Swakop Uranium, a subsidiary of China General Nuclear Power Group, has entered into a joint venture agreement with Namibia’s state water utility, NamWater, to develop the country’s second desalination plant near Swakopmund.
The facility will be the second desalination plant in one of Africa’s driest countries and is intended to support water supply for the Husab uranium mine while also benefiting nearby communities in the Erongo region along the Atlantic coast.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the joint venture partners confirmed that negotiations had concluded successfully and that the project would proceed to the implementation phase. Under the agreement, Swakop Uranium holds a 70% stake in the venture, with NamWater holding the remaining share.
"The next steps include the registration of the Erongo Sunam Desalination Project Joint Venture Company, the detailed engineering, environmental assessments, financing arrangements and construction planning," according to the statement.
The planned facility will have a capacity of 20 million cubic meters and has been under consideration since 1998. It is expected to provide a stable and cost-effective water supply to Husab mine, as well as to neighboring mines and surrounding communities.
Husab is the world’s largest open-pit uranium mine and the biggest consumer of water in the Erongo region. It is also the second-largest single consumer of water nationally, after the City of Windhoek, officials said.
NamWater spokesperson Lot Ndamanomhata declined to disclose the total cost of the project. However, local media have reported an estimated cost of 3 billion Namibian dollars (about $176 million).
