Valencia - Namibias third uranium mine?Namibia soon to have third, or even fourth, operational uranium mine
By: Irma Venter
Published: 27 Apr 07
Namibia will soon have its third – or fourth – operational uranium mine, says Snowden resource evaluation divisional manager Graham Greenway, adding to the Rossing and Langer Heinrich operations.
It all depends on which mine switches the lights on first – Uramin’s Trekkopje, expected to start at the end of 2008, or Valencia, in a close race to do so as well.
Snowden conducted technical work on behalf of Toronto-listed Forsys Metals at its Valencia deposit.
Greenway says it is a known deposit with a long history.
Goldfields Namibia conducted two preliminary feasibility studies at Valencia in 1981 and 1989. However, the project “didn’t live up to expectations”, owing mostly to the low uranium prices prevailing at the time.
This situation has changed dramatically over the last few years, though, as the uranium spot price shot up from about $10/lb, to more than $100/lb, prompting Forsys in 2005 to take a fresh look at Valencia.
The deposit certainly has a prominent address. Valencia is located 35 km along the geologi- cal strike to Rio Tinto’s R?ng mine, and 40 km north of Paladin Resources’ Langer Heinrich operation.
“It’s a lot like Rössing,” says Greenway. “It’s sort of a poor cousin.”
The reason it’s the empty-pocket relative is that the grades “are pretty low”. Snowden’s work has shown measured resources to be 15,1-million tons, at 0,16 kg/t, and indicated resources of 104,2-million tons at 0,13 kg/t.
(The current measured resources at Langer Heinrich, for example, are 22,72-milllion tons at 0,64 kg/t, and 14,46-million tons at 0,55 kg/t of indicated resources.)
“It’s not big, but something can be done with it. At current price levels, it is possible to take out all of the deposit,” says Greenway.
He adds that any mine at Valencia will probably be an opencast drill-and-blast, shovel-and-truck operation.
The pit could reach a depth of 320 m.
The project is currently the subject of a prefeasibility study. A preliminary environmental study has been completed.
“The next phase is to go from a prefeasiblity to a feasibility study, if the results are positive,” says Greenway.
Current indications are that the availability of water will be a challenge in developing the Valencia deposit, he adds.
Fresh water will have to be imported to the site in the Namib desert, and this water will have to be recycled as much as possible.
Another challenge is logistics and access, as the deposit is located in the middle of the desert, and some kilometres away from road and rail infrastructure.
Forsys Metals is an exploration company specialising in advancing high-value uranium, precious- and base-metal projects in Namibia.
It has a portfolio of mineral properties, including Ondundud Gold and Elbe Copper Zinc.
Forsys conducts all its exploration and devel- opment operations through its wholly owned Nami- bian subsidiary, Westport Resources Namibia.
https://www.miningweekly.co.za/article.php?a_id=107417