French firm Orano turns to Mongolia amid Niger stalemate

French nuclear fuels company Orano is looking to increase output of uranium from new mines in Mongolia and elsewhere to meet rising demand from the nuclear power industry and offset production from its stalled projects in Niger, CEO Nicolas Maes has said.

Orano has had problems exporting uranium from its mines in Niger since the country was taken over by military rulers in 2023.

In January, it signed a preliminary agreement with Mongolia to develop a mining project with potential output of 2,600 metric tonnes a year by 2044.

It is also looking at expanding output in Uzbekistan as well as Canada, its top source of the material, Maes told journalists.

"We have considerably developed this diversification and that makes us much stronger with regard to geopolitical risk," he said.

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