Rook I Project
NexGen Energy Ltd. (NexGen) is proposing to develop an underground uranium mine on the Patterson Lake peninsula in the southwestern Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan, approximately 155 km north of the town of LaLoche, SK. The proposed Rook l mine would produce up to 14 million kg of U3O8 annually for twenty-four years.
Under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, NexGen's proposal requires approval and licensing by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). An environmental assessment (EA) conducted under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 is required, and an EA decision affirming that the proposed activities will not cause significant adverse environmental effects, before the CNSC can make a licensing decision on this proposal.
This project is also subject to the environmental assessment requirements of the Government of Saskatchewan.
Latest update
The next phase of technical review by the Federal Indigenous Review Team (FIRT) will run from June 21, 2024 to September 20, 2024. Subject Matter experts will review the responses to IRs provided by NexGen, which includes the following documents:
- Rook l Project Revised Draft EIS (May 2024)
- Rook l Project Draft EIS FIRT Annex 1 – Information Request Responses (May 2024)
- Rook l Project Draft EIS FIRT Annex 2 – Advice to Proponent Responses – (May 22, 2024)
- Rook l Project Commitments Table (May 2024)
February 16, 2024: The federal and Indigenous review team (FIRT) has completed their technical review of the responses to information requests (IRs) submitted by NexGen Energy Ltd. (NexGen) and has found that the information provided does not fully address the regulatory requirements for the environmental assessment (EA). To date, the FIRT technical review of NexGen’s responses to the 274 IRs has resulted in 171 accepted IRs and 103 IRs that are not accepted.
Additional information in the advice to proponent table contains guidance and advice that NexGen should take into consideration when responding to IRs and when revising the draft EIS.
The following documents have been posted:
- Annex 1 - Federal and Indigenous Review Team, Rook l Project – Information Requests, February 12, 2024
- Annex 2 - Federal and Indigenous Review Team, Rook l Project - Advice to Proponent, February 12, 2024
CNSC staff expect NexGen to submit complete revised responses to all outstanding and new IRs as well as advice to the proponent, along with a revised EIS and supporting documentation. NexGen’s responses may be reviewed several times to ensure the responses meet requirements. Once the revised draft EIS meets regulatory requirements, CNSC staff will proceed with developing an EA report.
November 15, 2023 - On October 31, 2023, NexGen Energy Ltd. (NexGen) re-submitted responses to the Federal Indigenous Review Team's information requests (IRs) for the proposed Rook l Project to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). CNSC staff conducted a completeness check and determined that outstanding IRs have passed completeness and supporting submissions are adequate to proceed to the EIS Technical Review. More information can be found in the November 14 letter to NexGen, and in the completeness check table.
The next phase of technical review by the Federal Indigenous Review Team will run from November 14, 2023 to February 12, 2024. Subject Matter experts will review the responses to IRs provided to NexGen in November 2022, which includes the following documents:
- Rook l Project FIRT Annex 1 – Information Request Responses (October 2023)
- Summary of Indigenous Group Engagement Activities – Interim Update (August 2023)
- Annex 2 Responses: Federal Indigenous Review Team Advice to Proponent
October 13, 2023 - On September 5, 2023, NexGen Energy Ltd. (NexGen) submitted responses to Federal Indigenous Review Team information requests for the proposed Rook l Project to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). CNSC staff conducted a completeness check and determined that insufficient information was provided in order to proceed with a technical review. NexGen is expected to provide additional information and resubmit responses to IRs and supporting documents at a later date. More information can be found in the October 5, 2023 letter to NexGen, and completeness check table.
November 18, 2022 - The Federal Indigenous Review Team has completed a technical review of NexGen Energy Ltd’s draft environmental impact statement (EIS) submission and has found that the information provided does not fully address the regulatory requirements for the environmental assessment (EA). The technical review resulted in 271 information requests (IRs), found in Annex 1, as well as 40 Advice to Proponent comments, found in Annex 2. CNSC staff expects NexGen to submit complete responses to all IRs and Advice to Proponent comments and to re-submit a revised EIS.
July 14, 2022 - The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) is seeking comments during a 90-day public comment period on the draft environmental impact statement (EIS), for the proposed Rook l Project submitted by the proponent, NexGen Energy Ltd (NexGen). The draft EIS and supporting documents can be accessed by visiting the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry for the Rook l Project.
The draft EIS provides an analysis of the project’s potential environmental effects and measures to mitigate those potential impacts.
The public comment period gives Indigenous nations and communities, members of the public, and government departments and agencies an opportunity to submit their views in writing to the CNSC on the adequacy of the information presented in the EIS, as measured against the Generic Guidelines for the Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (the Guidelines), and on the technical merit of the information presented. The Guidelines provide direction to the proponent and identify the information that is required in the EIS.
Written comments must be submitted by October 12, 2022 to:
Nicole Frigault
Environmental Assessment Specialist
Email: rook1@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca
All comments on the draft EIS will be posted on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry in the language in which they were received.
June 16, 2022 - On June 13, 2022, NexGen Energy Ltd. submitted a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed Rook I Project to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). CNSC staff are currently conducting a 30-day conformity review to ensure that sufficient information has been submitted in accordance with the CNSC Generic Guidelines for the Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement. If the draft EIS is deemed sufficient, a 90-day technical and public review will commence in July 2022..
Participate
Key documents
Document Number | Document Title | File | Date |
---|---|---|---|
113 | NexGen Rook I Completeness Check: Review of NexGen Responses to Information Requests and Supporting Documents Received May 22, 2024 | PDF (730 KB) | June 20, 2024 |
112 | Outcome of CNSC Staff Completeness Check of the May 22, 2024 Responses to Federal-Indigenous Review Team Information Requests for the Rook I Project | PDF (237 KB) | June 20, 2024 |
115 | Annex 2 Responses: Federal Indigenous Review Team Advice to Proponent - Round 2 | PDF (508 KB) | May 22, 2024 |
114 | Annex 1 Responses: Federal Indigenous Review Team Information Request - Round 2 | PDF (6.5 MB) | May 22, 2024 |
116 | Rook I Project - Federal Commitments Report | PDF (707 KB) | April 1, 2024 |
94 | April 2024 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Rook I Project | PDF (396.4 MB) | April 1, 2024 |
90 | NexGen Rook l Completeness Check: Review of NexGen Responses to Information Requests (IRs) and Supporting Documents Received Oct 31, 2023 | PDF (717 KB) | November 14, 2023 |
88 | Outcome of CNSC Staff Completeness Check of the October 31, 2023, Responses to the Federal-Indigenous Review Team (FIRT) Information Requests for the Rook I Project | PDF (231 KB) | November 14, 2023 |
91 | Annex 2 Responses: Federal Indigenous Review Team Advice to Proponent | PDF (434 KB) | October 31, 2023 |
89 | Summary of Indigenous Group Engagement Activities - Interim Update (August 2023) | PDF (1.5 MB) | October 31, 2023 |
87 | Rook l Project FIRT Annex 1 - Information Request Responses (October 2023) | PDF (28.8 MB) | October 31, 2023 |
84 | NexGen Table : Public and Indigenous nations and communities comments on the draft environmental impact statement (EIS), for the proposed Rook l Project (Note: Comments in this table are in the official language chosen by the commenter) | PDF (2.6 MB) | March 22, 2023 |
83 | CNSC Table: Public and Indigenous nations and communities comments on the draft environmental impact statement (EIS), for the proposed Rook l Project (Note: Comments in this table are in the official language chosen by the commenter) | PDF (353 KB) | March 22, 2023 |
80 | Annex 2 - FIRT Advice to Proponent for NexGen Rook I Draft EIS | PDF (163 KB) | November 16, 2022 |
79 | Annex 1 - Information Requests for the Rook I draft EIS | PDF (1.1 MB) | November 16, 2022 |
78 | Cover Letter - CNSC to NexGen Results of the Federal Indigenous Technical Review of the Rook I Draft EIS | PDF (142 KB) | November 16, 2022 |
19 | Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Rook I Project | PDF (303.9 MB) | June 13, 2022 |
18 | Master Executive Summary - Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Rook I Project | PDF (25.8 MB) | June 13, 2022 |
Contacts
Canadian Nuclear Safety CommissionNicole Frigault, Environmental Review Specialist
280 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5S9
Telephone: 343-542-7657 or 1-800-668-5284
Email: rook1@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca
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Location
- Patterson Lake (Saskatchewan)
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Nature of Activity
- Nuclear Energy
- Mines and Minerals
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Assessment Status
In progress -
Start Date
2019-05-02 -
Proponent
NexGen Energy Ltd. -
Authorities
- Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
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Assessment Type
Environmental assessment under CEAA 2012 -
Reference Number
80171
Disclaimer
This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.
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