Uranium miners Orano Canada and Denison Mines have kicked off commercial production using their patented Surface Access Borehole Resource Extraction (SABRE) method at the McClean Lake joint venture (MLJV) in Saskatchewan, marking a return to active mining at the site for the first time since 2008.

The milestone follows the successful recovery of about 250 t of high-grade uranium ore (greater than 10% uranium oxide) from the first SABRE mining cavity at the McClean North deposit.

The ore is now being processed at the McClean Lake mill.

Orano holds a 77.5% interest in the MLJV and is the operator; Denison owns the remaining 22.5%.

“The first commercial production of uranium with the SABRE technique marks a new chapter, allowing us to access and explore new territories,” said Orano Mining president Xavier Saint Martin Tillet.  

SABRE uses high-pressure water jets to excavate ore from underground cavities accessed via surface drill holes, with ore cuttings lifted to surface through air-lift assist. The method is considered less intrusive and more environment friendly than conventional openpit or underground mining, with a reduced surface footprint, lower greenhouse-gas emissions, and minimal water use.

“Our long-term investment in research and development within Orano and the MLJV has culminated in the safe mining, milling and packaging of ore that in the past would have been deemed economically challenging to develop. We are pleased to be actively mining again at McClean Lake and I am so proud of the employees, contractors and partners, who have cohesively brought this mining method and project to life. It truly is an innovative and exciting time to be in the uranium industry," commented Orano Canada president and CEO Jim Corman.

Orano has already backfilled the first cavity and moved the SABRE rig to a second planned mining location. Production is expected to ramp up quickly, a key feature of the method which avoids the years-long development timelines typically associated with uranium mines.

Denison president and CEO David Cates called the restart a major milestone: “The successful commencement of SABRE mining at McClean North marks a significant milestone in the history of the MLJV, as the joint venture returns to active mining operations for the first time since 2008. Orano Canada is a world-class operator that has consistently demonstrated excellence in operation and innovation in Saskatchewan. We congratulate Orano on its leadership, long-term vision, and dedication to the development of the MLJV’s SABRE mining method and ultimately the commercialisation of the technology through the deployment at McClean North.”

SABRE, developed over nearly two decades, is designed to access high-grade but geologically or economically constrained uranium deposits within Canada’s prolific Athabasca basin.