Staff Reporter
UNPLANNED water outages in the Erongo Region, specifically Swakopmund, were one of the main contributing factors that negatively impacted mining production at certain mines in 2022.
This was highlighted by the Governor of the Erongo Region, Neville Andre Itope, during his recent State of the Region Address. He revealed that mining productions at Rössing Uranium Mine and Swakop Uranium’s Husab Mine, in particular, were hindered by unplanned water shortages in 2022.
Itope explained that Rössing Uranium Mine’s production in 2022 amounted to 2,659 tons of Uranium ore, which is about 7.7% less than in 2021. The main reasons for the lower production, he said, are related to a lower ore feed grade as well as unplanned water outages due to a lack of supply from the Erongo Desalination Plant. The unplanned water outages from the desalination plant were a result of an elevated sulphur eruption in the ocean.
Itope further revealed that total uranium production at the Husab Mine in 2022 was 3,960 tons of ore, marginally above the 2021 production of 3,902 tons of ore. Husab Mine’s mining production, he added, was just over 97 million tonnes, a slight reduction from the 102 million tons mined in 2021. In this case too, water shortages were highlighted as the main culprit. According to the governor, Husab Mine lost 39 production days due to water shortages.
“Water provision remains a real challenge for the industry in Namibia, as the supply is limited and characterised by interruptions,” Itope said.
Despite the challenges, Itope noted that the Erongo Desalination Plant remained an important contributor to the supply of potable water in the Erongo Region throughout 2022, as it provided a substantial portion of the supply for Swakopmund and the uranium mines.
Nonetheless, he expressed excitement at the progress made with regards to the Central Coast Desalination Plant, which has been approved by Cabinet, emphasizing that the additional desalination plant will benefit various industries, including the mines.
“I am happy that the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform is hard at work to make this massive development project a reality in the shortest possible time because it will benefit various industries and address the water challenges we are facing,” Itope said.
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