Port Hope resumes UF6 production

01 October 2008

Uranium hexafluoride (UF₆) production has been restarted at Port Hope, where operations had been suspended since July 2007. Cameco, which owns the plant, has announced that it has resumed production. Operations were voluntarily halted at the uranium conversion facility when production chemcials were discovered underneath plant buildings, but operations at an adjacent plant where uranium dioxide (UO₂) is produced were not affected. Cameco has stated that the issues surrounding the leak have been resolved, and assured the Port Hope Municipal Council that there have been extensive repairs and improvements, as well as stringent ground water control measures, all of which are intended to prevent any further leaks. No chemicals had escaped beyond the plant boundaries. Cameco is now able to continue to produce UF₆ at a reduced rate for approximately a month following the termination of contract by their sole supplier of hydrofluoric acid (HF), a necessary chemical for the production of UF₆. Cameco said the company has offered to resupply at a "significantly increased rate" and the two firms are currently "working to resolve the matter." Cameco is seeking an alternative supply, although HF supply on a spot basis is not readily available or deliverable without pre-approved transportation plans. Cameco is engaged in discussions with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and other stakeholders regarding its plans to remediate the entire Port Hope site, which has been an industrial base for many years.

 

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