French nuclear fuel group Orano has issued an alarming assessment of the future of its Nigerian subsidiary Soma\u00efr, whose uranium production site has been shut down for months. During the publication of its annual results on Wednesday, the company estimated that restarting the mine, located in northern Niger, would take \"a very long time\" and could require \"almost two years\", according to its CEO, Nicolas Maes.<\/p>\n
This situation stems from a power struggle with the military junta in power in Niamey since the coup d'\u00e9tat in July 2023. At the end of 2024, Orano took note of the loss of operational control of its three mining subsidiaries in Niger - Soma\u00efr (63.5%), Cominak (69%) and Imouraren (63.5%) - and removed them from its consolidated accounts with effect from 1 December. The Group points to \"interference by the Nigerien authorities in the governance and control of operations\" as the main cause of this crisis.<\/p>\n
Soma\u00efr, the only site still active before it was shut down, comprises a mine and a uranium concentrate production plant, operated by Orano since 1971. But today, the subsidiary is \"virtually bankrupt\" and \"no longer has any income\" to cover the salaries of its 780 employees or pay its suppliers, explained Nicolas Maes during a discussion with journalists on Tuesday. Around 1,300 tonnes of uranium concentrate, with an estimated market value of \u20ac250 million, remain blocked on site, as the authorities refuse to lift the export ban.<\/p>\n
\"There has been no channel of communication with the authorities since the coup d'\u00e9tat, and there has been a systematic refusal of dialogue\", deplored the CEO, describing the situation as a \"human and financial tragedy\". With around twenty years' worth of reserves still exploitable, Soma\u00efr could nevertheless resume its activities, but only \"if the conditions are right\", he added.<\/p>\n
Niger's military regime, which has made regaining sovereignty over national resources a priority, has stepped up measures against foreign operators. In June 2024, it had already withdrawn Orano's licence to operate the Imouraren megafield, one of the largest in the world. This desire to carry out an in-depth review of the system for exploiting raw materials is exacerbating tensions with the French group, whose other activities in Niger, such as the Cominak mine, which is due to close in 2021, are also being affected.<\/p>\n
For Orano, the crisis in Niger represents a major setback at a time when global demand for uranium, essential for nuclear power generation, is rising. The Group, which remains a key player in the sector, will now have to deal with prolonged uncertainty about its operations in this strategic country.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
French nuclear fuel specialist Orano has issued an alarming assessment of the future of its Nigerien subsidiary Soma\u00efr, whose uranium production site is\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6945,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,631],"tags":[663,1582,1618,879],"class_list":["post-6944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualite","category-mines","tag-mine","tag-niger","tag-orano","tag-uranium"],"yoast_head":"\n