Cameco’s uranium disruption has shifted from an unknown access problem to a month-end infrastructure test after Saskatchewan moved to install a temporary replacement for the collapsed Smoothstone River Bridge.
CKOM reported that Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Highways has brought in a contractor to build a temporary crossing over the river, after the bridge failed during widespread spring flooding. Emergency work reportedly began Monday, with completion targeted by the end of May.
The crossing remains closed while the temporary structure is being installed, according to CKOM’s report.
Cameco said the failed bridge is on the main supply path for its McArthur River and Key Lake sites. The company also said restrictions on another road are limiting its ability to use a backup route, even though its northern Saskatchewan sites have not been directly hit by flood waters.
That has already forced an operating response. Cameco has idled production work at the Key Lake mill and scaled back activity at the McArthur River mine while it waits for critical materials to move into the sites again. The company said it is in contact with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways as it works to reduce the operational hit from the delivery interruption.
The new repair timeline narrows one of the biggest uncertainties in Cameco’s May 10 update as it had said the timing for a return to regular deliveries was unknown.
The production exposure is concentrated at McArthur River and Key Lake, which Cameco describes as the world’s largest high-grade uranium mine and mill. Cameco expects the operation to produce 14.0 million to 16.5 million pounds in 2026 on a 100% basis, including 10.0 million to 11.5 million pounds attributable to the company.
For now, Cameco has not revised its company-wide production plan. Cigar Lake remains outside the slowdown disclosed at McArthur River and Key Lake, and Cameco’s Q1 update continued to forecast 19.5 million to 21.5 million pounds of attributable U3O8 production from its uranium segment in 2026.
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