Name and Location
Husab uranium project, near Swakopmund, Namibia.

Client
Husab is majority owned by China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGNPC) subsidiary Taurus Minerals, following its 2012 purchase of former owner Extract Resources. The project is being developed by CGNPC subsidiary Swakop Uranium, in which Namibian State-owned mining company Epangelo acquired a 10% stake in November 2012.

Project Description
The Husab uranium project, located in the Erongo region of central-west Namibia, currently ranks as the third-largest global uranium-only deposit and is comfortably the largest uranium deposit in Namibia. It has uranium reserves of at least 280-million tons, grading at 518 parts per million for 320-million pounds of contained uranium oxide (U₃O₈).

A definitive feasibility study (DFS), prepared on the basis of a low-risk conventional openpit mine over Zones 1 and 2, has indicated that about 15-million tons of ore a year could be delivered to a conventional agitated acid-leach plant to produce about 15-million pounds of U₃O₈ equivalent a year. The current plan is to mine from two separate pits to maintain the 15-million-pound-a-year output over an estimated life-of-mine of 20 years.

Cementing its place as one of the largest resource drilling projects worldwide, Swakop Uranium has completed almost 800 000 m of combined reverse-circulation and diamond core drilling from April 2006, when the drilling programme started.

Value
Capital costs for the project are estimated at R20-billion, including the initial mine fleet, process plant and supporting infrastructure.  An estimated R1-billion has been spent to get the project to its current state.

Duration
The Husab mine should take about three years to build, which means that commissioning activities will start towards the end of 2015.

Latest Developments
Work formally began on Namibia’s newest uranium mine with a groundbreaking ceremony at the Husab project on April 18.

Since the signing of the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract, in Beijing, in November 2012, Swakop Uranium has been working apace on the construction and development of the mine.

The contract was awarded to the Husab Project Joint Venture (HPJV), which comprises the international engineering and project management companies Amec and Tenova Bateman.

Amec will act as lead on all HPJV activities and will be specifically responsibile for project management and engineering, with the responsibilities for procurement and construction management to be shared with the JV partner.

The main process plant and construction camp earthworks are in progress.

The first concrete foundations were poured in September 2013 and, in November the first 500 beds in the construction camp will be available to workers.

Construction of the Khan River bridge on the permanent access road is in progress both are due for completion in April 2014

Key Contracts and Suppliers
HPJV, comprising Amec and Tenova Bateman (EPCM); Gibb (bridge and road design); Basil Read (permanent access road); Wilson Bayley Homes Ovcon (bulk earthworks for entire plant); Komatsu (haul trucks and support fleet); Barloworld Namibia (roads shovels, hydraulic mining shovels and drills); Concor (contractors’ camp earthworks and infrastructure); B&K Civils (temporary water pipeline and temporary access road); Conco (power transformers, Husab substations and mobile pit substations); Woker Freight (clearing, transport and storage of tyres) and Lithon Project Consultants(construction supervision and engineering services for permanent access road).

On Budget and on Time?
Yes.

Contact Details for Project Information
Swakop Uranium, tel +264 61 300 220 or email admin@swakopuranium.com.na.
CGNPC, fax +86 75 583 699900  or email cgn@cgnpc.com.cn.
Amec media contact Frank Stokes, +44 7712 008356 or email frank.stokes@amec.com.
Tenova Bateman, tel +27 11 899 9111, fax +27 11 899 3905 or email enquiries@bateman.com.
Gibb, tel +27 21 469 9100 or fax +27 21 424 5571.
WBHO, tel +27 11 321 7200, fax +27 11 887 4364 or email wbho@wbho.co.za.
Komatsu, tel +27 11 923 1000 or fax +27 11 923 1303.
Concor, tel  +27 11 456 1000, fax +27 11 590 5409 or email info@engineering.co.za.
Conco, tel +27 11 805 4281, fax +27 11 805 1132 or email conco@conco.co.za.
Basil Read, Jenny Smith, tel +27 11 418 6466 or Tyrone Gilbert tel +264 81 147 7000.
Lithon Project Consultants, Riaan de Wit, tel +264 64 406 123.