Algeria launches an international call for tender to exploit gold and uranium sites

In a bid to expand the Algerian energy and mines ministry’s activities in the field of precious ore including gold an uranium, the National Mines Agency has launched an international invitation to tender whose deadline was fixed to October22.

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• This operation is aimed at allocating 20 permits for the exploitation of gold and uranium in both the provinces of Tamanrasset and Ilizi (southern Algeria). On this occasion, the Agency has called on the firms interested in the tender to withdraw the required documents in order to allow the short listed companies to start their explorations as part of a joint venture with the Algerian Hydrocarbons company, SONATRACH.
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• This is the second bid for tender after the fist that took place last August, in which 20 zones were selected for exploitation; two sites are already exploited while 18 others are currently explored to exploit gold and uranium.
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• Thee sites are scattered across the provinces of Tamanrasset and Illizi, 10 devoted to gold, 07 to uranium and one to gold and uranium.
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• Estimates released by the energy and mines ministry have indicated that the Algerian uranium reserves are estimated at 30 thousand tons. This capacity can supply two nuclear plants at a level of 1000 Megawatt each over 60 years, the energy minister Chakib Khellil has noted.
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• Algeria has produced 657 kg of gold over the fist 7 months of the current year in comparison to 600 kg during the last year; the turn over was estimated at $ 20 millions on the basis of $ 987 the ingot.
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• Several foreign companies expressed their interest for the exploration of uranium in Algeria including the French giant “AREVA”, which holds sway on the Niger uranium since more than 40 years, in addition to Canadian, Chinese and Australian companies.
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