Niger grants permit for Moradi uranium mine

The decree was adopted by the Council on behalf of the Department of Mines at a meeting held on 22 February in the presence of General Abdourahamane Tchiani, who has led the country since a coup d'état in 2023. It was one of two adopted by the Council that transform already-granted "semi-mechanised" mining permits into permits for small-scale mining: the other permit is for a small-scale copper mine awarded to the Compagnie Minière de l'Aïr.

Moradi is in the rural commune of Dannet (or Dannat), in the department of Arlit in the Agadez Region. According to a provisional environmental impact study prepared by COMIREX in 2023, the Moradi perimeter is part of the former AFASTO Exploitation and Research Permit which has been in the public domain since 2015. Citing previous studies carried out by France's CEA and Areva (now Orano), the study envisaged open-pit mining of the "very shallow" - about 10 metres - deposit which it said contained about 2000 tU at a 300 ppm cut-off. COMIREX had intended to transport the ore to be processed at SOMAÏR's facilities under a proposed contract with Orano, although it is not known what the current plan is. The French company last December announced it no longer had operational control of the operator of the Arlit mine (SOMAÏR is 63.4% owned by Orano, with Niger state-owned mining assets company SOPAMIN holding 36.6%).

"The companies holding these permits are companies under Nigerien law owned by nationals and in which the State has a level of participation in the share capital of around 25% for the Compagnie Minière de l'Aïr (COMINAIR SA) and 40% for the Compagnie Minière de Recherche et d'Exploitation (COMIREX SA)," the council of ministers said in a communique released via the state-owned Office National d'Edition et de Presse.

Under the terms of the mining agreement, COMIREX's project is expected to produce an average of 300 tU over a period of five years. The project is expected to create 94 jobs for "young Nigeriens", and there is a mining royalty on the sale of uranium production of "more than" XOF3.634 billion (about USD5.8 million) and a surface royalty of XOF114 million during the life of the project. (The currency used in Niger is the CFA Franc, which is given the ISO code XOF).

Under the permits, both COMIREX and COMINAÏR are also required to contribute financially to continuing training for staff at Niger's mines ministry, and to collective infrastructure in their area of operation; and to the protection of the environment and compliance with the principles of sustainable management. "These two draft decrees thus reinforce the desire … to exercise our full sovereignty over our natural resources for the benefit of our populations," the Council of Ministers said.