Source: Agence Ecofin, Oct. 2025
Since 2023, Orano and the Nigerien government have been at odds over a dispute surrounding Somaïr, the only remaining active uranium mine in the Sahelian country. The dispute has intensified in recent months, following the nationalization of this 63.40%-owned asset by the French group.
In Niger, around 1,500 tonnes of uranium are currently stockpiled at the Somaïr site, while demand from buyers for this manna remains “strong”. This information was reported on Tuesday September 30 by Reuters , quoting Orano, a few days after a decision by the World Bank’s arbitration tribunal prohibited any initiative to sell the mine’s production, as part of the dispute between Niamey and the mining group, which is 100% controlled by the French state.
Formerly controlled 63.40% by Orano and 36.60% by Niger’s state-owned Sopamin, Somaïr is Niger’s only operating uranium mine. State-owned since its nationalization last June, operations at this asset are now overseen by Sopamin. Since the decision to withdraw from the project after losing operational control, Orano has been taking Niger to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
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