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

Client
Until April 2012, Swakop Uranium was wholly owned by Australian company Extract Resources. In April 2012, Taurus Minerals of Hong Kong became the new owners, following a successful takeover of Extract Resources. Taurus is an entity owned by China General Nuclear Power Company and the China-Africa Development Fund. In November 2012, the Namibian State-owned mining company, Epangelo Mining Company and Swakop Uranium finalised an agreement for the subscription of a 10% stake in Swakop Uranium in a deal valued at R1.9-billion-million.

Project Description
The Husab 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 tonnes, grading at 518 parts per million for 320-million pounds of contained uranium oxide (U₃O₈).

A definitive feasibility study, prepared on the basis of a low-risk conventional openpit mine over Zones 1 and 2 and delivered to the market in April 2011, has indicated that about 15-million tonnes 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.

Duration
Commissioning activities will start towards the end of 2015.

Latest Developments
Construction of the new tar road to the Husab mine and of the bridge over the Khan river was completed in May 2014.  Stretching more than 160 m, the bridge is the longest built since Namibia’s independence in 1990.  The bridge crosses the river about 14 km along the new access road leading from the main road between Swakopmund and Windhoek to the Husab mine.  The 22 km access road took 16 months to complete at a capital cost of R180-million. 

Manufacturing and assembly of the Komatsu haul trucks, which will be the primary movers of waste and ore at the Husab mine, is well under way. The trucks, each with a payload of 327 t, are delivered in a knocked-down form to the Husab site, where they are being assembled.  The tyres, which are 4 m in diameter and weigh 5.3 t each, are shipped from Japan as part of a supply agreement between Swakop Uranium and Bridgestone.  The first 11 trucks have been commissioned and handed over to the mining team.  The next batch of 12 trucks will be handed over by the end of 2014. Swakop Uranium will use a fleet of 43 of these haul trucks, which will be the primary movers of waste and ore on the Husab mine. 

Two hydraulic face shovels, which are used to load the haul trucks, have also been handed over to the operations team for premining. The remainder of the initial mining fleet, including rope shovels, drill rigs and other ancillary mining equipment, has also been delivered to site.

Construction of the 37 ha Husab village is complete. The village is a showcase in Namibia, comparing well with the standards of mining companies around the world. By the end of July 2014, the on-site project workforce stood at 3 300, of whom 87% were Namibian citizens.

Infrastructure is being developed to provide the critical utilities for construction and operation. Power lines and reservoirs are in place, and construction of the permanent water pipeline is progressing well.

The mining training programmes are progressing well. Six simulators were delivered to site and are in full operation.

Bulk earthworks for the processing plant are almost completed, and structural civil construction has begun. Equipment installation will begin in the second half of 2014. Construction of the most impressive structure – the primary crusher – remains on track, while each day progress can be seen on offices and workshops, the thickener base, and semi-autogenous (SAG) and ball mill foundations.

The first significant concrete pour took place in April when the SAG mill foundation was poured.  Substantial concrete pours have also taken place for the stockpile tunnel, thickeners and leach tanks. The handover of the thickener and leach tank foundation from the civil contractor to the erection contractor, took place in July 2014. The 120 t low-bed truck has arrived on site, and delivery of materials for the thickeners has started.

Swakop Uranium has also confirmed plans to build a 500 000 t sulphuric acid plant at the mine. Construction of the plant started in the second quarter of 2014. The Husab mine is expected to use all the sulphuric acid produced at the envisaged plant. Additional acid, if needed, will be imported or sourced locally.

Meanwhile, Tenova Bateman Technologies has been awarded a contract to supply 24 Bateman settlers to the Husab project.  The scope of the contract covers engineering, manufacture, delivery to site and assistance with installation and commissioning.

The order, due for completion in March 2015, was placed in March 2014 by the Husab Project Joint Venture (JV), the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contractor for the project. The settlers will be manufactured in South Africa.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Husab Project JV, comprising Amec and Tenova Bateman (engineering, procurement and construction contract); Gibb (bridge and road design); Basil Read Namibia (permanent access road, construction of the Lithops platforms and access road); Wilson Bayley Homes-Ovcon, or WBHO (bulk earthworks for entire plant); Komatsu (haul trucks and support fleet, dump body); Barloworld Namibia (road shovels, hydraulic mining shovels and drills; vibratory roller; skid steer loaders; backhoe excavator); Concor (contractors’ camp earthworks and infrastructure, construction of permanent haul roads); Botes & Kennedy Manyano (temporary water pipeline and temporary access road); Conco (power transformers, Husab substations and mobile pit substations); Woker Freight (clearing, transport and storage of tyres; customs clearance and import VAT deferment account management), Lithon Project Consultants (construction supervision and engineering services for permanent access road); Access Laboratory (site laboratory, blasting and excavations; independent quality control services); Stefanutti Stocks (bridge piling works); Synergistics, part of the SLR group (detailed design and construction supervision of the tailings storage facility; ongoing ground and surface water monitoring; environmental system implementation, which includes environmental site officer support; ad hoc environmental services; isotope study; environmental-impact assessment for the tailings storage facility amendment and other infrastructure changes; design and site supervision of the tailings storage facility); China State Construction & Engineering Co (mining complex structures; mining infrastructure civil works; mechanical installation and piping; pond lining, ancillary civil works, potable water supply and distribution pipeline; civil, structural and building activities for the construction of substations); ABB – Namibia (electrical and instrumentation early works and 33 kV overhead lines); Group Five – Namibia (structural, mechanical, platework and piping, solvent extraction, reagents and packaging and utilities); Namspace Contractors (prefabricated construction camp buildings, design, fabrication, supply and installation of EPCM office building and satellite office, relocation of mobile clinic to EPCM block, relocation of mobile induction room to EPCM block C); Consolidated Power Projects Namibia (132 kV pit transmission overhead line, supply and installation of transformers for mining and process plant, main intake substation and civil works, and mobile pit substation); HHK Earthing & Lightning Protection (earthing and lightning protection systems); ACMS Shelela (provision of equipment and services for the management and catering of the contractors); Rockwell Automation (process control systems); B & K Civils (temporary water pipeline from Rössing reservoir; temporary construction of access road); Environmental Control Engineering & Services (heating, ventilation and air conditioning – electrical); Fraser Alexander Namibia (tailings storage facility); Sinohydro Corporation (process plant civil works); IMS Engineering (supply and installation of primary and pebble crushers); China ENFI Engineering Corporation (sulphuric acid plant); Power Line Africa (lithops – Husab 132 kV overhead line); Refuse Solutions Civil Contractors (C28 intersection upgrade, truck staging area and signage; dust suppression - Welwitschia road from C28 to Husab camp); Logichem Process Engineering (ammonia storage plant); Enl Electrical/Instrumentation (electrical installation); Manhattan Business Solutions (steel warehouse storage facilities); Maccaferri South Africa (reinforced earth retaining walls); J&J Kinahan Archaeoaelogists (archaeological services); Labware Africa (laboratory information management system); Aqua Services & Engineering (sewage treatment plant and additional water tanks); Zest Electric Motors (mini substations); China Electric Equipment Group (distribution transformer); Zest Energy (pit transformers, 33 kV skid circuit breakers); Powermite (trailing cable); Iso-Tech Systems (junction boxes and connectors); Rockwell Automation (variable speed drives); Actom MV Switchgear (MV switchgear); Jiangsu Shangshang Cable Group (33 kV cables); WEG Transformers Africa (miniature substations); Ilcor Engineering Services (trailing cable skids, 120 t trailer and dolly); Nu-Co Design Manufacturers (haul road cable crossing towers); M & E Supplies (cable bridge); Eaton Electric South Africa (frame agreement); Outokumpu Stainless (supply of LDX 2404); Purolite (resin); Scientific Associates (vegetation health monitoring); SI Analytics (PM10 monitor); Synergistics Environmental Services (audit of Swakop Uranium – Husab project environmental management plan); Fairbridge Technologies (soil moisture monitoring); Lazer Communications (radio propagation study); Nermu (biodiversity and land management, and monitoring impacts of groundwater extraction on riparian vegetation); Marsh (insurance); CNPGC (insurance); SLR Environmental Consulting (renewal of water abstraction permits, groundwater monitoring, and quarterly sampling and groundwater monitoring on EPL3138); Waltons Namibia (EPCM office furniture); Namwater (Phase 4 and 5 of the Swakop South water supply scheme); Rent-a-Toilet (rental, cleaning and servicing of construction portable toilets); Steckels Toyota (supply and installation of safety equipment to nine site vehicles and three spare fire extinguishers; site vehicles); Gecko Laboratories (sample at correct grind size and PSD, and dust suppression of the Welwitschia road from C28 to Husab site); Lebedev Consulting (simulation modelling; Husab acid plant dynamic simulation, dynamic simulation study of trolley implementation plan, and Husab mine simulation); VO Consulting (review of Swakop Uranium radiation management plan); Safe Wear Namibia (alcohol detectors, radar speed gun, chromadeck boards, lock out tags); SGS South Africa (fallout dust analyses); Knight Piesold (GIS support); Inteltronics (weather station maintenance and calibration); Xylem Water South Africa (potable water pumps and Bowser refill pump); Airshed Planning Professionals (ambient monitoring network); FLSmidth (CCD thickener slurry density testwork, slurry pumps, thickener package); Namibia Technical Services (geotechnical drilling investigation); Vbkom Consulting Engineers (input data preparation for trolley assist); Safe Wear Namibia (rescue equipment for heights and confined spaces); Klerkscale (weigh bridge); Dalian Deep Blue Pump (solution pumps); Netzsch Southern Africa (positive displacement pump); Tenova Mining & Minerals (PLS clarifier and mixer settlers); Condra (crane package); Benetrax Machinery Namibia (tower cranes); Nitralife (process plant compressed air equipment, and nitrogen plant package); Styria (shop fabricated tanks); IWC (GRP tankage); Multotec Process Equipment (slurry samplers); Hydraulic Hammers (rock breaker); Sandvik Mining & Construction (belt conveyors); Eriez Magnetics (tramp metal magnets); vibrating screen package, Vibramech (vibrating feeders); Mixtec (mechanical agitators); Roymec Technologies (linear screens); Metso Minerals (apron feeder package); Outotec (pressure leaf filter); Turnmill Proquip Engineering (adsorption and elution columns); ProTherm System (heat exchangers); Jetrite (wash bay package); Flottweg (centrifuges); Marce Namibia (fire truck); BASF (flocculant make-up plant); Aqua Services & Engineering (water plant and potable water); Adelaide Control Engineering (packaged plant product drying and packing); MC Process Global (sodium carbonate make-up plant); MechProTech (pyrolusite make-up plant); Xstrata Technology (depurator/organic recovery flotation cell); Ingersoll Rand South Africa (plant compressed air equipment mining complex); Aqua Services & Engineering (filter plants); Abeco Tanks (pressed steel tank); Ekato RMT (mechanical agitators); Dalian Deep Blue Pump Co (pond pumps); Reliable Wheel Products (tyre press); Rent-A-Drum (waste management services, temporary waste/skip management at the Husab site); International SOS Namibia (site medical services); Engen Namibia (supply of fuel and lubricants); Omega Security Services (site security services); Jozi Power (rental of containerised generators); SME Lightning Protection and Earthing (soil resistivity survey and design of an earthing and lightning protection system); TPS.P Architects (architectural consulting services); Technical Risk Management Services (acid proofing consultancy); Redwing Technologies (consulting services for design of reactive power compensation and harmonic filtering equipment); Test-A-Relay (electrical protection and grading); TDx epc (electrical protection testing and grading consultant); Marsh (fire protection report); South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (radiological worker assessment and control procedures); ARQ (design and detailing of the lateral support retaining wall for the crusher building); Lithon Project Consultants (temporary water pipeline management services; contract administration for the permanent access road); Phambili Merz (quantity surveying and engineering services); Patterson & Cooke Consulting Engineers (tailings rheology testwork); M-Tech Consulting Engineers (services for the development of a maintenance philosophy); Seelinbinder Consulting Engineers (tender evaluation of new dedicated Swakop South water supply scheme, bulk water supply EPCM services); WAH Engineering (Coarse Ore Stockpile Structural Design); Tyre Corporation (new tyres and wheel alignment for the Husab project site vehicles); CCS Mining & Industrial (Candy – computer construction software); Container World Namibia (containers); Stainless Engineering (sewer treatment plant piping for standpipe, fabrication of goal posts, access control skids, pipelines flow meters, nonreturn valves and pipe supports for fresh water supply, pipeline for sewage treatment plant, reroute of potable water to EPCM offices and contractor area; barricading of EPCM office; additional piping for the water to the sewer treatment plant; remedial works to lister/petter pump motor at sewer treatment plant, pipeline tie-in, and containers for the camp generators); Dormac (fabrication & assembly of a water bowser refilling station); Nicmar Electrical Services (electrical connection to EPCM building); Kwena Electrical (circuit breakers and electrical works for the construction warehouse); Quiver Tree Investment One Three Co (remove treated effluent from treatment plant for dust suppression at night and upgrade and maintenance of the Welwitchia road); 4-Ply Project Execution (provision of management services to the Swakop Uranium project team in Johannesburg); CSCEC Namibia and CNPEC (construction of pipeline, service roads and ancillary works for Swakop South water supply); Joy Global (LeTourneau L-1850 Gen II front-end loader); Cobra Petro Projects (maintenance service trucks); Ian Dickie Co (Mobile Lighting Plant); Manito (fork lifts); Nanchang Mineral Systems Co (aggregate crushing plant); Thoroughbred Technologies (base simulator, Cybermine simulation system); Modular Mining Systems Incorporated (fleet management system hardware); CAE Mining Africa (three-dimensional geology modelling software and mine planning software); Optron (mine surveying hardware); Manitou (telehandler, tyre handler, diesel driven man boom); TrakBlaze (dump truck weighbridge); Otraco Tyre Management Namibia (tyre management, repairs and maintenance services); Quality Tyres (water truck and front-end loader tyres and haul truck tyres); Van Reenen Steel (dump body); Autohaus Windhoe (passenger bus); M+Z Motors Commercial Vehicles (truck tractor, and flat bed trucks with mounted cranes); TCS RUD (tyre chains); Bentley Systems International (survey software microstation perpetual licence); Ecosoft Systems (Microstation V8 - GWN-DTM); Dassault Systems South Africa (survey software and mine planning software); Bloy Resource Evaluation (grade control systems); Power Works (tyre handler) and Trysome Auto Electrical and Plant Hire (wheel chocks).

On Budget and on Time?
Yes.

Contact Details for Project Information
Swakop Uranium director: communication and stakeholder involvement Grant Marais, tel +264 61 419600 or email Grant.Marais@swakopuranium.com.na.
Swakop Uranium project manager Rodney Voigt, tel +27 11 840 7365 or email rodney.voigt@swakopuranium.com.na.