Let them have yellowcake

Let them have yellowcake

There is an increased demand for Africa’s yellowcake to feed uranium conversion plants in Europe.

By Leon Louw founder of WhyAfrica and editor of the WhyAfrica magazine.

In France, the Malvési uranium conversion plant (near Narbonne) and the Tricastin uranium conversion plant near Pierrelatte turn sealed drums of yellowcake from across the world (amongst them drums from Namibia and Niger) into enriched nuclear fuel to power homes across Europe.

Both conversion plants are operated by French company Orano, which has a significant presence in Namibia through its subsidiary Orano Resources Namibia. The company owns Trekkopje uranium mine, located 70km northeast of Swakomund.

Trekkopje has been under care and maintenance since 2013, but Orano is actively evaluating the feasibility to restart operations.

Securing diverse supply chains

As Europe (not only France) races to secure a consistent supply of yellowcake (raw material for nuclear fuel) the spotlight is shifting south to Africa’s underexplored uranium deposits as several EU countries try to diversify their supply chains.

With uranium spot prices near decade highs, market conditions have re-energised early-stage uranium exploration from Namibia’s Erongo Basin to Zambia’s Kariba Valley and Tanzania’s Manyoni district.

Projects like GoviEx Uranium’s Muntanga in southern Zambia are pushing forward with trenching and proof-of-concept drilling in hopes of tapping into what may become one of the world’s most vital energy supply chains.

Africa holds untapped uranium deposits

“Africa holds some of the most promising untapped uranium basins globally, says Dr. Elise Fournier, a European nuclear analyst and former advisor to the Euratom Supply Agency. “The market wants secure, long-term supply and Africa has the rocks to deliver,” says Fournier.

With nuclear making a comeback and over 60 reactors under construction worldwide, Europe is turning to Africa not just for critical minerals like cobalt and lithium, but also for uranium.

That demand is expected to rise as countries like France, Finland, and the Czech Republic expand their nuclear programs, and utilities seek long-term supply contracts from non-Russian sources.

WhyAfrica tracks early-stage exploration project in Africa

Currently there are 8 active early-stage exploration and development projects underway in Africa, with several prospecting licenses in Mali, Ghana, Senegal, Kenya and DRC in the pipeline.

Read more on WhyAfrica’s website. Remember WhyAfrica tracks early-stage exploration projects across Africa and across commodities.

Also remember that WhyAfrica tracks Europe’s renewed interest in Africa and its growing footprint across the continent.

I’ll be reporting for WhyAfrica from Rome, Italy, towards the end of the year with the main goal of unravelling the connections between the EU and Africa.

Several European countries, including Italy, France, Belgium and Germany are expanding their footprint across Africa.

WhyAfrica members will get first-hand, on the ground information and updates about the most important developments in Europe that could impact their business in Africa on the WhyAfrica WhatsApp channel.

 Let them have yellowcake