Cameco Fuel Services

Cameco Fuel Services
A world leader in uranium processing
Blind River
Port Hope
Springfields Fuels Ltd.
Cameco is a major supplier of uranium processing services required
to produce fuel for the generation of clean electricity. Through our
Canadian refining and conversion operations, and a toll-processing
agreement with Springfields Fuels Ltd., in the United Kingdom,
Cameco is the world’s largest conversion supplier, controlling about
25% of the world conversion capacity. We are the world’s only
commercial supplier of natural UO2 and provide fuel bundles,
reactor components and monitoring equipment used by CANDU
reactors. The products of Cameco’s refining, conversion and fuel
manufacturing operations are used exclusively for the generation of
electricity by nuclear power plants.
Growth Strategy
Cameco is pursuing a strategy to build upon
our competitive advantage in nuclear fuel
services. We are working to maintain our
position as a low-cost producer, expand our
market position and maintain supply flexibility.
We are now a leading conversion supplier to
the world and participate in all stages of the
fuel cycle for Canada’s reactor fleet. We mine,
refine and convert uranium, manufacture
reactor-ready fuel and reactor component parts
and generate electricity through our 31.6%
interest in the Bruce Power Limited Partnership.
In the future, we intend to expand or build new
production capacity in fuel processing. With
prospects for nuclear energy improving globally,
Cameco is well positioned for continued growth.
Cameco is one of the world’s largest uranium producers.
AUGUS T 2013
Fuel Services Operations
Fuelling clean electricity generation
Refining
Conversion
Blind River, Ontario
Port Hope, Ontario
Cameco’s Blind River operation is the world’s largest uranium
refinery. The plant processes uranium concentrate from mines
around the world, including Canada, the US and Australia
to produce a high-purity uranium trioxide (UO3) powder.
This product is shipped to Cameco’s Port Hope conversion facility
as well as other conversion facilities in the US and Europe
for further processing.
Cameco’s Port Hope facility converts refined UO3 to new chemical
forms needed to produce fuel for electricity generation. The plant
uses separate processes to produce natural uranium dioxide
(UO2) to fuel Canadian-designed CANDU reactors and uranium
hexafluoride (UF6) to feed enrichment plants in the US and
Europe that produce the fuel for light water reactors.
Blind River is the world’s largest capacity uranium refinery.
Uranium processed at Port Hope fuels Canada’s entire reactor fleet.
Location Blind River, Ontario
Location Port Hope, Ontario
Ownership 100% owned and operated by Cameco
Ownership 100% owned and operated by Cameco
Licensed Capacity 24 million kgU as UO3 per year
Employment About 150 people
Licensed Capacity U
F6 – 12.5 million kgU per year
UO2 – 2.8 million kgU per year
2012 Production 13.1 million kgU as UO3
2012 Conversion & Fuel Manufacturing Production 14.2 million kgU*
Port Hope is also the base for Cameco’s technology group research
centre, which is engaged in research to maintain Cameco’s position
as a leading supplier of uranium concentrates, refining and
conversion services.
Employment About 390 people
* Figure includes combined Port Hope UF6 and UO2, Springfields UF6 and Cameco Fuel Man
Fuel Manufacturing
Preston, Lancashire, UK
Port Hope/Cobourg, Ontario
Cameco has secured most of the production capacity of the
Springfields conversion facility in the United Kingdom through
a 10-year toll-processing agreement. Constructed in 1993, the
Springfields plant is the world’s newest conversion facility.
The agreement allows Cameco to increase uranium hexafluoride
(UF6) sales and utilize excess capacity at its Blind River refinery
in Ontario. Under the agreement, Springfields Fuels Ltd. can process
up to 5 million kgU of uranium trioxide (UO3) from Blind River
to UF6. Cameco markets UF6 from Springfields to its customers
around the world.
Cameco manufactures fuel bundles for CANDU reactors at a plant
in Port Hope, Ontario. Uranium from the Port Hope conversion
facility is pressed into pellets, sintered, ground and fitted into
zirconium tubes. The tubes are then sealed and assembled into
fuel bundles ready for insertion in CANDU reactors. The zirconium
tubes are supplied by a Cameco plant at nearby Cobourg, Ontario
that also constructs components for nuclear reactors and speciality
alloy products for a variety of applications.
Springfields is the world’s most modern conversion facility.
Cameco is one of two Canadian reactor fuel manufacturers.
Location Preston, Lancashire, UK
Location Port Hope/Cobourg, Ontario
Ownership C
ameco controls the production capacity of the plant
through a 10-year toll-processing agreement (2006-2016)
Ownership 100% owned and operated by Cameco
Licensed Capacity 6 million kgU as UF6 per year
Employment About 270 people
nufacturing fuel bundles.
Licensed Capacity 1.2 million kgU as UO2 as finished bundles
1
Cameco mines and mills uranium at its operations in
Canada, the US and Kazakhstan. Uranium is packaged
in steel drums and shipped to Cameco’s refinery at
Blind River, Ontario.
2
The Blind River refinery processes uranium from mines
around the world. The refining process removes
impurities and changes the chemical form to uranium
trioxide (UO3), a stable compound that can be shipped
safely to other sites for further processing. The majority
of Blind River’s production is shipped to Cameco’s Port
Hope conversion facility and to Springfields Fuels Ltd.
in the United Kingdom for conversion.
3
The Springfields conversion facility processes UO3
from Cameco’s Blind River refinery to produce uranium
hexafluoride (UF6), the feedstock for enrichment plants
that prepare uranium for use as fuel in light water
reactors. UF6 produced at Springfields is shipped
to other plants in Europe for enrichment.
4
Cameco’s Port Hope facilities convert UO3 to natural
uranium dioxide (UO2) – the fuel for Canadian nuclear
power plants – as well as UF6. UO2 from Port Hope
is shipped in steel drums to fuel manufacturers who
prepare reactor-ready fuel bundles. UF6 is shipped
in special transport cylinders to enrichment plants
in the US and Europe.
5
UO2 from the Port Hope conversion facility is packaged
into reactor-ready fuel bundles in a separate plant in
Port Hope.
Electricity
Generation
Sustainable Development
We want to bring the multiple benefits of clean, safe, reliable
nuclear energy to the world, and are committed to delivering
our products responsibly.
Our goal is to be recognized globally as a leader in corporate social
responsibility by proactively addressing the social, environmental
and financial aspects of our business. We use four categories to define
our objectives and assess our results:
A Safe, Healthy and Rewarding Workplace
In the mining and nuclear industries, the safety of workers and members
of the public is paramount at every stage of operations – from exploration,
development and operation, to decommissioning and reclamation.
A Clean Environment
Cameco operates its business with respect and care for the local
and global environment. We strive to be a leader in environmental
best practices and performance by complying with regulatory
requirements, and moving beyond them where possible.
Supportive Communities
Cameco needs the trust and support of communities, indigenous
people, governments and regulators. It is essential to our operations
and we earn it by being a good corporate citizen. We build and sustain
the trust of our local communities through a focused corporate social
responsibility strategy that includes five key elements: workforce
and business development, community engagement and investment,
and environmental stewardship.
Outstanding Financial Performance
Long-term financial stability and profitability are essential
to our sustainability as a company, and to the support we can bring
to the communities we operate in. We also firmly believe that sound
governance is the foundation for strong corporate performance.
For more information about Cameco’s sustainable development
activities, please visit our website at
http://www.cameco.com/responsibility/sustainable_development
Fuel Services Division
205 Peter Street
Port Hope, ON
Canada
L1A 3V6
Phone: 905-885-1129
Fax: 905-885-0162
cameco.com
13-166-025