Apr 01, 2021 production at the cominak uranium mine at akouta in niger came to an end yesterday after over 40 years of operations during which it produced more than 75,000 tu. Its economy is not well diversified and depends primarily on agriculture, which accounts for 40% of its gross domestic product gdp. In total, world production of conventional resources of uranium from 1945 to 2016 is estimated at 3 million tonnes of uranium tu across more than thirty countries with canada 510,593 tu topping the list, followed by the united states 376,2 tu, kazakhstan 293,560 tu. Two major uranium producing mines in niger account for most of the countrys production. The main disagreement is the management of several million tonnes of. Developments in uranium resources, production, demand and the. Uranium production figures, 20102019 updated september 2020 production from mines tonnes u. Bob iger christine mccarthy the walt disney company. In 2006, niger was the worlds fourthranked producer of uranium. Uranium, from mine to mill world nuclear association. The worldwide production of uranium in 2019 amounted to 53,656 tonnes.
A similar situation exists among uranium communities in niger. The economic system is based upon planning but accords an important role to private enterprise. Resources, production and demand a joint report by the nuclear energy agency and the international atomic energy agency. The production of uranium concentrate is the first step in the nuclear fuel production process. Two mines in the province, the arlit mine since 1971 and the akouta mine since 1978, provided the entire uranium production of niger until 2011, when operations started at a third mine, azelik. Most nuclear power operators buy uranium on a longterm contract basis, with only about 10 per cent of supply sold on a spot basis. The aim of this study is to investigate the economic impact of uranium exploitation to the development of niger economy by using time series data within 19882017 periods.
Vein deposits this is a collective term for any deposit of uranium that is formed in cracks, bedding planes, fissures, pore spaces spaces between rock particles or stockworks multiple. Uranium was known as a strategic mineral different from the other minerals till 1993. In line with the market monitoring obligations, esas nuclear fuel market observatory issued several market reports and analy. Its contribution to past uranium production has already been mentioned as one of the few showing a cumulative production in the range of 100,000 tu. The mineral mining industry is a crucial piece of the economy of niger. In 20, niger was the worlds fourthranked producer of uranium by tonnage. Apr 02, 2021 the akouta mining company cominak, which exploits uranium deposits in the province of agadez, in northern niger, will cease its activities on march 31st, 2021 after resources have been exhausted. Uranium production 100,0 200,0 300,0 400,0 500,0 600,0 700,0 800,0 900,0 1 000,0 0 500 1500. Export values of select principal products from niger. Orano sees 10 more years for niger uranium project. Annual data on cereal output in volume and uranium revenues in cfa francs are taken from republique du niger 1991c. Uxc expects a similar production level to be sustained in niger for 2017 as uranium prices remain depressed. Uranium geology niger, west africa exploration history. Mar 31, 2021 the mines will have produced 75,000 tonnes of uranium up to this year 2021.
Environmental governance of uranium mining in niger. But it is the spot market that determines the direction of contract prices, and sooner or later power companies will have to pay more for uranium as spot prices rise and contracts expire. Exports of minerals consistently account for 40% of exports. Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. Top ten uranium mines in 2009 2010 western world historic uranium production world uranium production, 2010 kazakhstan 33% canada 18% africa 19% australia 11% others 5% russia 7% uzbekistan 4% usa 3% the gap between reactor requirements and production since 1985 has been filled by secondary supplies e. Uranium demands have outstripped uranium production since 1990. In niger, uranium has to travel by truck to parakou in benin, which is 1600 kilometres distant from the arlit mine. Pdf topdownbottomup approach for developing sustainable. For convenience, 1 metric tonne is usually written 1 tonne. Despite significant strides made by niger over the past decade to reduce the countrys poverty rate, the extreme poverty rate remained very high. The firm threatened to shut production at somair in october after niger failed to find a buyer for its small share of 20 production.
Pdf this is a summary of the 2020 annual report of the emd. Social licensing in the uranium cycle production case of niger. The private sector of the economy consists partly of a multitude of small enterprises and partly. The mines will have produced 75,000 tonnes of uranium up to this year 2021. The chief uranium mineral is uraninite, but coffinite and brannerite are also present. Iaea tecdoc series scientific, technical publications in the. Developments in uranium resources, production, demand and. Environmental impact assessment for uranium mine, mill and in situ. Uranium from mining is used almost entirely as fuel for nuclear power plants. The company aims to start uranium production at the tier 1 dasa deposit, in republic of niger.
Anfield resources, appia energy, blue sky uranium corp. The worlds top uranium producers in 2017 with 71% of production were kazakhstan 39% of world production, canada 22% and australia 10%. Areva produces uranium in both canada and kazakhstan but would not detail the royalties it pays in those countries. In 1978, the second uranium mining project began production in akokan near arlit and operated by cominak, a national company, like somair with areva and the government of niger as shareholders. In 2009 niger was the sixth largest producer, and was unlikely to surpass canada 9,000 tons in 2008. Current data on resources, exploration, production and uranium stocks are also. Mineral commodities produced in niger included cement, coal, gold, gypsum, limestone, salt, silver, tin, and uranium. Supply chains why private engagement is needed by bourgouin, france, and julia panzer governing uranium is designed and developed by the andreas c. International usage reports uranium concentration in ore as percent u uranium metal, not percent u 3 o 8 uranium oxide. In phase 1, global atomic plans to use conventional underground mining techniques and proven processing technology that is currently being used at existing uranium mines in niger and targets an initial production of 44 mlb. Pdf emd uranium nuclear minerals and ree committee. Uranium, its impact on the national and global energy mix. One of the largest underground uranium mines in the world closes its doors. Nigers significant mineral wealth deposits of uranium, gold.
However, uranium extraction to be used for nuclear energy is taken advantage by foreign powers. Niger is among the first african country which started mining uranium more than 40 years of experience. Other major producers included niger, namibia and russia. U ranium resources, production and demand uranium 2020. Impact of new environmental and safety regulations on uranium. The mine has a depth of 250 meters about 820 feet and consists of 291. This 27th edition features a comprehensive assessment of uranium supply and demand and projections as of 1 january 2017 to the year 2035. In total, world production of conventional resources of uranium from 1945 to 2016 is estimated at 3 million tonnes of uranium tu across more than thirty countries with canada 510,593 tu topping the list, followed by the united states 376,2 tu, kazakhstan 293,560 tu, germany 219,686 tu and australia 206,575 tu. Niger is one of the most important uranium bearing provinces of the world. Although eclipsed by the rapid development of kazakhstans uranium industry since that time, australian uranium production has been consistent and reliable over the past decade in response to export demand.
Historically, uranium has been mined in countries willing to export, including australia and canada. Gabons production of uranium ceased in june of 1999 and is therefore not listed. In parallel, global atomic has a minority 49% stake in the bst steel dust recycling operation in turkey that produces high grade zinc and provides financial leverage to minimise equity dilution. On the basis of these documents and other indicators, the governments of the united states and the united. Production is planned to end in france and portugal.
Uranium mining in 2005, niger uranium production reached 3,093tu, making niger one of the worlds largest uranium producers. Cominak is owned by areva nc at 34%, the government of niger at 31%, overseas uranium resources development company of japan at 25%, and enusa. I2m web portal search result 44, 2017, uranium mine ownership niger. An industrial complex of production units, the fcn currently operates four stages of the nuclear fuel cycle uranium enrichment, uf 6 to uo 2 conversion reconversion, production of pellets, and fabrication of the fuel assemblies for energy generation in nuclear reactors. Cominak uranium mine closes, radioactive pollution. Arevas imouraren uranium mining project in niger will likely start production in 2014 after delays caused by kidnappings of foreign workers in the countrys north, mines minister omar hamidou tchiana said on tuesday feb. U, but it is made economic by the co production of copper, gold and silver. Initial treatment facilities to produce uranium oxide are almost always located at the mining sites.
The basis of this assessment is a comparison of uranium resource estimates according to categories of. Production reached an alltime peak of 10,064 tonnes in 200405. However, the isl amenability of the imouraren deposit is currently under evaluation. Imouraren uranium mine on track for 2014, niger says. In 1993, the niger government adopted an ordinance in which uranium is considered as an ordinary mineral like others. Uranium production cuts were made in 2019 in the u. I2m web portal search result 44, 2017, uranium mine ownership n iger. Uranium production in niger has historically been by underground and open pit mining and conventional milling. Outside cities, the first major paved roads were constructed.
The ore at imouraren, which was discovered in the late 1960s, is concentrated along roll fronts in jurassic sandstones. In africa, the republic of niger has large reserves and, according to the world nuclear association wna, was the sixth largest producer in 2009 cf. Two uranium plants in niger bruno courtaud and jaques thiry areva france multiple hearth furnace for uranium yellowcake production kevin barbar jord international australia solvent extraction physicochemical origin of the degradation of the trioctylaminetridecanolkerosene. Uranium activities in niger hama abdou director of mines. Kazakhstan, canada, and australia were the top three producers and together account for 68% of world uranium production. Swiss resource capital ag receives compensation expenses from the following companies mentioned in this publication. So far, then, this unprecedented agreement to deal with health problems in former or current uranium production sites has done little to help irradiated workers in gabon or niger, where uranium mines remain active. Pdf summary minerals extraction is related to complex sustainable development. Conversely, the united states and niger had the largest decreases in output at about 16% and 22%, respectively. Niger has large deposits of uranium the fuel for nuclear power plants which is sought after by countries who possess.
Chinese azelik uranium mine in ingall, niger ejatlas. Niger fears oranos plans to end uranium production could. Other important uranium producing countries in excess of 1,000 tonnes per year were namibia, niger, russia, uzbekistan and. In subsaharan africa, namibia, niger and south africa are among the tenlargest uranium resourceholders in the world wec, 20. A joint report by isbn 9789264178038 the oecd nuclear energy agency and the international atomic energy agency uranium 2011. Extraction, traitement et enrichissement complexe scolaire 8. Uranium production in 2000 totalled 36 112 tu compared to 32 179 tu in 1999, an increase of.
Uranium giant niger is one of the poorest countries atomic. The niger uranium forgeries were forged documents initially released in 2001 by sismi the former military intelligence agency of italy, which seem to depict an attempt made by saddam hussein in iraq to purchase yellowcake uranium powder from niger during the iraq disarmament crisis. Uranium is mined in 20 countries and half the worlds production of uranium comes from just six countries, of which niger is one. The bulk of uranium production from 1946 to 1992 came mainly from canada, czechoslovakia mostly the present czech republic, german democratic republic, south africa, and the united states. Pdf uranium occurrences and exploration potential of. The legacy of abandoned uranium mines in the grants. Out of more than 20 countries that mine uranium ore worldwide, only five countries kazakhstan, australia, canada, russia and niger account for over half of the worlds annual production, and 75% of such production is derived from sediment hosted and unconformity related deposits bruneton and cuney, 2016. The mine is the first of cnncs overseas interests to enter production, under the control of its subsidiary china nuclear international uranium corporation sinou. As the uranium prices fell, producers began curtailing operations or exiting the business entirely, leaving only a few actively involved in uranium mining and causing uranium inventories to shrink significantly. Dracopoulos ideas lab, the inhouse digital, multimedia, and design agency at the center for strategic and international studies csis. Trial operation began at azelik on 10 december 2010, with the first barrel of yellowcake being produced on 30 december. Cominak, a public company under nigerien law, was set up in 1974, and production began at the mine in 1978, world nuclear news reported on april 1.
Apr 17, 2020 niger is a vast country located in the heart of the sahel region. However, the companys plan for dismantling the mine site does not satisfy either the local population or environmentalists. Niger is a country struck by poverty, and the fact that nuclear energy is available for the country to extract is a blessing. This publication has been prepared on the basis of data obtained through. Areva and niger have yet to agree on a new production price for uranium this year, as the company presses for a cut, and have rolled over last years price of around 73,000 west african cfa francs bceao per kilo 111. A new mining code was adopted in august 2006 and the former national mine. Uranium resources are concentrated in a few places in the world. Some problems in the chemistry of uranium and thorium of. Tchiana added that a deal reached with partners last week. Canada had converted brazils uoc until areva took it over in 2010. Imouraren uranium mine mining technology mining news and. The akouta mining company cominak, a subsidiary of orano cycle french multinational, exareva, which had been exploiting uranium deposits in the province of agadez in northern niger since 1978, stops production on wednesday 31 march. Uranium giant niger is one of the poorest countries atomic split. Nonetheless, extending the research on environmental social movements conde and kallis 2012 have demonstrated the considerable limits imposed by social and political marginalisation on local resistance against the impacts of the global uranium industry and its commodity chains.
The three main policy objectives are the maintenance of national unity, the elevation of the living standards of the population, and the attainment of economic independence. At parks, experiences and products, operating income was up 9% in the quarter driven by higher results at consumer products and at our. However, countries now responsible for more than 50% of the worlds uranium production include kazakhstan, namibia, niger, and uzbekistan. The mine has now entered the remediation phase, which will also include action to address the impact of the mines closure on its employees and on local communities. Out of more than 20 countries that mine uranium ore worldwide, only five countries kazakhstan, australia, canada, russia and niger account for over half of the worlds annual production, and 75% of such production is derived from sediment hosted and unconformity related deposits bruneton and. Niger, and ranger in australia in order not to double count people, the. Global atomic submits the mining permit application for its.
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