Left in the dust - Greenpeace

AREVA’s international operations
AREVA is one of the world’s largest nuclear energy
companies. Headquartered in Paris, it is the only company
in the world involved in all parts of the nuclear energy chain:
uranium mining, chemistry, enrichment, fuel production,
engineering, nuclear propulsion, reactors, reprocessing and
decommissioning, as well as several other sub-sectors.
AREVA has a presence in over 100 countries worldwide,
and is looking to further expand its business in Asia, Africa
and the Americas.
This expansion outside of Europe is caused in part by
disappointments in its desired nuclear revival in western
countries, such as delays and cost overruns in the
construction of new reactors in Finland and France 17 ;
AREVA is now focussing its energies on selling reactors
and services in other parts of the world. The company even
considers selling older and cheaper reactors to countries
that are new to nuclear power, even though safety
standards in western countries would not allow these old
designs to be built 18 . Furthermore, AREVA is aggressively
exploring uranium mining possibilities in a range of other
African and Asian countries 19 .
In recent years, exploration for uranium has significantly
increased all over the world 20 . The rising interest is caused by
renewed talks about nuclear power, while at the same time
part of the current uranium supply - from decommissioning
of nuclear weapons materials - is running out. This uranium
rush has resulted in a new phase of colonialism, with
Africa opening up to mainly Chinese, French and Canadian
companies interested in exploiting this valuable resource.
Canada
7576 t
USA
-21171 t
Mexico
-200 t
AREVA is one of the most active uranium mining companies
in Africa, being present in 10 African countries. In addition
to the mines in operation in Niger, AREVA plans to open
a uranium mine in Namibia and is exploring in the Central
African Republic (CAR), Gabon, Senegal, South Africa, the
DRC, Morocco, Mauritania and Guinea 21 . AREVA’s more
than 40-year monopoly in Niger was broken in 2007 when
the Nigerien government allowed several other countries
permits for future prospection and excavation.
17 Deckstein D, Dohmen F, Meyer C, 15 October 2009. Der Spiegel: Nuclear
Renaissance Stalls; Problems Plague Launch of ‘Safer’ Next-Generation Reactors.
18 Hollinger P, 14 January 2010. Financial Times: AREVA looks at bringing out older
reactors.
19 Uranium Mining Issues: 2009 Review, http://www.wise-uranium.org/uissr09.html
20 Uranium Mining Issues: 2009 Review, http://www.wise-uranium.org/uissr09.html
21 World Information Service on Energy, http://www.wise-uranium.org
Net Requirement
Net Production
t = metric tonne
Source: WISE Uranium Project
Argentina
-120 t
Brazil
-151 t
12 | Left in the dust | AREVA’s radioactive legacy in the desert towns of Niger