A test project out of a mine in northern Saskatchewan was a success says the mine’s operators.
For the past five years, Orano Canada and Denison Mines Corp have been deploying the Surface Access Borehole Resource Extraction (SABRE) method to mine for uranium at the McClean Lake operation west of Wollaston Lake.
Orano and Denison describe SABRE as a surface-based mining process that uses a high-pressure water jet at the bottom of a drill hole to extract the ore.
The test of the SABRE method officially ended this past September and the companies say there were no safety incidents during operations and around 1500 tonnes of uranium ore was extracted.
This ore will now be processed at the McClean Lake Mill.
“The SABRE mining method is the result of long-term R&D and involves a mix of different equipment, technology and expertise,” said Orano President and CEO Jim Corman in a media release sent out Wednesday afternoon. “I’m proud of the work this operational team of drillers, mechanics and engineers completed this summer as they showed how agile this method can truly be.”
Based on the results of the five-year test, the two McClean Lake operating companies say they will be exploring other ways to use the SABRE mining method at some of their other properties in the north.
Orano and Denison are joint partners in the McClean Lake operation with Orano owning just over 77.5 % of the operation.
(PHOTO: Aerial footage of the McClean Lake mill. File Photo)