Name and Location
Imouraren uranium mine, Niger.

Client
Areva will have a 66.65% share in the newly created mining company, with the remaining 33.35% being owned by the State of Niger.

Project Description
The Imouraren orebody is between 105 m and 170 m below the surface, with an average grade of 660 g/t of uranium rock extracted.

The Imouraren uranium deposit will be exploited with an openpit mine and to reach the deposit, the rock lying above will be removed. These stripping operations require the use of a fleet of heavy mining equipment especially designed for this type of deposit. This equipment includes shovels with buckets that can hold 15 m3 to 35 m3 of rock and trucks with a capacity of 220 t.

The surface facilities, consisting of tyre repair and equipment maintenance shops for the estimated 20 pieces of mining equipment, as well as refuelling, lubrication and washing installations, will also be built.

The ore will be processed using a static treatment – acid heap leaching. This requires the construction of a leach pad – a flat, slightly sloped area covering more than 42 ha and made impermeable by a layer of compacted clay and a geomembrane liner. A 6 m thick drainage layer of ore  is formed to facilitate the circulation of the acid solution through the ore heap and the recovery of the uranium-bearing solution at the base. Treatment of the ore also calls for the installation of various types of equipment for chemical processing.

It will be the first time this processing method is used for a deposit of this size.

The mine will have a nominal capacity of 5 000 t/y and a life-of-mine of 35 years.

Value
The project involves an initial investment of more than €1.9-billion.

Duration
Mining is expected to begin in mid-2015.

Latest Developments
French nuclear group Areva will start uranium production from its Imouraren mine from mid-2015, Areva's senior executive VP of mining Olivier Wantz has said.

The giant mine was initially expected to start production in 2012, but the date has been repeatedly postponed amid security fears in the desert north.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Production from Imouraren will start in mid-2015, following delays as a result of political turbulence in the country, including the kidnapping of foreign workers in September 2010 and labour disputes in 2012, which triggered strikes.

Contact Details for Project Information
Areva Niger communications officer Salifou Yaye, tel + 227 20 72 39 27 or email salifou.yaye@areva.com.