AREVA’s mining activities in Niger are carried out in strict compliance with international health, safety and environmental standards. The many international inspections and audits hoped and prayed for by Greenpeace have already been carried out on several occasions over the last few years
– Edited by April Murelio –
At the invitation of AREVA, five representatives of Greenpeace visited the group’s mining facilities in the north of Niger in November 2009. The NGO took a number of readings and samples on the sites without sharing them with AREVA.
Many of the conclusions and statements issued since by Greenpeace are unfounded.
The AREVA group finds this lack of transparency highly regrettable.
AREVA’s mining activities in Niger are carried out in strict compliance with international health, safety and environmental standards. The many international inspections and audits hoped and prayed for by Greenpeace have already been carried out on several occasions over the last few years. The French Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Institute, Quanta Médical, Gispe (a French nonprofit organization working in healthcare) and AFAQ (the French quality assurance association) have all visited the group’s sites to attest to the quality of its environment, health and radiation protection management systems.
AREVA has also joined forces with the Nigerien government, Sherpa and Médecins du Monde to run a Health Observatory through which it monitors the health of former mineworkers and those living around the sites. This is the only initiative of its kind in the industrial world.
The group reiterates that it is perfectly prepared to enter into calm, argued discussions and confirms its commitment to developing responsible mining activities.
All over the world, AREVA provides its customers with solutions for carbon-free power generation and electricity transmission. With its knowledge and expertise in these fields, the group has a leading role to play in meeting the world’s energy needs. Ranked highly in the global nuclear power industry, AREVA's unique integrated offering covers every stage of the fuel cycle, reactor design and construction, and related services.
In addition, the group is developing a portfolio of operations in renewable energies. AREVA is also a world leader in electricity transmission and distribution and offers its customers a complete range of solutions for greater grid stability and energy efficiency.
Sustainable development is a core component of the group’s industrial strategy. Its 75,000 employees work every day to make AREVA a responsible industrial player that is helping to supply ever cleaner, safer and more economical energy to the greatest number of people.