Fuels, lubricants and oil-based products producer and marketer Engen Petroleum was scheduled to com- plete the construction of a fuel storage and dispensing facility at the Husab uranium project, in Namibia, in late March.

Husab is an important health, safety, environment and quality (HSEQ) project for Engen, states Engen international busi-ness division GM Dirkus Kotze, as it is a flagship operation – with strict HSEQ cri- teria – and presented an opportunity to benchmark the company’s capabilities and offering for the mining sector as a whole.

Namibia is ranked as the fifth-largest uranium producer in the world and is set to overtake Niger and Australia, with the addition of Husab’s output, says Engen.

The mine, which is expected to ramp up to full production by 2017, will move 150-million tonnes of rock and 15-million tonnes of processed ore a year and, in doing so, will consume 80-million litres of diesel, explains Engen commercial services manager Paindane Henrique. Once in full production, Husab will be one of the largest uranium mines in the world.

The size and location of the Husab mine pose challenges for the establishment of an operational fuel facility. Kotze notes that, as of March, the company still operated from a temporary facility. Construction of the permanent facility started in May 2015 and was expected to be completed and commissioned in late March.

“Engen has been involved in the design, procurement and construction of the fuel storage and dispensing facility, and will assume full responsibility for the day-to-day management and reporting,” elaborates Kotze, adding that the company is proud to have been selected as the fuel and lubricants supplier for Husab.

China’s biggest nuclear energy producer, China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGNPC), started mining operations at Husab in 2014.

That same year, CGNPC’s Namibian unit, Swakop Uranium, invited major producers of oil-based products to tender for the supply of essential goods and services to its Husab project. Following an in-depth evaluation process, Engen was awarded the contract for the provision of facilities, lubricants, fuels and services.

Henrique says the requirements contin- gent upon each tendering supplier were typically complex and challenges needed to be overcome in the establishment of the facility.

“[A] broad range of heavy vehicles each carried stringent specifications, based on the original engine manufacturer’s 50 ppm diesel and lubricants requirements. These included low-sulphur fuels with low water content and superior cleanliness to ensure operations and fuel system longevity. Engen products fitted this perfectly.

“Supplying these fuels requires optimum supply chain quality and monitoring at various stages in the supply process, together with the necessary best available technology and operating practices,” he comments.

With a growing client base in Namibia, stemming from its Walvis Bay Terminal, located halfway down the Namibian coast, and several depots, Engen continues to leve- rage its infrastructure, experience and growing reputation in the mining sector to expand its operations and impact in the country.