The Nunavut Impact Review Board in Canadian has rejected French nuclear energy company Areva’s proposal to build $2.1bn uranium mine in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut.
The government advisory board in the northern Canadian territory claimed that the environmental and social impact of the Kiggavik project could not be evaluated as the it lacked a proper start date and development schedule.
Kiggavik project include a underground and four open-pit mines in the west of Baker Lake.
Nunavut Impact Review Board has submitted its final report including recommendations, to the federal Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and responsible ministers for review.
However, Areva highlighted that due to the fall in price of uranium the project would have taken up to 20 years before construction work would have begun.
Areva said: "We do not want this proposal approved but still hanging over our heads for decades to come, not knowing what the future of our community will be.
"We would be sitting and waiting for decades totally powerless to control our own future.
"This would not be right … The company can return when they have a start date, when they are serious about getting this project off the ground. Then we can talk about it."