Orano - Annual Activity Report 2025 183 SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT 4 Environmental information Remediate mining sites Remediation and post-mining management are an integral part of the mining cycle. It is the group’s responsibility, as operator, to limit the impact of the former sites on the environment and the population. Orano Mining undertakes to plan and design the end-of-life of the sites in consultation with the authorities and affected stakeholders, implement all measures related to respect for the environment and social issues and guarantee the financial provisions so that the commitments made for the closure and remediation of sites can be met. Mining requires the development of infrastructure (energy supply, roads, uranium ore processing facilities, underground and surface mines, etc.) that have an impact on the natural environment that must be assessed, reduced and controlled. In order to anticipate risks, remediation is taken into account from the exploration and development phases of mining projects. Although some remediation work is carried out during operations, and the studies are updated throughout the activity, most of the technical actions take place when operations cease. The social and societal implications of the closure of a site are taken into account as early as possible and are the subject of coordination with the competent authorities and consultation with all internal and external stakeholders. The main objectives of a remediation plan are to: ● ensure the long-term stability of structures (dikes, underground mining works, etc.); ● minimize the residual impact of former activities; ● limit the surface area of land subject to use restrictions; ● ensure landscape integration to preserve local biodiversity and allow potential reuse of the site according to the level of access; ● enable good post-operational social and societal management; and ● promote the remediation of the site. All Orano Mining sites apply these general principles in a specific remediation plan adapted to local conditions. Since the beginning of its mining activities, Orano Mining has carried out the decommissioning of facilities, the remediation, and the monitoring of its former uranium mining sites in France, Gabon, and Canada. Management of former uranium mining sites in France Orano managed almost all of the French former uranium mining sites (235 out of a total of 248), whether or not they were operated by the group between 1948 and 2001. The Post-Mining France teams ensure the environmental monitoring and proper functioning of the water treatment plants on these sites, in order to guarantee the absence of significant health and environmental impacts from the former mining sites. A Research and Development program dedicated to the treatment of water from the historical storage of residues makes it possible to develop less energy-intensive processes, by reducing the use of chemical products as much as possible and, in particular, to use passive treatment systems. These processes make it possible to operate efficiently while reducing the environmental footprint. Orano Mining pays particular attention to the conversion of former mining sites to give them a second life, in particular through projects to set up photovoltaic parks on former mining sites or to store tailings as soon as possible. In the choice of sites, Orano Mining has excluded areas with high environmental challenges to allow for the reasoned management of its former mining sites. At the end of 2025, eight solar power plants were in production throughout the country. Responsible management of tailings Orano Mining considers the responsible management of tailings to be a strategic issue and is working to implement the requirements of the standard for its tailings facilities and to disclose and update the results each year for its facilities. Since August 5, 2020, Orano Mining has committed to implementing the global industrial standard for the management of tailings (GISTM) developed by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Principles for Responsible Investment (a network of investors supported by the United Nations) and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) after the Brumadinho disaster (Brazil). Supported by an integrated approach to tailings management, this standard aims to prevent catastrophic failures and improve the safety of tailings management facilities worldwide. This standard includes 77 requirements covering social, environmental, economic, and technical dimensions, with the objective of “zero damage”. In 2023, Orano Mining published information on its tailings facilities classified according to the standard as having “extreme” and “very high” consequences. Since August 2025, Orano has also published information for its other tailings facilities on its website. Orano Mining reported on the storage of tailings in Cominak and Somaïr in northern Niger. However, following the loss of operational control of these two sites at the end of November 2024, Orano can no longer communicate or provide updates on this topic, and therefore cannot include them in its reports. Orano Mining has also adopted a management policy for the storage of ore processing residues and industrial effluents. This policy, signed by all members of its management committee, applies to all of its sites. In France, on June 12, 2025, Orano Mining teams finalized the redevelopment project at the Beauzot site, a project that sustainably strengthens the stability of the site by applying the best current techniques and standards.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzMxNTcx