Romanian state company Nuclearelectrica, operator of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant, is according to Romanian portal G4Media vying for approximately one-third of over a thousand tons of uranium concentrate (yellowcake) that has been blocked in containers at the airport in Niger's capital Niamey since the end of 2025. The portal refers to documents obtained by Jeune Afrique and the MDMG Sahel platform, which G4Media published on August 11 — according to them, it is a deal worth approximately 40 million dollars and direct competition with Russian interest in the same raw material. G4Media ↗
According to G4Media, Nuclearelectrica CEO Cosmin Ghiță sent a letter of intent to Niger's military government on April 13, 2026 to purchase 300 tons of concentrate. The junta in Niamey was to respond positively a week later — mining minister Colonel Ousmane Abarchi justified this with the need to "diversify partners". In mid-May, a team from Romanian processing plant FPCU Feldioara was to confirm interest as well, which would convert the concentrate into fuel for CANDU-type reactors in Cernavodă — unlike Slovak VVER units, this type of reactor processes natural, unenriched uranium. G4Media ↗
According to the newspaper, the deal has a second, larger layer — geopolitical. Washington and Brussels were reportedly concerned that the military regime in Niamey, after years of sanctions and isolation, would sell the stockpile to Russian state Rosatom, or possibly Iran, which also has interest in uranium. Sale to a Romanian company, thus a member of the EU and NATO, would give the junta needed cash without causing a major diplomatic rift with the West. G4Media ↗
Negotiations, however, are hitting a hard legal obstacle. The ore comes from the Arlit mine, which was operated by Somaïr — a joint venture of the Niger state and French nuclear group Orano. After the military coup in Niger in 2023, relations between the junta and Orano broke down and the company lost control over part of its assets in the country. On September 23, 2025, Orano won a ruling at the international arbitration tribunal ICSID that forbids Niger to sell or transfer this uranium without resolving Orano's claims — and warned it would sue anyone who buys it in violation of this ruling. It is precisely this arbitration, not the French state directly, that is now the main obstacle that could block negotiations or any potential deal between Romania and Niger. G4Media ↗
G4Media's information was independently confirmed by other Romanian media — economic portal Economica.net and news website Ziare.com write about a "battle for Niger's uranium", in which according to them Bucharest competes with Russian interest in the same stockpile. Economica.net ↗
Slovak or Czech media have not yet written about the negotiations. This particular deal has no direct impact on Slovak reactors — Cernavodă is a different type of reactor (CANDU) than Slovak VVER and their fuel paths do not intersect. However, it shows a pattern that affects Central Europe more broadly: countries with their own nuclear energy today compete directly with Russia for raw materials from African states where, after military coups, the West lost influence and Moscow is trying to fill the void through companies like Rosatom.
Romanian Nuclearelectrica Negotiates for Uranium from Niger. Russia Also Interested in Stockpile, Orano Dispute Slowing Deal
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