Published: · Region: Africa · Category: markets

Niger’s Stranded Uranium Stockpile Draws New Buyer, Tests Post-Coup Power Over Nuclear Fuel

More than 1,000 tonnes of Nigerien uranium have sat in containers at Niamey’s airport for months amid a standoff with French nuclear firm Orano. Now, a Romanian company is reportedly circling the cargo, turning a commercial dispute into a test of who will shape the next chapter of global nuclear fuel supply.

A Romanian company has reportedly expressed interest in buying a vast stockpile of Nigerien uranium stranded at Niamey airport, inserting a new player into a high-stakes dispute that could reshape how one of the world’s poorest countries leverages its role in the nuclear fuel supply chain. Sources cited in reporting on 10 August said the Romanian firm has shown interest in more than 1,000 tonnes of uranium—often referred to as yellowcake—stored in containers at the country’s main airport. The material has been stuck there for nearly nine months due to a commercial and political standoff between Niger’s military-led government and French nuclear company Orano, which has long been a central…

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