Kepco Takes Stake In Areva Niger Uranium Project

Under the terms of the agreement, originally announced in December 2009 and signed yesterday in Paris, Kepco will take an indirect 10 percent stake in the Imouraren SA mining company, jointly owned by Areva and the Nigerien state.

In return, Kepco is entitled to 10 percent of the mine’s lifelong production to supply its reactors in South Korea. Areva said in a statement that Kepco’s involvement in the project provides “major support” to the partners already developing the Imouraren mine.

Mining at Imouraren is scheduled to begin in 2013, with an annual production capacity of about 5,000 tonnes of uranium. Imouraren SA will be in charge of exploiting the mine, over what is expected to be more than 30 years.

The agreement is a continuation of that reached by Areva and Kepco in June 2009 for Kepco to take a stake in the Georges Besse II enrichment plant in the south of France.

>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)

South Korea Takes Stake In France's Georges Besse II (News in Brief No. 75, 16 June 2009)

Kepco Joins Areva In African Uranium Mine Venture (News in Brief No. 162, 11 December 2009)

Source: NucNet
Editor: david.dalton@worldnuclear.org