Oklo has two major projects in uranium-rich Niger – the Barakka Project and the Elmeki project. The combined project area currently under application is 2,874 km².

Niger is amongst the top five leading producers of uranium in the world and in November 2006 passed the milestone of having produced a cumulative total of 100,000 tonnes of uranium (tU).

A world-class uranium destination producing approximately 9% of the world’s uranium, Niger has had an established uranium mining industry since the late 1960s.

The country is largely underexplored due to the domination of French company Areva, owner and operator of the Arlit mine, geographically located between Oklo’s two projects. This domination provides a wealth of opportunities for other exploration companies in the region, particularly with the Government’s encouragement of industry competition. 

Barakka Project

The Barakka Project, 100% owned by Oklo, consists of two adjacent permit applications located on the west margin of the Tim Mersoï Basin.

The exploration target here comprises the typical, structurally influenced, “roll front” type sandstone hosted uranium deposits, similar to those formerly or currently being mined by AREVA at Akouta, Arlit and Imouraren in Niger, and also to those historically mined in Wyoming, USA.

Deposit sizes range from 5,000 tonnes (Wyoming) to 155,000 tonnes (Imouraren) U₃O₈.

Elmeki Project

The Elmeki Project consists of four applications for Exploration Permits (one lodged in June 2007 and three in August 2007) and is 100% owned by Oklo. The project lies on the western margin of the Aïr Massif. Based on available data, Oklo believes that the western part of the Aïr Massif, which lies immediately to the east of the Tim Mersoï Basin, is itself prospective for both, Tertiary-aged palaeo-channel-hosted and hard-rock, low grade, bulk tonnage and high grade vein style uranium mineralisation. The exploration potential in terms of likely uranium mineralisation present at the Elmeki project is similar to Oklo’s Kidal Project in Mali.

The largely granitic rocks of the Aïr Massif have long been considered the source of the uranium found at economic grades in the sediments of the Tim Mersoï Basin, a Palaeozoic-aged sedimentary basin immediately west of the Aïr Massif. Oklo has selected this ground on the basis of known widespread pegmatoid granites and the possible preservation of palaeo-channels in the project area.

A joint European community and Niger Government sponsored airborne geophysical survey has recently been completed across the entire Aïr Massif. Data from this survey will be available to Oklo, as a valid permit holder within the survey area.

Oklo believes that, should the survey indicate a high level of background uranium present in the crystalline bedrock of the Air Massif, a whole new uranium precinct may be established in Niger and that the Air Massif might develop into a ‘Rossing-type’ and ‘Langer-Heinrich-type’ exploration destination.