French nuclear fuel firm Orano announced it is halting its uranium production in Niger from 31 October, citing a “highly deteriorated” situation and its inability to operate.
The Nigerien government, whose leader Abdourahamane Tiani seized power in a July 2023 coup, has previously made clear it would overhaul rules regulating the mining of raw materials by foreign companies.
Orano-owned mining subsidiary Somair’s worsening financial difficulties have “compelled the company to suspend its operations”, in the Artlit region of north Niger where Orano has operated since 1971, the French group’s Paris spokeswoman said.
Earlier this year, Orano said the coup in Niger led to a halt in imports of critical materials necessary for uranium exploitation in Orano’s Somair mine, such as soda ash, carbonate, nitrates and sulphur.
According to Orano, Somair is the only uranium mine in operation in Niger.
The nation’s military rulers have turned their backs on Paris, ordering French troops deployed there to leave and instead forging ties with fellow juntas in Burkina Faso and Mali – as well as Iran and Russia.
Niger’s position as the world’s seventh-largest uranium producer plays an important role in the shifting relations.
The production of uranium concentrate will cease from 31 October as Orano was unable to export the commodity, in part due to landlocked Niger’s closed border with coastal Benin, the firm said.
Despite all the efforts deployed with the military regime to try and resolve the situation and obtain export licenses, “all of our proposals were left unanswered”, said the spokeswoman.
“Maintenance will continue but there will be no more production,” she added.
In June, Niger’s junta revoked the operating licence of Orano’s at the Imouraren mine, which sits on one of the biggest uranium deposits in the world, but where mining had been paused.
Then, in July, Canada-based GoviEx Uranium said the junta had withdrawn its licence for the Madaouela uranium mine, dealing a major blow to the development of one of the world’s largest uranium projects.
Canada-based uranium company Global Atomic said in August it had received a letter from the government of Niger in which Tiani and the council of ministers confirmed support for the company and development of its Dasa uranium project.
The company said was continuing to develop the Dasa Project and expected to be bringing the mine and the processing plant into production at the end of 2025 for delivery of yellowcake to utilities in the US and other countries in early 2026.
