Challenges in the Mining business group

With a growing budget that stood in the region of 55 million euros in 2009, AREVA is set to embark upon an ambitious exploration program over the next few years.

Initial actions consist of emphasizing the development work around the active mining sites and preparing new exploration campaigns in the uraniferous regions identified by the group.

• In Niger, analysis of the data collected during the 2003 aerial geophysics campaign led to applications for targeted permits. In 2006, the group received the Agebout and Afouday permits, including the Imouraren deposit. AREVA started significant development work to improve the characterization of the Imouraren ore body and determine mining feasibility.
• In Canada, the promising results from Shea Creek in Saskatchewan province and from the Nunavut region near Kiggavik are being confirmed.
• In Mongolia, mineral exploration is intensifying in the Dornogobi and Sukhbaatar provinces.
• In Australia, exploration continues in the state of South Australia.  

At the same time, the group has invested in human resources, with the number of geologists exceeding 300 at the end of 2009, and the recruitment of over 500 extra people in 2009. The integration of these new employees is mainly performed through the AREVA Mining College.

Diverse teams bringing together geologists, miners, chemists and economists are now working on the realization of emerging or previously identified projects, particularly in Africa, North America and Central Asia.

Experience shows us that involvement in the fabric of the local community is one of the keys to the success of a mining project. This acceptance cannot happen without a true, sincere social and environmental responsibility.

To give substance to this commitment, the Mining business group has set up a social and environmental responsibility department. This body is responsible for ensuring that these 2 aspects of sustainable development are taken into account at every stage of a mining project, from exploration to reclamation.

In Namibia for instance, the Trekkopje ore deposit is located in the center of a particularly arid region. The mines in operation there draw water from the groundwater table, the supply of which has already significantly dropped. The group therefore decided to build a seawater desalination plant to produce 20 million m3 of water annually. Opened in April 2010, the plant will meet the site’s needs for water without drawing from natural resources and will also supply potable water to local populations.

AREVA also believes that it is fundamental to enable communities to benefit from the results of mining operations. This extends beyond the company's patronage initiatives; for example, we are committed to encouraging the development of local companies, by favoring regional suppliers.

Finally, the group's aim is to recruit and train staff on location for its mining activity. For example, 99% of AREVA's 2,500 employees in Niger were recruited locally.

In June 2009, AREVA signed an agreement with two associations, Sherpa and Médecins du Monde:

• to create health observatories near its mine sites and,
• to set up a pluralistic group for health monitoring.

The health observatories will study the potential impacts of mining operations on the health of workers and the local community in France and abroad. For diseases attributable to its mining operations, if any, AREVA will bear the cost of treatment, as provided in the French medical health insurance program.