Husab Uranium Project

The Husab Uranium Project is an uranium mine (“the Hasab Mine”) under development near the town of Swakopmund in the Erongo region, in western-central Namibia. The mine is located approximately 60 km from Walvis Bay.

The mine is being developed by Swakop Uranium, pursuant to a license granted to it by the Namibian Ministry of Mines and Energy on December 1, 2011.^[1] According to studies conducted by consultants appointed by Swakop Uranium, the mine reserves contain the highest grade, granite hosted uranium deposit in Namibia. The Husab Mine has the potential to produce 15 million pounds (6800 tonnes) of uranium oxide per annum and once in production will be the second-largest uranium mine in the world.^[2] The mine’s potential production capacity will be more than the total current uranium production of Namibia. Once operational, the mine will elevate Namibia’s total production capacity beyond the likes of Niger, Australia and Canada. The Husab mine is estimated to contain approximately 280 million tonnes of uranium ore that would take close to 20 years to mine,^[3][4] and is expected to be completed towards the end of 2015.

Swakopi Uranium

Swakopi Uranium was established in 2006 by Extract Resources, an Australian company listed on the Australian, Canadian, and Namibian stock exchanges to explore, evaluate, develop, and produce uranium oxide. In April 2012, Swakop Uranium was acquired by Taurus Minerals Limited of Hong Kong. Swakop Uranium Head office is located in swakopmund. Taurus is a subsidiary of the China General Nuclear Power Company (CGNPC), Uranium Resources Co. Ltd. and the China-Africa Development Fund. Taurus owns 90% of Swakopi Uranium. The remaining 10% is owned by Epangelo Mining Company, the Namibian state-owned mining company.^[5] CGNPC’s investment in Swakop Uranium is one of the biggest investments in Namibia since its independence, and by far the single biggest investment by China in Africa. To date more than US$ 100-million (N$1-billion) has been spent to get the project to the construction phase. A further US$2-billion (N$20-billion) will be required to bring the mine online.^[6]

Environment

Flora and fauna

Swakop Uranium has developed an Environmental Management Plan, in terms of which it has committed to caring for all species of fauna and flora found near, or within, its exploration and mining areas.^[7] The areas surrounding the mine is also home to a species of plants called Welwitschia mirabilis, thought to be one of the oldest living plants on planet Earth. Carbon dating has revealed that medium-sized plants can be as old as 1,000 years.

Water

One of the more challenging aspects of the Husab Project is to ensure that water, a resource particularly in short supply in the area, is not adversely affected by mining operations. The Namib Desert is a hyper-arid desert with an average rainfall of between 0–50 mm at Swakopmund and Gobabeb. Long-term records from the Rössing Uranium Mine, situated some 5 km north of the Husab mine, show an annual average rainfall of between 30–35 mm per annum.^[8] A hydrogeology report commissioned by Swakop Uranium concluded that the mining activities will have an effect on the water levels. Notwithstanding the fact that there are no farmers or settlements in the area, Swakop Uranium has drilled a number of groundwater monitoring holes around the pit, the waste rock dump, the tailings storage facility, the Welwitschia fields as well as the Khan and Swakop Rivers to measure the effect of mining activities in the area.^[9] approximately 18 such boreholes have been drilled to date. All the boreholes have their water levels measured monthly and strategic boreholes are sampled every three months for water quality.

Air quality

In order to reduce the dust produced to acceptable levels, the Husab mine will also employ a number of dust suppression methods: using water, extraction fans, chemicals, and other suppressants. A dust suppressant will be used on the pit and dump haul roads and other gravel site roads. The use of alternative suppression techniques has the potential to save up to 90% of the water that would otherwise have be required to achieve the same level of control.^[10]

Community

Swakop Uranium has committed itself to a number of initiatives with a view to developing the communities around the mine such as local procurement where possible, local recruitment, and local upliftment. The company also grants bursaries for promising Namibian university students^[11] on an annual basis and has funded the construction of a new school. The company has also established a trust, called the Swakop Uranium Foundation Trust that will focus on a number of key areas, such as training and education, environment, infrastructure, health, and entrepreneurial development. The trust has donated N$100,000 to the Namibian government's Drought Relief fund.^[12]

Safety

Swakop Uranium has instituted a Radiation Management Plan to ensure that radiation is managed and monitored in an effective manner. This plan has been submitted to the National Radiation Protection Authority and is regularly audited to ensure compliance.^[13]

See also

• Uranium mining
• Uranium mining in Namibia
• Mining in Namibia
• Radium
• Uranium
• Radioactivity

References

External links

• Swakopuranium.com