Regulatory review status for the Rook I project

The Commission has issued a licence to NexGen Energy Ltd. (NexGen) authorizing it to prepare a site for and construct a uranium mine. The mine will be located on the Patterson Lake peninsula, in the southwestern Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan, approximately 155 km north of the town of La Loche.

The licence, valid until March 31, 2036, does not authorize operation of the facility to be constructed. Authorization to operate the facility would be subject to a future Commission licensing hearing and decision should NexGen come forward with a relevant licence application.

An environmental assessment (EA) for this project was completed under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. The Commission concluded that the project was not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects considering the proposed mitigation measures and follow-up monitoring measures.

Environmental assessment start date: May 2, 2019
Reference number: 80171

Timeline

Application submitted
February 14, 2019	NexGen submits licence application and CNSC starts review of the application
Assessments
May 2, 2019	Notice of commencement of the EA
May 2, 2019	Public comments invited on project description
February 2020	Commission hearing on the scope of the EA
February 20, 2020	Record of decision on the scope of the EA
May 25, 2020	Notice of participant funding offering
June 13, 2022	NexGen submits draft environmental impact statement (EIS) and licensing documentation
July 14 – October 12, 2022	CNSC and federal Indigenous technical review of draft EIS and licensing documentation
July 14 – October 12, 2022	Public comments invited on draft EIS
September 13, 2022 (tentative)	CNSC webinar – CNSC regulatory review process
November 10, 2022	The CNSC completes initial review of draft EIS
November 18, 2022	The Federal Indigenous Review Team (FIRT) completes a technical review and deems draft environmental impact statement (EIS) incomplete
September 5, 2023	NexGen submits responses to information requests (IRs)
October 13, 2023	CNSC staff conduct a completeness check and deem responses to IRs insufficient
October 31, 2023	NexGen resubmits responses to IRs
November 15, 2023	CNSC staff conduct a completeness check and determine that adequate information was provided
November 14, 2023 – February 12, 2024	The FIRT completes technical review of revised draft EIS
May 22, 2024	NexGen resubmits revised draft EIS
June 20, 2024	CNSC staff conduct a completeness check and determine that adequate information was provided
June 21 – September 20, 2024	The FIRT undertakes a technical review of the revised draft EIS
November 19, 2024	The FIRT completes its technical review and all IR responses are deemed as accepted
November 29, 2024	NexGen submits final EIS
November 29, 2024 – January 28, 2025	CNSC staff undertake a review of the final EIS package
January 28, 2025	CNSC staff complete review of final EIS package and deem final EIS acceptable
October 10, 2025	CNSC staff licensing Commission member document and EA report available for public review
January 9, 2026	Public intervention deadline
Public hearing
November 19, 2025	Part 1 of the 2-part public hearing on the Rook I Project
February 9–12, 2026	Part 2 of the 2-part public hearing on the Rook I Project
Commission decisions
February 20, 2020	Record of decision on the scope of the EA
March 4, 2026	Commission issues a licence to NexGen Energy Ltd. authorizing site preparation and construction of its Rook I Project
Licence issued
March 4, 2026	Site preparation and construction licence
Compliance activities
December 12, 2024	Administrative monetary penalty issued to NexGen Energy Ltd.

Contact

For general CNSC updates, subscribe to the CNSC’s mailing list. For information directly related to this project, please contact:

Environmental Assessment Division
Email: ea-ee@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca
Telephone: 613-995-7948 or 1-800-668-5284
Fax: 613-995-5086
Mailing address: Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
P. O. Box 1046, Station B
Ottawa ON  K1P 5S9