French nuclear energy company Areva will develop a third mine in Imouraren, Northern Niger, in 2014/2015, expected to last 35 years. Areva has mined uranium in Niger for over 40 years, with devastating environmental and health consequences in Arlit and Akokan. 270 billion litres of water have been used, draining aquifers. Residents of both towns have reported diseases from radioactive contamination. A study conducted by Greenpeace found that radiation levels were almost 500 times higher than normal background levels in the mining town of Akokan. In April 2012, 800 workers at Imouraren staged a strike over work conditions and in July 2012, 1200 workers at the COMINAK mine undertook a 72 hour strike to demand higher wages. Aghi InMan, a local NGO, is calling for a new Environmental Impact Assessment of the new project, including addressing concerns about its hydro-geological impact, storage of radioactive materials and compensation for affected communities before the project begins. The Nigerian government plans to re-negotiate the mining agreement with Areva in 2013. During the current intervention in Mali (since Dec 2012), French forces were sent to protect the new mine. A group of civil society organizations are calling on the government and ordinary Nigerians to take action. (See less) |
French nuclear energy company Areva will develop a third mine in Imouraren, Northern Niger, in 2014/2015, expected to last 35 years. |
| Name of conflict: | Areva Uranium mining in Imouraren, Niger |
| Country: | Niger |
| State or province: | Niger |
| Location of conflict: | Agadez region |
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Nuclear |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Water access rights and entitlements Nuclear power plants Nuclear waste storage Uranium extraction |
| Specific commodities: | Electricity Water Uranium |
| Project details | According to Areva, the Imouraren deposit contains one of the worlds largest uranium deposits and will be the largest open-pit mine in Africa. The uranium is a large, but low-grade quantity (0.8 kilograms of uranium per metric ton of rock on average) and it lies deep under the surface (110-170 meters). The estimated production is 5000 metric tonnes per year for more than 35 years. There are 3.8 billion tonnes of waste rock to be extracted from a deposit that measures 8 km long and 2.5 kilometres wide. |
| Project area: | 20000 |
| Level of Investment for the conflictive project | 1500000000 |
| Type of population | Semi-urban |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Areva (Areva) from France Subsidiaries - COMINAK, SOMAIR, Imouraren SA China National Nuclear Corporation from China Guangdong Nuclear Power from China Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) from Republic of Korea |
| Relevant government actors: | President of the Republic of Niger, Regional Council of Agadez, Traditional chiefs of Agadez region |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Le Groupement des organisations de la socit civile de la region d Agadez GOSCRAZ, Aghir Inman: http://aghirinman.blogspot.fr, Committee for independent research and information on radioactivity (CRIIRAD): www.criirad.org, CREN (local environmental group), ROTAB (Nigerian NGO network), http://www.rotabniger.org/, Sherpa (French human rights organization), http://www.asso-sherpa.org/association/notre-mission, Tchinaghen Association, FUSAD, Syntramines Union, AUA African Uranium Alliance |
| Intensity | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Indigenous groups or traditional communities Industrial workers International ejos Local ejos Local government/political parties Social movements Ethnically/racially discriminated groups |
| Forms of mobilization: | Creation of alternative reports/knowledge Development of a network/collective action Development of alternative proposals Involvement of national and international NGOs Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism Objections to the EIA Public campaigns Shareholder/financial activism. Strikes Arguments for the rights of mother nature Appeals/recourse to economic valuation of the environment |
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Air pollution, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Floods (river, coastal, mudflow), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Soil contamination, Waste overflow, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Groundwater pollution or depletion, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Mine tailing spills |
| Health Impacts | Visible: Exposure to unknown or uncertain complex risks (radiation, etc…), Occupational disease and accidents, Deaths |
| Other Health impacts | Exposure to radioactivity can cause respiratory problems, birth defects, leukaemia and cancer. Disease and poor health abound in this region, and death rates linked to respiratory problems are twice that of the rest of the country. AREVA has failed to take responsibility for any impacts. Its hospitals have been accused of misdiagnosing cases of cancer as HIV. It claims there has never been a case of cancer attributable to mining in 40 years. But the local hospitals do not staff any occupational doctors, making it impossible for someone to be diagnosed with a work related illness. |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment, Loss of livelihood |
| Project Status | Under construction |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Application of existing regulations New Environmental Impact Assessment/Study |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | -GOSCRAZ is calling on the Nigerian government and on ordinary Nigerians to take note of the disastrous consequences of Arevas mining activities and to take action. -NGO Aghir InMan is calling for Areva to conduct a new EIA, using the expertise of independent scientists, and to address the following concerns: -That the terms of extraction are different from those described in the initial assessment. -That there is no water in the wells around Imouraren. -That the initial impact study does not indicate an exclusion zone around the mine of 450 km 2. The organization noted that the existing EIA was in violation of Nigerian law. -Concerning Arevas other two mines, Greenpeace is calling for an independent study around the mines and towns of Arlit and Akokan. As well as a thorough clean-up and decontamination process. As well, Areva should follow international safety norms in its operations, with consideration for its workers, surrounding populations and the environment. The company should inform its workers and the local community about the risks of uranium mining. -Greenpeace calls on the leaders of Niger to ensure that environmental and health agencies are properly funded, educated, and equipped, and that the people of Niger are compensated fairly for their lands and resources. -Ultimately, Greenpeace calls for an energy revolution based on sustainable, cheap and safe renewable energies and energy efficiency. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Not Sure |
| Briefly explain: | Over the decades that Areva has been operational in Northern Niger, people have become more aware of the health and environmental impacts of radioactivity, which has enabled them to mobilize more effectively. Greenpeace also conducted an independent investigation on levels of radioactivity in the vicinity of the companys two mines. Local NGOs like Aghir InMan, with international support, are mobilizing to hold the company to account before it begins it new project at Imouraren. However, the company is already violating an original impact study of the mine, it has not included in the new project an exclusion zone of 450 km 2 and the wells surrounding the project are already dry. Strikes over working conditions were held last year. According to the newspaper Les Afriques, Niger has lost between 14.5 and 21 billion Euros since 1960 from potential mining revenues. Currently, French forces are intervening to protect the mine and Frances interests in the region. |
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| Contributor: | Zahra Moloo |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 1110 |