France’s Orano advances uranium mining plans with Uzbek partners

Orano and Navoiyuran have announced an agreement that will lay the foundation for developing the Southern Jengeldi uranium mining project under their Nurlikum Mining joint venture. This was reported on Orano's official website.

Under the agreement, the Southern Jengeldi project will be integrated into Navoiyuran’s existing industrial base, with Navoiyuran acting as the project operator. Additionally, the agreement introduces a new partner, Japan's ITOCHU Corporation, which will join the joint venture as a minority shareholder.

This partnership reinforces the progress achieved by the joint venture in recent years and reflects the commitment of all parties to advancing the Southern Jengeldi mining project. Based on confirmed resources, the project is expected to sustain uranium production for ten years and reach an annual peak of 700 metric tons of uranium extraction.

The Southern Jengeldi project is part of a broader cooperation program between Orano and Navoiyuran. This program was established under a strategic partnership agreement signed by Orano and Uzbekistan in 2022. The partners also plan to implement an additional geological exploration program to double the joint venture’s mineral resources.

“This project contributes to diversifying our group’s uranium production sources. This new stage was made possible through the work conducted over the past five years in Uzbekistan. Orano aims to apply its geological and technical expertise to further develop this project and support the expansion of its operations,” said Xavier Saint Martin Tillet, Orano’s Senior Vice President for Mining Activities.

As a reminder, during negotiations held in Paris, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and France’s President Emmanuel Macron adopted a joint declaration on establishing a strategic partnership between the two nations.