Case Study of Namibia. Appendix I [Background of the Uranium Industry in Namibia] (French Edition)

Uranium minerals were first discovered in Namibia in 1928, in the vicinity of what would later become the Rössing mine. However, it was in the 1960s that Rio Tinto acquired exploration rights in the area and subsequently discovered a number of low grade uranium ore bodies on the north side of the rocky Khan River. Detailed beneficiation test work was carried out, with the results leading to the opening of the Rössing mine in 1976. With more than 40 years of operation, this is currently the longest operating uranium open pit mine in the world. A notable increase in the demand for nuclear fuel for power generation in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the successful development of the Rössing mine, led to an intensification of uranium exploration in central Namibia by a number of different companies. However, the slow decline in uranium prices prevented the uranium deposits that were identified during the course of this exploration from being developed into operational mines for several decades. Increasing uranium prices at the beginning of the new millennium eventually resulted in the establishment of the Langer Heinrich mine in 2007, when uranium prices were at an all‑time high, which once again led to an exploration rush in the western Erongo region. The Langer Heinrich mine produced 1526 t U) in 2017. In the same year, the Rössing mine produced 1790 t U. High resolution airborne geophysical data from the Geological Survey of Namibia were key in exploration efforts to detect the world class Husab uranium deposit, which now supports the Husab mine, set to become the world's third largest uranium producer. Following the production of its first drum of yellow cake on 20 December 2016, the Husab mine produced 1140 t U in 2017. The mine reached its annual nameplate capacity of 5680 t U in 2020.