Niger disputes French firm's uranium move

Niamey, Niger — 

Niger's subject junta is disputing a determination by French atomic substance steadfast Orano to halt uranium production, according to a papers from a authorities spouse successful the task seen Friday by Agence France-Presse.

Orano announced past period that it was stopping accumulation arsenic of Thursday, owing to what it termed progressively hard operating conditions successful the state and fiscal issues.

Nigerien authorities institution Sopamin is simply a shareholder with Orano, which holds a bulk involvement successful Somair, the past tract that the French radical was inactive operating successful the state anterior to Thursday.

The French lamented the withdrawal by the junta successful June of a licence for 1 of the largest uranium deposits successful the world, Imouraren, and the impossibility of exporting the earthy worldly with Niger's borderline with Benin closed for what Niamey says are information reasons.

"Despite its presumption arsenic a co-shareholder, Sopamin was not consulted connected this superior decision" to halt production, the company, which has operated for fractional a period successful the country's north, said successful a papers dated Thursday.

The Nigerien steadfast complained that the determination "lacks transparency" and "violates a fig of principles and practices indispensable to governance and commitments betwixt stakeholders."

Orano said it had projected an alternate to the Nigerien authorities, namely exporting the uranium to France oregon Namibia, and expressed regret that determination was nary absorption to the suggestion.

Niger states successful the papers seen Friday a privation to "purchase 210 tons of uranium done the earthy transmission of Sopamin," which it said would "allow Somair to proceed its activities."

Currently, 1,050 tons of uranium ore from stocks from 2023 and 2024, oregon astir fractional of the site's mean yearly accumulation worthy an estimated 300 cardinal euros ($360 million), are presently blocked, Orano estimates.

The ruling junta, which took powerfulness past twelvemonth successful a July coup, says it volition revamp rules regulating the mining of earthy materials by overseas companies successful what is the world's seventh-largest uranium producer.

It has besides downgraded links with erstwhile assemblage powerfulness France and strengthened ties with caller partners including Russia and Iran.

In September, Niger's Council of Ministers adopted a draught decree creating a authorities entity, "Timersoi National Uranium Company," abbreviated to TNUC.