French Minera Orano loses fuel control between accusations of environmental risk
The National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland of Niger has tightened its pulse with the French company Orano –antigua Areva–, which for more than 50 years has dominated the exploitation of uranium in the country. Under the leadership of General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the Military Board has initiated a review of all mining agreements with foreign companies with the aim of recovering control over their resources and guaranteeing greater benefits for the State and the population. The offensive against Orano, whose main owner is the French state, has unleashed a crisis with environmental, social and geopolitical implications.
In June 2024, Niger revoked the company’s exploitation permit at the Imouraen site, one of the largest in the world, for breach of deadlines. In December, the National Council took the operational control of Somaïr, Orano’s main subsidiary in the country, which had suspended its production in the Arlit mine after the closing of the border with Benin. The company argued that the closure – after the 2023 coup d’etat – blocked exports. On May 5, Nigerin security forces broke into the offices of the Orano subsidiaries in Niamey, confiscated documentation and equipment, and arrested its local director, Ibrahim Coumo.
The pressure on Orano does not come only from the government. Last April, the Civil Society Coordinator and the synergy of the Organization of Civil Society filed a complaint before the Superior Court of Arlit, accusing the company of putting public health at risk for possible radioactive leaks. Cominak, an Orano subsidiary, which closed a mine in 2021 after exhausting the reserves, has been indicated for having suspended the reconditioning work and leaving 20 million tons of radioactive waste and 1,400 tons of uranium concentrate without definitive treatment abandoned. In addition, according to the EFE agency, the Niger miners union sent a letter to the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, in which he also accuses Cominak and Somaïr of abandoning 40 million cubic meters of radioactive waste outdoor. The letter denounces unfair agreements that have benefited the company to the detriment of workers and the local population.
From the rising of July 2023, Niger – the world producer of Uranium and for decades one of the main suppliers of France – is determined to change the rules of the game and end the one that considers a relationship of dependence and colonial dominance, while narrowing ties with Russia and China. France, which depends on Nigerino uranium to cover between 15 % and 17 % of its nuclear electricity generation, is forced to seek alternative suppliers.
The Agadez region, in the north of the country, suffers the effects of this crisis. The closure of Cominak and the paralysis of the Imouraen site have left more than 3,500 people without work. Orano has expressed concern about the situation, regrets the impact on local workers and communities, and, although he has initiated two international arbitration procedures, he has expressed his intention to keep the communication channels open with the Nigerine authorities to find a solution.
In the superior image, view of the entrance of the Cominak mine facilities, in which you can read a poster that says “safety is life.” The exploitation closed in 2021 after producing 75,000 tons of uranium. Photography: Olympia de Maismont / Getty
