WINDHOEK, AUGUST 31 — Uranium is a raw material for environmentally friendly energy production. Its main advantage is that it is mined without harming the environment, thanks to in-situ recovery technology.
Long history of research development in terms of control and safety, as well as using uranium as a raw material in countries around the world proves that both the operation of reactors and the uranium mining itself using innovations are relatively safe for people and nature. Moreover, this technology is constantly being improved.
Namibia has mines capable of providing 10% of the world’s uranium production. Its first commercial mine began operating back in 1976. The total amount of uranium resources identified in the country as of January 1, 2021, was 636,916 tons. But at present, only two of Namibia’s three mines produce nuclear fuel: two entities work on the Husab Mine and Rössing Uranium Mine (both owned by CNNC).
With truly enormous uranium reserves, Namibia can become one of the world’s economic leaders in a relatively short time. To do this, it needs to develop mining using modern technology, as efficiently and safely as possible. As with other types of hard rock mining, there are several methods.
The first and fairly common method is open mining. It is suitable for cases where the ore body is located close to the surface of the earth. With this method, the earth on top of the uranium deposits is removed by drilling and blasting. Then, using rock blasts, uranium is mined, and after that, the raw material is transported to processing complexes using loaders and dump trucks. Open-pit mining requires large holes since the quarry walls must be inclined to prevent collapse. This method is the most labour-intensive, but it is used by Husab Mine and Rössing Uranium. Moreover, it is also necessary to construct a tailings storage facility for long-term waste storage.
The second method is underground mining, used when the ore body is situated deep. It is more expensive and is suitable when the concentration of uranium in the rock is high. Uranium ore is extracted by mechanical means, such as drilling, picks and shovels, and then transported to the surface. This method of mining is the most dangerous: workers are exposed to the highest level of radon gas, which accompanies the extraction of uranium gas.
However, there is a third method, which is fundamentally different from the first two and is the most technologically advanced and safe. It is called in-situ recovery (ISR). Another name for it is in-situ mining. With this method, special wells are drilled in the ground. A chemical solution is pumped into a hole in the rock near the uranium deposit. Solutions for dissolving uranium ore are weak acid solutions under 1% (sulfuric or, less often, nitric acid) or sodium bicarbonate. This liquid loosens leach uranium from the rock and draws it into itself.
The uranium-enriched solution then rises to the surface. It is filtered using resin granules that attract the uranium. The uranium-enriched resins are then transported to a processing plant where U3O8 is separated and yellowcake is obtained. The ISR method can be used without mining huge amounts of rock. No dangerous radioactive tailings or waste rock are formed.
The advantages of the ISR method include reduced risk to personnel in emergencies, lower well operating costs, and no need for large uranium ore storage facilities or the use of special equipment for its extraction and removal. With ISR, the ore mining process is eliminated: the initial stage of processing, the dissolution of uranium minerals, occurs in the subsoil. Due to this, the ISR method has firmly established itself in the first place in terms of economy. 28 of the 45 operating mines in the world are mined in this way today.
Stakeholders’ interest in the ISR mining method is growing rapidly, and the governments prefer to support it when it comes to developing new deposits. More than half of the world’s uranium today is mined this way, and mining methods are relegated to second place. For example, in Russia, one of the largest uranium producers, more than 60% of raw materials are mined by underground recovery.
Today, in Namibia, the Russian state corporation Rosatom is implementing the Wings project, aimed at identifying promising uranium deposits. The project started in 2010, and geological exploration is currently ongoing. Meanwhile, in the central part of the deposit, they are already preparing for pilot development, and it is quite possible that mining at the project will be carried out using this most modern and environmentally friendly method.
The use of the ISR method will allow Namibia to become one of the most technologically advanced countries in the field of uranium mining. This will increase the efficiency of mining reserves and increase the profitability of mining companies. The country will be able to extract raw materials for nuclear reactors without harming the environment and workers of mining companies at a fairly low cost.
