
The Namibian Uranium Association
The Namibian Uranium Association (NUA) is the representative body of the Namibian uranium industry. Through research and provision of factual information, the NUA supports policies that let uranium compete as an energy source appropriate for our modern society, taking into consideration the need for a low carbon footprint as provided for in the Paris Agreement. Members of NUA include all Namibian uranium mining operations, most of Namibia’s leading uranium exploration companies, and associated contractors.
The affairs of NUA are managed and controlled by a Board of Trustees. The Board is currently chaired by Johan Coetzee, Managing Director of Rössing Uranium. Hilifa Mbako, Executive Chairman of Orano Mining Namibia, serves as Vice Chair.
NUA is the leading point of contact for government, media, stakeholders, the general public and anybody interested in the position and policies of the Namibian uranium industry. NUA promotes industry’s adherence to strong sustainable development performance, product stewardship and compliance with the Namibian legislative framework.
Uranium Stewardship
Stewardship is an ethic that represents the careful and responsible management of things entrusted into one’s care, and in the case of a mineral resource it means the responsible planning, and sustainable development and utilization of resources, while safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders. NUA members accept the responsibilities of uranium stewardship by building partnerships throughout the life cycle of the product to ensure that production, use and disposal are consistent with the global sustainable development goals. Uranium exploration and mining projects in Namibia take place in a cluster, and there are therefore cumulative impacts rather than individual impacts of isolated operations. The area is characterized by aridity, vast desert landscapes, scenic beauty, extraordinary biodiversity and endemism, and heritage resources. Many activities occur in two National Parks, and an integrated approach is required to ensure co-existence of industrial activities and conservation, as well as tourism, hence exploration for and mining of uranium needs to be balanced with environmental protection values. In practice, accepting uranium stewardship therefore includes
- the cooperation of all exploration and mining companies in Namibia, as their cumulative impacts cannot be addressed in isolation
- the avoidance of unsustainable practices by individual companies, which could have a negative impact on the entire industry
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the development and implementation of best practice guidelines for health, the environment, radiation, safety and security, and community issues
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ensuring the sustainability of production, use, and disposal as a social licence to operate
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ensuring that projects are technically appropriate, environmentally sound, and socially responsible
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the integration of environmental, economic and social aspects from exploration through construction, operation to mine closure, and
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the commitment to the responsible management of chemicals, ores, ore concentrates, and final product.
As part of its stewardship mission, NUA has established the Namibian Uranium Institute (NUI). NUI is guided by respected independent scientists who serve on NUA’s Scientific Committee. The main purpose of the NUI is to provide a platform for NUA members to work together to improve safety and health performance through the identification of world-class leading best practices and their implementation; to act as a communication hub for the uranium industry in Namibia; and to promote knowledge and capacity building in specialised skills in the fields of environmental management, radiation safety and health. NUI is therefore working closely with the Namibian government and its agencies, and also has close ties with the Namibian University of Science and Technology.
From the start, exploration and mining companies involved in the Namibian uranium sector have fully recognized that managing environmental issues, radiation, health and safety, and waste is of paramount importance in order to protect staff, the general public and the receiving environment. Responsible management of uranium mining and processing applies at all stages from planning, exploration, development and construction to operations, sale, transport and finally decommissioning. This can best be achieved in a coordinated way with interaction of all players involved, and NUA is the vehicle of choice to accomplish this.
Environmental Responsibility
NUA works towards a balance of environmental protection values and exploration for and mining of uranium. The Association also addresses the social and cultural needs of communities in the area, people employed by the uranium industry, as well as business and economic imperatives of the respective shareholders. NUA promotes the principle of zero harm and universal adherence to the World Nuclear Association’s policy document on uranium mining standards. It also ensures adherence to strong sustainable development performance through compliance and indeed active participation in the Strategic Environmental Management Plan implemented by the Namibian Ministry of Mines and Energy. NUA strongly supports a coordinated and joint strategic approach by industry and government to ensure sustainable economic development in the Erongo Region and beyond. NUA is also guided by Namibia’s Vision 2030, the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the African Consolidated Position on the UN Agenda, and the African Union Agenda 2063.
On environmental matters, the Director of NUI works closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and is a member of the IAEA Technical Working Group on Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation. She is a member of a number of working groups of the World Nuclear Association, which also deal with environmental issues such as radiation safety and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. At the local level, the NUI director is a member of the Exploration and ESG Subcomittees of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia, as well as of the Chamber’s Environmental and Social Committee, which works towards expanding the industry’s contribution to socio-economic development in Namibia, while preserving the natural environment and ecosystems that are impacted by mining operations. In 2024, work continued with UNESCO’s Global Geopark Council, and the NUI Director served as chair of Namibia’s Geopark Interim Task Force. In addition, the NUI director is a member of the National Commission for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, both positions provide an opportunity to highlight the environmentally responsible way in which the industry operates within a proposed future Namibian Geopark, and on the doorsteps of a World Heritage site. NUA is also a member of the Recycle Forum Namibia.
Commitment to the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Framework
The concept of sustainable development is one of the cornerstones on which Namibia’s Constitution is built. The United Nations Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the basis for Namibia’s fifth National Development Plan NDP5. More recently, the ESG management and analysis framework has been developed, which helps stakeholders to understand how an industry manages risks and opportunities related to environmental, social and governance criteria, and therefore how sustainably the industry is operating. ESG takes the holistic view that sustainability extends beyond just environmental issues. It is therefore essential to integrate environmental, economic, and social aspects through all phases of mineral production from exploration through construction, operation, and mine site closure, in order to ensure that investments are technically appropriate, environmentally sound, financially profitable, and socially responsible.
NUA therefore maintains an ESG (SD) Committee under the auspices of the NUI, in order to assist the organisation in promoting best practices with regard to health, environment, and radiation safety and security; and investigate any issue which could potentially have a negative impact. The ESG Committee is a standing committee, and has appointed four Working Groups to assist with specific topics. A thorough risk assessment for all issues associated with the uranium industry was undertaken by the ESG Committee’s predecessor, the SD Committee, and informed the progression from the SD concept to an ESG framework in 2023.
Strategic Partnerships
NUA fosters a number of strategic partnerships in order to promote the Namibian uranium brand. Interaction with the Namibian Government is indispensable, and includes regulators such as the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME); the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT); the National Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) and the Atomic Energy Board (AEB), both within the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS); as well as the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (MIRCO), with the Director of NUI serving as a member of the National Technical Working Group on Namibia’s Application for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. In response to the pandemic situation, NUA is also represented on the Regional Coordination Committee of the Erongo Region Directorate of the MoHSS. Contact is also maintained with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the NUI director has continued to work on a Namibian case study for a forthcoming IAEA publication on milestones in the nuclear fuel cycle. The Government Mining Company Epangelo Mining is a member of NUA. A close relationship with the relevant municipalities, the Erongo Regional Governor and the Erongo Development Foundation guarantees that NUA keeps abreast with local developments and Corporate Social Responsibility requirements. Interaction with the parastatals NamWater, NamPower, TransNamib and NamPort ensures up-to-date knowledge about the provision of essential services.
The quality of training and research is addressed through interaction with the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST), with two members of NUA’s Scientific Committee coming from these institutions. There is of course regular contact with the Namibian Chamber of Mines, and the NUI director is a member of the Chamber’s Exploration, Environmental and Social, and ESG Committees. NUA is also a member of the World Nuclear Association (WNA), where the Director of NUI participates in a number of working groups, namely the Working Groups on Radiological Protection, on Waste Management and Decommissioning, on Transport, and on the Nuclear Fuel Report.
NUA holds membership of the Namibia Scientific Society, the Swakopmund Scientific Society (member of the board), and the Recycle Namibia Forum. Furthermore, the Director of NUI serves as Vice-Chairperson of the National Committee for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention in Namibia, and as Chairperson of its Technical Subcommittee, which is an important partnership taking into consideration that NUA members are operating on the doorstep of the Namib Sand Sea World Heritage Site. The Director of NUI is furthermore serving on the scientific board of the UNESCO’s International Geoscience Programme, and was a member of UNESCO’s Global Geopark Council for the last 5 years.
Compliance and Enforcement
The Namibian uranium industry is subject to the provision of a number of legal instruments, in particular the Minerals Act, 1992 (Act 33 of 1992) the Atomic Energy and Radiation Protection Act, 2005 (Act No 5 of 2005) and its Regulations, the Environmental Management Act, 2007 (Act 7 of 2007), as well as international agreements such as the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Other commitments result from Namibia’s membership of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
NUA members are operating according to international best practice, as enshrined in NUA’s Constitution and Code of Conduct. They are setting a high standard through their commitment to product stewardship, and have at all times been in compliance with the instruments listed above. In addition, NUA’s contribution to the implementation of the Ministry of Mines and Energy’s Strategic Environmental Management Plan for the Uranium Province further ensures the industry’s performance in the best interest of Namibia and her people.
Compliance and Enforcement
A number of reasons can be cited for the substantial uranium price increases in 2023/24. The geopolitical situation was one such factor. Russia has akey role in conversion and enrichment, but many countries tried to decrease their dependency on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. The US House of Representatives passed legislation in December 2023 to ban imports of enriched uranium from Russia. Niger, a major uranium supplier to the European Union, made headlines in 2023 due to supply concerns as a result of the military coup in that country. Cameco revised it’s annual production expectations downwards in response to issues at it’s operations in Canada. The World’s largest producer, Kazakhstan, remained with a curtailed production, because of problems with the supply chain for sulphuric acid needed for their ISL operations. In addition, the worldwide renaissance of nuclear energy, based on the realisation that a move away from fossil fuels cannot be achieved with renewable energy alone; and the depletion of stockpiles and move of supplies into physical uranium trusts have generated a deficit in the supply and demand scenario. All these issues contributed to uranium price gains, and resulted in uranium being one of the best performing commodities of 2023/24.
The incentive price for a number of Namibian uranium projects has now been reached, and the Ministry of Mines and Energy has supported the situation by issuing 2 new mining licenses. Namibia is the third largest producer of uranium worldwide, and with increased production at the Husab Mine, the Namibian uranium industry provided a record amount of 8 238 t U3O8 to the World’s uranium market. The re-opening of the Langer Heinrich Mine, and the development of new projects highlights Namibia’s potential to provide even more.
Namibian uranium is mined and explored for according to international best practise when it comes to the management of the environment and radiation safety. The industry furthermore makes valuable contributions to the welfare of communities in the area, thereby adhering to the highest ESG standards. Namibia is therefore a supplier of choice for worldwide customers who consider product stewardship important.
NUA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mr Johan Coetzee, Chair (Rössing Uranium)
Mr Johan Roux (Langer Heinrich Uranium)
Mr John Borshoff (Deep Yellow Limited)
Mr Dong Huan Chen (Zhonghe Resources)
Mr Kirill Egorov (Headspring Investments)
Mr Werner Ewald (Bannerman Resources)
Mr Murray Hill (Elevate Uranium)
Mr Mike Leech (Honorary Member)
Mr Hilifa Mbako (Orano Mining Namibia)
Dr Gabi Schneider (NUI)
Mr Irvinne Simataa (Swakop Uranium)
Mr Pienaar van Wyk (Forsys Metals Corp.)
