4
MODERN MINING
May 2014
MINING News
The first blast at Swakop Uranium’s US$2,5
billion Husab project near Swakopmund in
Namibia was detonated in March this year,
marking the start of mining activities on
what will become the world’s second larg-
est uraniummine (after the McArthur mine
in northern Saskatchewan, Canada).
Husab is being developed as a low-risk,
conventional, large-scale load-and-haul
open-pit mine, feeding ore to a conven-
tional agitated acid leach process plant.
The project represents a major boost for
Namibia’s economy – up to 6 000 people
will be employed during construction
while 2 000 permanent positions will be
created once the mine is in full operation
in 2017.
In an article in the latest edition of
Husab Voice
, the newsletter of Swakop
Uranium, the company’s Senior VP:
Operations, Deon Garbers, says the plan
is to ensure that a run-of-mine (ROM)
First blast marks start of mining at Husab
stockpile will be ready for processing on
completion of construction of the process-
ing plant. The mine and process plant are
designed to produce 15 million pounds of
uranium oxide a year.
An important recent development
on the project was the securing of buffer
storages for water so that the project can
continue uninterrupted until the perma-
nent water line is constructed and comes
on stream.
“Due to significant project ramp-up, we
envisage increased demand for construc-
tion water in the year ahead,” says Garbers
in the article. “The project team therefore
utilised the Christmas break to mitigate
the risk by filling newly constructed ponds
which have a capacity of 52 000m
3
, roughly
ten times that of the temporary pond. A
long term off-take agreement signed with
NamWater will ensure that all water used
during and after the project will be desali-
nated, thus preserving coastal aquifers.”
Swakop Uranium has in the meantime
confirmed plans to build a 500 000 tonne
sulphuric acid plant at the mine. Sulphuric
acid is a key chemical used to recover
uranium in an orebody. Construction of
the sulphuric acid plant will start in the
second quarter of 2014. The Husab mine
is expected to utilise all the sulphuric
acid produced at the envisaged plant.
Additional acid, if needed, will be imported
or sourced locally.
Electricity from the NamPower grid
was connected on 3 February through
a 17 MVA mobile substation. The Husab
mine site will have up to 50 MVA by the
end of the year through a permanent
substation.
The permanent road and bridge over
the Khan River was completed recently
and officially opened in early May. The
turnoff to the Husab mine is 45 km from
Swakopmund and meanders over the
Khan River Valley approximately 14 km
from the B2 main road. The bridge over
the Khan River is 160 m long, linking the
mine to the main B2 transport route lead-
ing to Swakopmund. The surfaced road
connecting the mine with the Namibian
road network stretches over 22 km.
Some of the heavy mining equipment
needed for the massive open-pit operation
at Husab has also arrived on site. By the
end of February this year, five of the giant
Komatsu 960E-2KT haul trucks (each with
a payload of 327 tonnes) had been assem-
bled at the site, as well as the first of three
Cat 6060FS hydraulic face shovels which
(along with three Cat 7495 electric rope
shovels, eight rotary blasthole drill rigs and
two diesel engine motivators) are being
supplied by Barloworld Equipment.
The first blast at the Husab mine took place on 12 March this year (photo: Swakop Uranium).
Cat 6060FS shovel at Husab. The machine has an operating weight of 569 tonnes and an engine rating
of 2 240 kW (photo: Swakop Uranium).
