The dispute between French nuclear fuel company Orano and Niger over a mining license has raised international tensions. Orano has opened international arbitration proceedings against Niger after Niamey in June revoked the license of its subsidiary, Imouraren, located in the north of the country. The mine contains an estimated 200,000 tons of uranium, a valuable but untapped resource.
The mining project was scheduled to begin in 2015, but was halted due to the collapse in global uranium prices following the 2011 Japanese nuclear disaster. Despite years of delays, Niger has warned that if the site does not resume operations, the license will expire on June 19.
Orano says the license withdrawal came after it presented Niger with a concrete proposal to implement the uranium deposit. Earlier this month, authorities took control of the Somair uranium mine, which is 63.4% owned by the French company and the other part by the Niger state.
Niger’s military government, in power since a coup last July, has been putting increasing pressure on foreign investors and has openly expressed its desire to restructure the country’s mining sector as part of new relationships with non-Western partners.
Niger accounts for about 4% of the world’s uranium production, the main source of nuclear energy. This escalation of tensions between Orano and Niger highlights the geopolitical stakes surrounding access to natural resources and raises questions about the management of mineral resources in a context of profound changes in international relations.