AREVA Ressources Centrafrique: the Bakouma project

The Bakouma Project

The Bakouma Project is located 100 kilometers north of the Bangassou prefecture and 900 kilometers northeast of Bangui.

The Bakouma deposit, located in a dolomite landscape, has long been familiar to AREVA teams, the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA) having participated in its discovery in the 1960s.

In 2009, the project entered the pre-feasibility phase. The resources identified at the end of 2008 had an average content of 1,720 parts-per-million (or 1.72%).
Start-up of site operations is slated for the next few years, before gradually achieving full production from 2014-2015.

AREVA Ressources Centrafrique now holds the exploration permit for the deposits in the Bakouma zone.  

Local development

AREVA Ressources Centrafrique is involved in promoting local talent. Around 160 people on average work on the site, with the number evolving depending on level of activity. A substantial training program is currently under development to strengthen the country’s potential, and more than 200,000 euros have been allocated to the program for 2009-2010.

AREVA signed an agreement with the Central African government in August 2008. Mining of the Bakouma deposit will enable Central Africa to benefit from:

• 18 billion CFA francs over 5 years (close to 30 million euros),
• infrastructure development (roads, sanitary and educational structures, power supply),
• the donation of medical equipment with a value of more than 200,000 euros,
• employment for 900 people, once the project rises to full power. 

Contact

AREVA Ressources Centrafrique
Tel.: +236 21 61 37 10 (or 18)
Fax: +236 21 61 37 32