CNSC amends Cameco Corporation’s Beaverlodge waste facility operating licence

December 19, 2019 – Ottawa

Today, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) announced its decision to amend the waste facility operating licence held by Cameco Corporation (Cameco) for its decommissioned Beaverlodge mine and mill site located near Uranium City, Saskatchewan. The decision follows a public hearing held on October 2, 2019, in Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba. The amended licence allows for the removal of 20 Beaverlodge properties from licensing under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA) and remains valid until May 31, 2023.

One of the 20 Beaverlodge properties meets regulatory requirements and will be released from licensing with no additional regulatory oversight. Cameco intends to transfer the remaining 19 properties into the Saskatchewan Institutional Control Program (ICP), which requires the Province of Saskatchewan to be exempted from licensing under the NSCA for those properties. Therefore, as part of its decision in this matter, the Commission also exempted the Province of Saskatchewan from licensing for those 19 properties, enabling their acceptance into the ICP.

Taking into account the ICP’s framework, the Commission is satisfied that the Beaverlodge properties transferred into the program will remain safe.

In making these decisions, the Commission considered submissions from Cameco and 10 intervenors, as well as CNSC staff’s recommendations. The Commission made participant funding available through the CNSC’s Participant Funding Program, and invited interventions from Indigenous peoples, members of the public and other stakeholders. Three requesters received participant funding to assist with interventions.

The record of decision is available on request to the Commission Secretariat. It will be posted in both official languages on the CNSC website at nuclearsafety.gc.ca at a later date. Hearing transcripts can be obtained on the CNSC website or by contacting the CNSC. The hearing webcast is available on the same site.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission regulates the use of nuclear energy and materials to protect health, safety, security and the environment; to implement Canada’s international commitments on the peaceful use of nuclear energy; and to disseminate objective scientific, technical and regulatory information to the public.