Niger and French nuclear giant Areva have signed their biggest uranium mining deal in the mineral rich West African country, according to information reaching here.
Nigerian Minister of Mines and Energy Mohamed Abdoulahi signed the agreement on Monday with Areva representative Anne Levergeon in Niamey, the capital of Niger.
The deal gives Areva a mining permit in Imouraren in the uranium rich northern region of Aagadez, with the French company owning 66 percent of the project and Niger holding 34 percent.
Abdoulahi described the project as the country's biggest with a combined investment of 800 billion FCFA ( 1.6 billion U.S. dollars), estimating an annual production output of 5,000 tons for 35 years running and the employment of 1,400 people.
The minister hailed the project as a deal to mark the historic partnership for half a century between the two sides.
Areva experts expecting production would begin in 2012.
Niger is the third largest producer of uranium in the world, but it is also one of the world's poorest countries, according to the United Nations Human Development Index.
Source: Xinhua
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