[1] It is the site of a uranium mining project involving French company Areva and SOPaMin (Société du Patrimoine des Mines du Niger on behalf of the government of Niger).

The U3O8 ore grade at nearby SOMAIR is 14,000 tons at 0.3%, COMINAK is 29,000 t at 0.4% and Imouraren 120,000t at 0.15%.

However the project was suspended in 2015 due to low uranium prices in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

[3][4] In early 2023, French nuclear fuel cycle company Orano started exploring the option of opening the mine using the in-situ recovery (ISR) method of extraction, which uses a leaching solution pumped through boreholes drilled into the deposit.

There are concerns this and other mines are a danger to the area's water supply.