SWAKOPMUND, Namibia (miningweekly.com) – Four new uranium mining licences had been granted in Namibia, which wanted to become the fourth-largest supplier of uranium by 2012, Namibia Chamber of Mines advisor Dr Wotan Swiegers said on Thursday.

Swiegers told journalists on a visit to Rössing Uranium that the government of Namibia had, in 2007, placed a moratorium on new licences, in order to provide a “breathing space”.

Namibia’s uranium mines could in future contribute 12% to world output.

He said that the Namibian government’s issuing of uranium licences in the central Namib desert was to encourage private-sector investment that stimulated the economy and provided employment.

Besides the long-standing Rössing Uranium, which had been mining as part of the Rio Tinto group for the past 32 years, and the resuscited Langer Heinrich, which had been brought back into production by Palamin, licenced were Uramin-Areva at Trekkopje; Forsyth at Valencia, which was awarded its licence this year; Bannerman Uranium, which was still carrying out feasibility studies; Swakop Uranium, which had  a concession called Rössing South, and Reptile Uranium.

“This group of mines might go forward in the future,” Swiegers said.

But exploring were also Russians, Chinese and others.

“So, it's a very busy place potentially, but we think growth will be slow, but ongoing,” he said.

Rössing,  Langer Heinrich and the others collectively employed 2 900 people.

“We think that by 2016 about 6 000 will be employed. Initially, before the credit crunch, and when the price was high, the expectation was that employment could have been as high as 13 000. But we have scaled down the projection, taking cognisance of current conditions,” Swiegers said.

Nevertheless, an influx of 24 000 people into the area was expected, into a current total population of 50 000.

He said an estimated 30-million m³ of additional water would be required in the burgeoning uranium belt.

Currently the area used 12,5-million m³ of water.

Swiegers said that desalination of seawater was the only solution to the water requirements.

A desalination plant was in the process of being built close to Swakopmund.

Steps were being taken to provide more power-generation capacity because desalination required power.

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