Turkey’s top officials, including the Foreign, Defense, and Energy ministers, traveled to Niger on Wednesday with a mission to secure access to the country’s abundant uranium deposits. Led by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and accompanied by top spy chief Ibrahim Kalin, the delegation aims to utilize Nigerien uranium to fuel Turkey’s burgeoning nuclear-power industry, according to sources familiar with the matter who requested anonymity, as reported by Bloomberg.
The visit comes at a pivotal moment, coinciding with Niger’s military government severing ties with France, its former colonial power. This break involved the revocation of the operating license of Orano, a French nuclear fuel producer, at one of the world’s largest uranium mines. On June 20, Orano announced that the Niger government, which assumed power through a coup in 2023, had rescinded a mining permit for its subsidiary Imouraren.
Niger boasts a significant natural resource advantage, holding Africa’s highest-grade uranium ores and ranking seventh globally in uranium production. The country possesses an impressive 5% of the world’s uranium resources, placing it among the top 10 suppliers, making it a prime target for Turkey’s energy ambitions.
While Turkey has a long-term fuel supply agreement with Rosatom for the Akkuyu project, it currently lacks the capability to process uranium ore into reactor-ready material. Meanwhile, Niger seeks to capitalize on the surging global demand for uranium, driven by the energy needs of rapidly growing economies like India and China. These nations utilize uranium not only in nuclear power plants and submarines but also in the aviation industry.
Uranium, a highly valuable and versatile radioactive metal, plays a vital role in various industries. Its primary application is as fuel for nuclear energy production, generating electricity for millions worldwide. Beyond energy, uranium has numerous applications: in medicine, it assists in cancer treatment; in the naval sector, it powers propulsion systems; and in the military domain, it is utilized in nuclear weapons.
