Acrus global needsAREVA has budgeted over 1

A thousand Tuareg and their camels were assembled yesterday on the site of the future uranium Imouraren mine, Niger. On the spot, the Nigerian President, Mamadou Tandja, and Anne Lauvergeon, Chairperson of the Executive Board of Areva, have laid the first stone of what will be in 2012, the second most large uranium mine of the world. A doubly symbolic ceremony. It gives new impetus to the sometimes tumultuous relations with Niamey in 2007 Areva, its representative had been expelled from the country. At home, she began an easing of relations between the Niger and the rebel leaders of nomadic tribes. President Tandja was received for the first time since 1995 and invited them to the ceremony.

These celebrations crowns eighteen months of intense negotiations between the Niger and Areva, which won the concession of Imouraren to serious competitors, including the Chinese. Discovered more than 40 years ago by the Atomic Energy Commission teams, mine was soon to be exploited or profitability, when uranium prices were very low, less than $ 20 a pound in

1980s. Despite his wealth, estimated at 200,000 tons, its operation is of a high cost in view of the low and the depth of the deposit.

Acrus global needs

AREVA has budgeted over $ 1.2 billion EUR to make operational in 2012 this deposit, which will create 1,500 jobs. It is that the situation of the nuclear industry has changed in recent years. Courses, around 45 dollars a pound, could regain height, supported by the return of the construction of power plants in Europe, the United States and especially in China. In total, "more than 350 stations are under construction or in the study and even if a plant does not consume much uranium, it cannot do without," said Anne Lauvergeon. The global needs of uranium could quickly exceed the an astounding 62 tonnes in 2008, while mining production reached 46.372 tons, according to OECD figures. "Global consumption is expected to reach the 90,000 tonnes by 2020", estimated in Areva.

Needs, including the Niger, current sixth World producer, intends to take to develop its resources. Today, the mining royalty represents 5 of GDP. The Government already provided 120 exploration licence, including a number to North American companies, to diversify its partners. Hence the satisfaction of Areva secured the Imouraren operating. The revenue sharing provided 64 per cent in Niger and 36 to Areva.

Arlit, 80 km to the North, Somaïr mine owned 63.4 by Areva, a new device is being installed to extract and process uranium leaching. "At this scale, this is a first world", provides Mamadou Issiakou, Somaïr Operations Manager. The technique involves spreading the pulverized rock basins the dousing an acid which releases particles of uranium. They are then processed to form the "yellow cake", matter first of nuclear energy.

AREVA has made these investments of EUR 70 million to operate the large amounts of rock with low content of uranium (in the range of 0.8 kg per tonne, against 3 or 4 kg for the richest layers). These facilities will increase next year the production of the mine for approximately 800 tonnes per year for leaching and 300 tons by the classical method. "We think we can retrieve Somaïr 65 of the uranium content in the rock low." "This will also serve as test bed for the Imouraren mine, where the objective will be to extract 75 a us", said Sébastien of Montessus, Director of the division mines of Areva.

With the underground mine of Cominak, in operation since 1978, Areva, which annually produces 3,000 tonnes of uranium, should go in 2012, operational date of the Imouraren, to 5,000 tonnes per year. And thus strengthen its position of third world producer of uranium.