Cameco gets license for Saskatchewan Cigar Lake uranium mine

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission issued a uranium mining license today to Cameco to build and operate its Cigar Lake project in northern Saskatchewan. The license is valid from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2021. In its application, Cameco sought authorization to complete the final stages of commissioning at the facility, transition to operations, and commence shipping uranium ore slurry for further processing.

CanWEA releases WindVision 2025: A Strategy for Alberta

In the report, CanWEA has identified two complementary policies that, if implemented together, have the potential to allow the industry to overcome barriers:

1. Clean Electricity Standard: to impose a maximum greenhouse gas emissions-intensity level, measured in tonnes CO2e/MWh, on electricity sold by retailers in the province.
2. Increase in carbon price: a second supplementary measure is an increase in the $15/tonne carbon price imposed on large emitters under Alberta’s existing Specified Gas Emitters Regulation (SGER). Saskatchewan has similar regulations with a similar target carbon price.

When it comes to benefits, the impact of developing the province’s wind energy resource is substantial. From an environmental perspective, every 150 MW wind farm built in Alberta:

- Reduces Alberta’s GHG emissions by 300,000 tonnes a year;
- Reduces water consumption by 480 million litres a year, relative to natural gas generation.
Wind energy development pays significant economic dividends as well. Every 150 MW of new capacity represents:

- $316 million in investment;
- 140 full-time equivalent jobs in construction;
- 10 permanent jobs in operations and maintenance;
- $17 million in lease payments to landowners over 20 years;
- $31 million in property tax payments to municipalities over 20 years. 
Download a copy of WindVision 2025: A Strategy for Alberta here.