Areva's Trekkopje uranium mine in Namibia is gearing up for full
production by April, backed by a new sea water desalination plant.
Areva is investing €532-m at Trekkopje. The mine is an opencast operation. Its deposit is a shallow, high tonnage, low-grade uranium hosted by calcretised palaeochannels. Mineralisation covers some 16 km by 3 km.
Operation is by hydraulic excavators and loaders with 80% drill and blast.
The mine would supply 35% of its ore to China, and 65% to Areva's own nuclear reactors around the world.
Trekkopje mine is 80 km north-east of Swakopmund. It is the third uranium mine of French-based Areva Resources, the others being Rössing and Langer Heinrich.
Alkaline heap leaching
Uranium ore would be processed through an alkaline heap leaching process, a first on this scale. The process demands 17 million cubic meters of water per year. Areva has constructed a large-scale desalination plant at Wlotzkasbaken north of Swakopmund some 40 km from the site. Capacity of the intake pipes will be 45 million cubic meters per year.
Potable water is expected to be on line in April, said Trekkopje manager Paul Day. Technology includes screen filtration, ultra filtration, reversed osmosis and chemical treatment.
Community upliftment will be a strong focus for the company throughout the life of Trekkopje mine which is estimated to will run for 12 years.
The mine has three phases, named Mini, Midi and Maxi. Mini has two pads with a 120mm and 38mm crushing ore pilot plant. Midi has 10 cells of 300 000 tonnes with 38mm crushed ore at a stacking rate of 9000 tonnes per day.
Maxi, the mother plant, is 2km long, 810m wide and will handle 36 tonnes of 38mm ore per year at a stacking rate of 100 000 per day, where water from the new plant would be needed.
Leaching to dissolve uranium will be an ongoing process at the mine. “We have to produce 100 000 tonnes per day to make money,” Paul Day said.
Reagent plant contractor
Extraction of the deposit is done with carbonate and the reagents will be shipped and stored in Walvis Bay harbour with a three weeks buffer.
To supply the mine, reagents will then be carried via the railway between the harbour and Arandis and then by trucks with a week buffer. The reagent plant will be operated by a contractor.
Day says health and safety records at the mine are excellent, not having recorded a single injury since the commencement of construction last year. There are 240 employees and 200 permanent workers. A total of 2 000 people are working on the construction project.
“We will bring 1 000 permanent jobs to Areva which is 92%,” said Day. Leaching and stacking are new technologies. Two reservoirs at the mine will take 22 000 cubic meters of water each, and three booster pump stations 20km apart.
The plant will provide water to the mine, local communities, and nearby mines. NamWater may build another desalination plant, or expand the existing one.
Power and expansion space are already available.
Areva Namibia MD Enrico Barbaglia says they are in talks with NamWater as a potential investor.
Sea water enables Namibian uranium mining
Areva's Trekkopje uranium mine in Namibia is gearing up for full
production by April, backed by a new sea water desalination plant.
Areva is investing €532-m at Trekkopje. The mine is an opencast operation. Its deposit is a shallow, high tonnage, low-grade uranium hosted by calcretised palaeochannels. Mineralisation covers some 16 km by 3 km.
Operation is by hydraulic excavators and loaders with 80% drill and blast.
The mine would supply 35% of its ore to China, and 65% to Areva's own nuclear reactors around the world.
Trekkopje mine is 80 km north-east of Swakopmund. It is the third uranium mine of French-based Areva Resources, the others being Rössing and Langer Heinrich.
Alkaline heap leaching
Uranium ore would be processed through an alkaline heap leaching process, a first on this scale. The process demands 17 million cubic meters of water per year.
Areva has constructed a large-scale desalination plant at Wlotzkasbaken north of Swakopmund some 40 km from the site. Capacity of the intake pipes will be 45 million cubic meters per year.
Potable water is expected to be on line in April, said Trekkopje manager Paul Day. Technology includes screen filtration, ultra filtration, reversed osmosis and chemical treatment.
Community upliftment will be a strong focus for the company throughout the life of Trekkopje mine which is estimated to will run for 12 years.
The mine has three phases, named Mini, Midi and Maxi. Mini has two pads with a 120mm and 38mm crushing ore pilot plant. Midi has 10 cells of 300 000 tonnes with 38mm crushed ore at a stacking rate of 9000 tonnes per day.
Maxi, the mother plant, is 2km long, 810m wide and will handle 36 tonnes of 38mm ore per year at a stacking rate of 100 000 per day, where water from the new plant would be needed.
Leaching to dissolve uranium will be an ongoing process at the mine. “We have to produce 100 000 tonnes per day to make money,” Paul Day said.
Reagent plant contractor
Extraction of the deposit is done with carbonate and the reagents will be shipped and stored in Walvis Bay harbour with a three weeks buffer.
To supply the mine, reagents will then be carried via the railway between the harbour and Arandis and then by trucks with a week buffer. The reagent plant will be operated by a contractor.
Day says health and safety records at the mine are excellent, not having recorded a single injury since the commencement of construction last year. There are 240 employees and 200 permanent workers. A total of 2 000 people are working on the construction project.
“We will bring 1 000 permanent jobs to Areva which is 92%,” said Day. Leaching and stacking are new technologies. Two reservoirs at the mine will take 22 000 cubic meters of water each, and three booster pump stations 20km apart.
The plant will provide water to the mine, local communities, and nearby mines. NamWater may build another desalination plant, or expand the existing one.
Power and expansion space are already available.
Areva Namibia MD Enrico Barbaglia says they are in talks with NamWater as a potential investor.
[www.minerschoice.co.za]