In Mongolia, Orano launches construction of its Zuuvch Ovoo uranium mine

Orano launched construction of its new uranium mine at the Zuuvch Ovoo site in Mongolia in June 2026. By strengthening the French group’s mining portfolio, the project will also help revive a uranium industry that has been dormant in the country for nearly thirty years.

Following the setbacks it has faced in Niger since December 2024, Orano is looking towards Mongolia. Present in the country for nearly 30 years, the company signed a $1.6 billion investment agreement for the development and operation of a deposit at Zuuvch Ovoo in the Gobi Desert. Just over a year later, Orano has officially launched the construction phase of the project.

“In the presence of Mr. Batjargal Ochirpurev, Governor of Dornogobi Province, Mr. Ganburen Gansukh, Governor of Ulaanbadrakh Soum, and Mr. Manlaijav Gun-Aajav, Secretary of the Nuclear Energy Commission, we celebrated a decisive milestone in the implementation of this strategic project led by Orano and its subsidiary Badrakh Energy alongside our Mongolian partners,” said Claude Imauven, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Orano, on LinkedIn.

Orano Mining has been present in the Gobi Desert since 1997. Its exploration work led to the discovery of the Zuuvch Ovoo deposit in 2010, located in Dornogovi Province in southeastern Mongolia. Following pilot tests conducted between 2021 and 2022, Orano Mining selected the in situ recovery (ISR) method to extract uranium. This technique consists of recovering uranium underground using a chemical solution while maintaining a very limited surface footprint. Several more years will be required before production begins at the site, which is expected to produce 2,500 tonnes of uranium per year over an operating lifetime of 30 years.

According to the World Nuclear Association, Mongolia has not carried out any uranium mining activities since the mid-1990s, despite possessing significant uranium resources. This new project will therefore help revitalise activity in a sector that already accounts for around 25% of the country’s GDP when considering the mining industry as a whole. In addition, 51% of the direct profits generated by the project will be allocated to the Mongolian State. ■