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The government of Niger and French nuclear firm- Orano – signed a deal to extend the operational life of the country’s sole uranium mine. The Somair mine in northern Niger could carry on working until 2040, 11 years beyond its currently expected closure. There will also be an effort toward arriving at new licensing arrangements and cost reduction in particular.
Orano is the restructured successor to the state-owned Areva, which began uranium mining in the former French colony around 50 years ago. The mine extracts raw materials intended mainly for France’s nuclear industry. One of the company’s mines, Cominak, closed in 2021.
The deal concerning Somair includes a pledge by Orano to inject 26 billion CFA francs (US$44 million) into education and other priority sectors in Niger. The two sides agreed to postpone the start of mining at the northern site of Imouraren, which has estimated deposits of 200,000 tonnes of uranium –among the biggest in the world.
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Operations should have started there in 2015. It was put on hold after the world price for uranium collapsed following the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. The partners were looking roughly at “a horizon of 10 years for determining the feasibility of starting up mining at the site.
