PARIS (Thomson Financial) – Anne Lauvergeon, chief executive of Areva, and Mustafa Terrab, CEO of the Office Cherifien des Phosphates, a Moroccan conglomerate of mining and chemical industries, have signed an agreement to develop their cooperation in uranium mining, the French nuclear energy giant said.
Phosphates are a promising source of uranium and IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) figures put Morocco’s uranium resources in phosphate deposits at around 6 mln tons, which corresponds to twice the worlds resources in uranium deposits, the company said.
Areva and the OCP plan to launch a joint study into the feasibility of an industrial site producing uranium from phosphoric acid.
The signing coincided with a state visit to Morocco by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the agreement covers extraction of uranium contained in phosphoric acid manufactured using Moroccan phosphate ore.
Areva and the OCP hope this agreement will add an industrial dimension to their scientific cooperation, which dates back to 2005.
Andrew.Newby@Thomson.com
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