Rössing Uranium Limited has installed six water reservoirs, which will complement the storage capacity that is provided by NamWater reservoirs and the Orano Desalination Plant which supplies about 50 per cent of the town’s fresh water.
The current water interruptions experienced at the desalination plant as a result of the occasional, unpredictable sulphur outbreaks in the ocean as well as the NamWater reservoir level drops, do not just affect Arandis town alone, but also forces the mine to cease operations until reservoir levels recover sufficiently to safely resume operations.
Speaking at the official inauguration of the reservoirs in Arandis on Thursday, Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Calle Schlettwein emphasised that such interruptions are unsustainable and often led to Rössing mine incurring significant production losses.
“It however means that now with the additional storage capacity, unforeseen extended water interruptions can be bridged and security of water supply is significantly improved for both the mine and the community of Arandis,” he said.
The construction of the six reservoirs will also enable the mine to continue with production for seven additional days during periods of extended water supply outages.
Schlettwein said the investment aligns well with the national goals of achieving water supply security for industry and households.
“The impact of investment of this nature on the sustainability and operations of Rössing Uranium Mine signifies the macro-criticality of secure water supply to enable and sustain investments in the mining sector in particular, and the economy in general,” he added.
According to the mine, between 2017 and 2020 alone, it lost 59 days of production in total, equating to 464 tonnes of uranium in lost production due to water interruptions.
RUL General Manager for Asset Management, Edwin Tjiriange said the reliance of mines in Erongo Region on the desalination plant have increased significantly due to the depletion of the natural aquifer which historically provided water to the region.
The N.dollars 105 million reservoirs are 41.2 metres in diameter each, 8.4m high and each have a capacity of 10 000 square metres.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency