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The French Orono’s sources said it has been told to leave the Imouraren mine in northern Niger, which has an estimated 200,000 tonnes of uranium. The rare earth is vital for producing nuclear energy.
Niger’s military government has revoked the operating licence of French nuclear fuel producer, Orano, at one of the world’s biggest uranium mines. This hard decision reflects the ongoing tension between the ruling military junta in Nigeria and the former colonial power, France.
The French Orono’s sources said it has been told to leave the Imouraren mine in northern Niger, which has an estimated 200,000 tonnes of uranium. The rare earth is vital for producing nuclear energy.
Mining was due to have started at the site in 2015. However, development was halted after the collapse in world uranium prices in the wake of the 2011 Japanese nuclear disaster. Niger had warned the licence would lapse on 19 June unless work resumed at the site.
The decision by the Nigerien junta comes despite the resumption of activities on site, under the expectations they had expressed, Orano sources said in a statement. The military sources, on the other hand, maintained that Orano’s exploitation plan “did not meet our expectations. As a result, the mine has been “returned to the public domain” and exempted from all contractual rights, the letter said.
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Orano, which has been operating in Niger for over 50 years, said it was willing to keep all channels of communication open with the military authorities. It further said that it would consider taking legal action against the withdrawal of the operating licence in a national or international court.
