The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources has thrown its weight behind uranium exploration activities by Rosatom in Leonardville, saying the project could unlock billions of dollars for Namibia and create thousands of jobs.

The committee recently held a consultative meeting with Rosatom and its Namibian subsidiary, Headspring Investments (Pty) Ltd, to assess the scale of investment, progress in exploration and potential benefits for the country.

Headspring Investments is wholly owned by Uranium One Group, the international mining arm of Rosatom, a Russian state-owned enterprise responsible for managing Russia’s nuclear energy sector.

“Rosatom has discovered an estimated 50 000 metric tonnes of uranium near Leonardville in the Omaheke region. The discovery is valued at about US$18 billion without any value addition,” said the committee.

Headspring has been exploring uranium since 2011 under eight Exclusive Prospecting Licences (EPLs) in the Omaheke Region, with smaller portions in Hardap and Khomas. Most drilling took place on 39 commercial farms around Leonardville.

To date, about 50% of the exploration work has been completed. The company drilled 592 exploration boreholes between 2012 and 2021, as well as 36 hydrogeological monitoring boreholes.

Operations were suspended in 2013 due to a national moratorium on uranium exploration. Activities resumed between 2018 and 2019 after the moratorium was lifted.

In late 2021, some drilling permits were revoked following complaints from an NGO. The farmers involved claimed that uranium exploration could contaminate underground water sources. However, the committee noted that uranium is a natural resource that has existed in the area for billions of years.

“The uranium is not being brought into Leonardville. It is naturally occurring, just like in the Erongo region. Scientific processes must determine the real risks, not emotions,” the committee stated.

The project is, however, hanging by a thread after environmentalists and local farmers remain resolute in their resolve – opposing it.  Their rejection is hinged on the contention that the proposed uranium extraction method’s risks outweigh the benefits. The dominant fear is the contamination of the scarce underground water resources in the area. 

ISR

The company plans to use In-Situ Recovery (ISR) mining technology, which has been used globally for more than 50 years and accounts for about half of the world’s uranium production.

According to the committee, ISR has been successfully applied in countries such as the United States, Kazakhstan and Russia. Uranium One currently operates five ISR mines in Kazakhstan.

The committee said modern technology would help identify areas with clean water and areas with natural contamination, allowing the government to make informed decisions on water management.

“It is the only way scientific knowledge can be acquired on where natural contaminations are so that the government can apply mitigation strategies, such as bringing in fresh water,” the committee said.

The committee also met with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which reaffirmed its support for Namibia’s uranium sector and its ambition to move beyond mining into mineral beneficiation and nuclear technology.

The IAEA reportedly warned that if Namibia does not move into beneficiation, other countries could use Namibian uranium to industrialise themselves while Namibia remains only a raw material supplier.

Furthermore, Rosatom has indicated it is ready to invest more than US$5 billion directly into Namibia and help develop nuclear technologies, including mineral beneficiation, nuclear energy, nuclear medicine and nuclear fuel development.

The company says the full project could create more than 20 000 direct and indirect jobs and build a supply and value chain exceeding US$40 billion over time.

The committee said the investment aligns with Namibia’s national development goals under NDP6 and the integration of new uranium mines into the national mining grid.

“Namibia stands to gain a great deal from this investment. The exploration and future mining activities should continue without delay, guided by science and proper environmental safeguards,” the committee said.

Resistance 

However, there has been resistance for the project’s implementation. 

Those who oppose the project have argued it threatens water security. 

Former agriculture and water minister Calle Schlettwein was one of those opposed to the project. 

During his time in office, Schlettwein adopted a cautious approach to uranium extraction in the region.  Schlettwein said: “We cannot survive without water and food, but we can live without coal or uranium. Therefore, we believe it is our duty, as government and responsible citizens, to be cautious about all activities that could negatively impact our scarce, life-giving resource – water.” 

However, Omaheke governor Pijoo Nganate said they cannot continue swimming in a pool of poverty while there is a resource that could change their lives forever. 

At the time in 2024, Omaheke recorded 300 cases of malnutrition in six months – from January to June that year, including 263 admissions, nine readmissions and 26 deaths.

Nganate painted a worrisome picture, one wherein the region’s most destitute are left to their own devices while affluence lies below their feet.  In advancing his argument, the usually soft-spoken governor did not mince his words. 

He hoped uranium exploration in parts of his region can turn around fortunes for residents. The only drawback is the proposed uranium extraction method that is bothering residents.

“People in my region ask, ‘What do we have to lose if we are anyway dying next to this water, and this water does not mean anything to us? These people are affected by poverty. They hardly have a glass of water, and you are telling them about water contamination,” said the governor.  

“I’m sure there must be a safe way to mine this mineral that can uplift my people out of poverty. When I die one day, I don’t want my children to pee on my grave because I was not able to save them from poverty. I also do not want them to pee on my grave because I caused the death of so many people,” he said. 

– pmukokobi@nepc.com.na