Lack of power and water cap Namibian uranium output

A shortage of energy and water will cap future uranium mine expansion in Namibia, but the country hopes to ease the bottlenecks through desalination and a new coal-fired power plant, an industry body said on Wednesday.

The government has issued some 50 exclusive prospecting licenses for more uranium mining firms, but output of uranium is dependent on the availability of water.
The only concern for the new desalination plants was the shortage of power as it is a very energy-intensive process.

“We are heavily dependent on South Africa for power,” Swiegers told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the World Nuclear Association meeting in London.

The country faces a shortfall of power and imports electricity from South Africa, which has seen its own mining industry hit by shortages of electricity this year.

Reuters