Moroccan Phosphate Could Supply Uranium for France’s Nuclear Power Plants
Morocco could become a uranium supplier to French nuclear power plants. OCP is in talks with EDF and Orano on an industrial partnership that would produce the fuel from Moroccan phosphate, with a first plant planned as early as 2028.
Talks between the Moroccan phosphate giant and the two French groups began after Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Rabat in October 2024. According to an investigation published by Le Monde on Friday, November 13, they could lead to a memorandum of understanding during Mohammed VI’s next state visit to Paris, which the Élysée hopes will take place in January 2027.
OCP is considering building a plant near Jorf Lasfar, where the group already has a major industrial complex. The facility could begin producing uranium concentrate, known as “yellowcake,” as early as 2028. The uranium would be recovered during the processing of phosphate into phosphoric acid, a raw material used to make fertilizers.
The industrial ambition is considerable: by 2030, the Moroccan group aims to have enough phosphoric acid production to extract the equivalent of the uranium needs of around 15 nuclear power plants.
Cooperation revived after 2007 failure
The project builds on work already underway. During his hearing before the French Senate in January 2026, Claude Imauven, chairman of Orano’s board of directors, confirmed that his group was conducting research with Morocco to recover uranium contained in phosphate.
The cooperation had already been considered in 2007. Areva, which later became Orano, signed an agreement with OCP during Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to Morocco. The project was eventually abandoned. Before that, Belgian group Prayon, in which OCP is a shareholder, had recovered nearly 700 tonnes of uranium from Moroccan phosphate before stopping the activity because it had become too costly.
Changes in uranium prices and advances in extraction techniques are now shifting the outlook. According to an OCP insider cited by Le Monde, a recent small-scale production test yielded positive results. The group now believes it can extract the metal profitably. For France, the new supply chain would provide an additional source of uranium as Orano seeks to diversify its suppliers after losing its mining operations in Niger.
