Niger withdraws uranium deposit from French company Orano

The operating permit for the Imouraren uranium deposit has been withdrawn from the French company Orano (formerly Areva), and the site has now returned to the State’s public domain, the Nigerien government confirmed on Monday (24 June).

Initially, exploitation work on the deposit was to begin in 2011, with production planned for 2012.

Despite receiving multiple postponements and formal notices from the Ministry of Mines on 11 February 2022 and 19th March 2024, Imouraren SA has consistently failed to meet its commitments.

As a result, Niger has decided to revoke the Imouraren permit under Articles 59 and 61 of Ordinance No. 93-16 dated 2nd March 1993, which pertains to the mining law.

Consequently, the Imouraren area now reverts to the public domain of the State, as announced by the council of ministers.

Niger had already revoked the mining license for this critical deposit in Orano after issuing an ultimatum to the company.

On Thursday, 20 June, Orano declared that it had noted the Nigerien authorities’ decision to withdraw its subsidiary Imouraren SA’s permit to exploit the deposit.

Located in northern Niger, Imouraren is one of the largest uranium deposits in the world, with reserves estimated at 200,000 tonnes.