Orano (formerly Areva) plans to take a final investment decision (FID) on the Imouraren uranium mine located 80 km south of Arlit in northern Niger in 2028, after a testing phase, which should start in 2024. The project, which is estimated to hold one of the largest uranium reserves in the world with around 200 kt, was awarded to Orano in 2009. It was suspended in 2015 pending more favourable market conditions.
In March 2021, the Cominak uranium mine in Arlit was shut down. The site's redevelopment and environmental monitoring is expected to continue for at least two decades. Cominak (Compagnie minière d’Akouta) was 34% owned by France’s Orano, 31% by the Nigerien state-owned mining company Sopamin, 25% by Japan’s Overseas Uranium Resources Development (OURD), and 10% by Enusa (Spain). The Cominak mine produced 80,000 tons of uranium in 40 years of operation.