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 to the JV partners is included in “share of earnings from equity-accounted investee” on our consolidated statement of earnings. Excess cash, net of working capital requirements, is distributed to the partners as dividends once declared.
Presently, JV Inkai is experiencing procurement and supply chain issues, most notably, related to the availability of sulfuric acid. JV Inkai’s current production target for 2024 is 8.3 million pounds of U3O8 (100% basis). However, this target is tentative and contingent upon receipt of sufficient volumes of sulfuric acid. Our allocation of the planned production from JV Inkai is currently under discussion.
In addition to the issue of availability of sulfuric acid, achievement of JV Inkai’s 2024 production target requires it to successfully manage several other ongoing risks, including other procurement and supply chain issues, transportation challenges, construction delays and inflationary pressures on its production costs.
The geopolitical situation continues to cause transportation risks in the region. The second shipment containing the remainder of our share of Inkai’s 2023 production arrived in February 2024. We continue to work closely with JV Inkai and our joint venture partner, Kazatomprom, to receive our share of production via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which does not rely on Russian rail lines or ports. We could experience further delays to our expected Inkai deliveries this year if transportation using this shipping route takes longer than anticipated.
To mitigate the risk of production shortfalls or transportation delays, we have inventory, long-term purchase agreements and loan arrangements in place we can draw on.
Depending on cost inflation impacts, actual production volumes and when we receive shipments of our share of Inkai’s 2024 production, our share of earnings from this equity-accounted investee and the timing of the receipt of our share of dividends from the joint venture may be impacted.
TIER-TWO CURTAILED OPERATIONS
US ISR Operations
As a result of our 2016 curtailment decision, commercial production has ceased. As production is suspended, we expect ongoing cash and non-cash care and maintenance costs to range between $12.5 million (US) and $14.5 million (US) for 2024.
Rabbit Lake
Rabbit Lake remains in a safe state of care and maintenance following the suspension of production in 2016. We continue to evaluate opportunities to minimize care and maintenance costs while maintaining critical infrastructure and processes and expect these costs to range between $29 million and $33 million for 2024.
Fuel services 2024 Q1 updates
PORT HOPE CONVERSION SERVICES
CAMECO FUEL MANUFACTURING INC. (CFM)
Production update
Fuel services produced 3.7 million kgU in the first quarter of 2024, 10% lower than the first quarter last year primarily due to temporary operational issues in one of the processing circuits, which have been resolved.
In our fuel services segment, which includes the production of UO2, UF6and heavy water reactor fuel bundles, we expect to produce between 13.5 million and 14.5 million kgU of combined fuel services products in 2024 (outlook and production results are not disclosed by individual product line). This includes increasing annual production at the Port Hope UF6 conversion facility to 12,000 tonnes per year to satisfy our book of long-term commitments and demand for conversion services. However, inflation, the availability of personnel with the necessary skills and experience, aging infrastructure, and the impact of supply chain challenges on the availability of materials and reagents carry with them the risk that we do not achieve our production plans and/or experience production delays and increased costs.
Labour relations
The collective agreement with unionized employees at our fuel manufacturing operations in Port Hope and Cobourg expires in June 2024. There is a risk to the production plan if we are unable to reach an agreement and there is a labour dispute.
2024 FIRST QUARTER REPORT 27