake, Cigar Lake and Inkai
- complete rampup of production at Cigar Lake
- seek to expand production at McArthur River/Key Lake in conjunction with market signals
- manage the rest of our sources of supply in a manner that retains the flexibility to respond to market signals and take advantage of value adding opportunities within our own portfolio and the uranium market
- maintain our low-cost advantage by focusing on execution and operational excellence