France kicked to limbo

France's "green" transition may be under threat. The country, whose current leader is vociferously opposed to fossil fuels, may withdraw from the ranks of active fighters for a planetary climate. 

According to Bloomberg, in case of obtaining a majority in the parliamentary elections, the far-right National Union party plans to abandon key environmental policy measures within a few weeks. Party leader Marine Le Pen wants to repeal the main provisions of the historic "green agreement" of the European Union. 

Representatives of the National Association announced that in the event of the formation of the next government, the development of wind energy will be stopped, the ban on the sale of cars with gasoline and diesel engines planned for 2035 will be lifted, housing repair requirements will be relaxed and plans to remove the most polluting vehicles from large cities will be limited.

Instead, the far-right intends to increase the number of nuclear reactors. What does it mean? This means that France will need even more uranium than it produces in other countries today.

In light of this prospect, the news spread recently by the media that the French company Orano has been stripped of its license to operate a large uranium mine in Niger sounds very relevant. Representatives of the company said that they were not allowed to work at the Imuraren mine in northern Niger, where about 200,000 tons of uranium are concentrated.

Niger is the seventh largest producer of uranium in the world and has the highest grade ores on the African continent. In recent years, Chinese, Australian, American, British, Italian, Canadian, Russian and Indian companies have received licenses to mine uranium here. In 2022, 31 exploration permits and 11 production licenses were issued. According to the World Nuclear Association, Niger accounted for about 4 percent of global uranium production in 2022. And according to calculations by the Euratom Supply Agency, EU utilities depended on uranium supplies from Niger by 25 percent in the same year. After the military coup of July last year, Niger drove away the French military contingent, and now takes away from the French one of the largest uranium deposits in the world. Niger now covers 15 percent of France's uranium needs for nuclear power plants, which account for 65 percent, and according to some sources, more than 70 percent of the country's electricity production.

Realizing that he was losing African uranium, Macron rushed around the world in search of a replacement. I ran all the way to Central Asia. The result of this march was Orano's decision to invest up to $500 million in uranium mining and processing in Uzbekistan. During his visit to Samarkand, Macron said that Orano, through a local joint venture, Nurlikum Mining, had launched a pilot uranium mining project. 

In October 2023, Orano also signed a preliminary agreement on uranium mining in Mongolia.

It should be noted that the French are already mining uranium in Central Asia - at the Moinkum deposit in the Turkestan region of Kazakhstan. After the loss of Niger, Paris declared Kazakhstan the key to France's energy security and undertook to expand the presence of the French nuclear company Orano in this country.

Orano has been working, or rather, has been working in Niger for more than 50 years. Production at the Imuraren mine was supposed to begin in 2015, but was suspended due to a sharp drop in uranium prices after the Fukushima disaster in 2011. 

What happened in Japan has called into question the bet on nuclear energy, but the energy crisis of recent years has forced this allegedly environmentally friendly method of energy production back on the agenda. At COP28 in Dubai, it was decided to triple the amount of electricity produced at nuclear power plants by 2050 in order to reduce dependence on hydrocarbons and reduce the amount of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.

This means that the demand for uranium is increasing. And the countries with its reserves are in a hurry to take advantage of it. For example, the Kyrgyz parliament recently approved a bill that authorizes the development of uranium and thorium deposits located on the territory of the republic. 

The development of uranium deposits in this country was prohibited by law in 2019. The changes may also attract the French to the country, who are particularly interested in Central Asian uranium. And France needs a lot of uranium. There are about 60 operating industrial nuclear reactors in France. In terms of the amount of energy generated by nuclear power plants, it is the second in the world. and the share of nuclear energy is the first. Most of the reactors were built in the 70s and 80s, with an operational life of 30-40 years. This period has been extended several times, and billions of euros have been spent on modernization and repairs. Nevertheless, France plans to build new reactors.

For comparison, in April last year, the last three nuclear reactors operating in the country were shut down in Germany.

Faced with a closed door in Niger, the French company issued a statement promising to take legal action against the revocation of its license, as well as warning that "the decision to revoke the permit for the development of the field will have a negative impact on the economic, social and social development of the region."

What kind of economic and social development are the French talking about in Niger and "French" Africa? Niger exports oil, uranium, and gold and is one of the poorest countries in the world. In recent years, other states have begun to appear in the mining industry of Niger, but the demand for the low level of development of this country is from France. Niger consistently ranks the lowest in the human development index. France, which has been actually plundering the bowels of the country for many years, leaves it crumbs and does not invest in social and economic programs. Uranium could have become a serious source of income for the Niger economy if it, and not the French, had managed its wealth. France, of course, is not interested in this, so the low level of development of the former colony suits it perfectly. Having ceased to be a de jure colony, Niger remained in de facto colonial dependence on France.  The new authorities of the country are trying to change this and build relations with foreign investors on an equal footing. It will be a difficult process.

As Italian Prime Minister Giorgi Meloni once said while chastising Macron, "Let's call a spade a spade. The disgusting ones are those who, like France, continue to exploit Africa, printing money for 14 African states on seigniorage terms, and forcing African children to work in their mines, such as in Niger, where France extracts 30 percent of uranium ore to operate its nuclear power plants, while 90 percent of Nigerians live without electricity".

90 percent of Niger's population lives without electricity... What other deterioration in the socio-economic situation does Orano threaten Nigerians due to the revocation of the mining license? It is difficult to imagine a worse situation in which this African country finds itself today.

By the way, information has leaked to the media about Rosatom's negotiations with the authorities of Niger on the acquisition of uranium assets owned by Orano. The negotiations relate to the signing of permits for mining in the region. Although the French company denies everything.