We will continue to respond to potential future COVID-19 cases in accordance with our plans and established protocols, which are consistent with the guidelines of the relevant public health authorities. We do not currently expect any impact on the Cigar Lake operation and continue to target our share of 2020 production to be up to 5.3 million pounds in total. The continued operation will be dependent on our ability to maintain safe and stable operating protocols along with a number of other factors, including how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the availability of the required workforce, northern Saskatchewan communities and the ability of the McClean Lake mill to continue to operate.
We also have experienced delays and deferrals in project work, including lower capital expenditures, which introduces potential risk to the production rate in 2021 and 2022.
Our share of the cash and non-cash costs while Cigar Lake was on care and maintenance totaled about $46 million ($18 million in the third quarter), including our contribution to the care and maintenance costs at McClean Lake.
Inkai
Production on a 100% basis was 1.6 million pounds for the quarter and 5.1 million pounds for the first nine months of the year, compared to 2.3 million pounds and 6 million pounds in the same periods last year. The decrease in production for both periods is due to the impact of the reduction in operational activities introduced to manage the risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On April 7, 2020, Kazatomprom announced a reduction to operational activities across all uranium mines in Kazakhstan for an expected period of three months due to the risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It indicated that its decision would result in a lower level of wellfield development activity and, as a result, an estimated reduction of up to 17.5% in total planned uranium production in Kazakhstan for 2020. On July 6, 2020, Kazatomprom announced a one-month extension of the period of reduced operational activities with the impact on its revised production plan for 2020 expected to be immaterial. In August 2020, the previously reduced operational activities, including wellfield development resumed at JV Inkai. Based on an adjustment to the 2016 JV Inkai restructuring agreement, we are entitled to purchase 59.4% of the operation’s planned production in 2020 and 2021.
Given the ongoing uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan, we will not be providing outlook for our expected purchases of Inkai’s planned production.
Due to equity accounting, our share of production is shown as a purchase at a discount to the spot price and included in inventory at this value at the time of delivery. Our share of the profits earned by JV Inkai on the sale of its production is included in “share of earnings from equity-accounted investee” on our consolidated statement of earnings.
TIER-TWO CURTAILED OPERATIONS
US ISR Operations
As a result of our 2016 curtailment decision, commercial production has ceased. As long as production is suspended, we expect ongoing cash and non-cash care and maintenance costs to range between $17 million (US) and $19 million (US) for 2020.
Rabbit Lake
Rabbit Lake continues in a safe state of care and maintenance. As a result, there was no production in the third quarter of 2020. While in standby, we continue to evaluate our options at Rabbit Lake in order to minimize care and maintenance costs. We expect ongoing care and maintenance costs to range between $30 million and $35 million annually.
Fuel services 2020 Q3 updates
PORT HOPE CONVERSION SERVICES
CAMECO FUEL MANUFACTURING INC. (CFM)
Production update
Fuel services produced 2.0 million kgU in the third quarter, 18% higher than the same period last year as a result of an adjustment to the production schedule and changes to the timing of the planned maintenance outages in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first nine months, production was 10% lower than for the same period last year, due to the impact of the temporary suspension of production in April resulting from the precautionary measures taken for the COVID-19 pandemic.
24 CAMECO CORPORATION