Rössing Uranium Mine

The Rössing Uranium Mine is one of the largest open pit uranium mines in the world. It is located in the Namib Desert 65 kilometres from Swakopmund. Discovered in 1928, it started operations in 1976 and in 2005, produced 3,711 tonnes of uranium oxide, making it the fifth-largest uranium mine of the world, producing 8 per cent of the world's uranium.

The uranium oxide extracted from deposits is one of Namibia's key exports and makes the country the fourth largest exporter of uranium in the world. Connected with general opposition to nuclear- and apartheid-related themes, the mine has also been in the focus of some international criticism since the 1980s. [ [http://www.sea-us.org.au/gulliver/rossing.html Opposition Outside Namibia] (from the The Gulliver Rossing Uranium Ltd Dossier)]

Mine operations

Extraction

Rössing is a low-grade ore body of huge extents. Producing 1,000 tonnes of uranium oxide requires processing of 3 million tonnes of ore, and in 2005 19.5 million tonnes of rock were mined and transported from the open pit to the processing plant. Of those, 12 million tonnes were uranium ore, which in turn required 226,276 tonnes of acid for processing into yellowcake, a powdered uranium concentrate which is the basis for nuclear reactor fuel.

There are some fears that salt and uranium from the mine is endangering the farming industry in the Swakop River area. Rössing is working with the Namibian farmers on this issue." [http://www.namibian.com.na/2005/June/national/05BECC679B.html Uranium in groundwater 'not serious': Roessing] " - The Namibian, Friday 24 June 2005] [cite web
url=http://www.rossing.com/erongo.htm
title="Rössing in the Erongo Region"
publisher=Rössing Uranium Limited
accessdate=2007-01-06 ]

Management

The mine is owned 68% by Rio Tinto Group, 15% by the Government of Iran, and 10% by IDC (Government of Namibia). [http://www.infomine.com/minesite/minesite.asp?site=rossing Rossing] (from infomine.com, status Friday 30 September 2005)] The part-ownership by Iran has been the cause of controversy in the past, though the Namibian Government has stated that Iran has not bought Namibian uranium, which could be used for nuclear weapons. [" [http://www.namibian.com.na/2005/February/national/0591B021BD.html "Iran did not buy uranium from Namibia," govt] " - "The Namibian", 1 February, 2005]

About 800 people worked at the mine in 2005, of whom 96% are Namibians. Of these, 160 work in the open pit, 186 work in the processing plant, 267 in engineering and 200 are administrative personnel. Most of the workers live in the mining settlement of Arandis or in nearby Swakopmund. Critics have argued that the mine has a history of racial discrimination against its black employees (a common feature of Apartheid-era companies), including harsh disciplinary measures, abominable housing conditions at Arandis, and low wages. Even with substantial improvements in the 90s after Namibia's independence, blacks and their unions still claim being disadvantaged. [ [http://www.sea-us.org.au/gulliver/rossing.html Rossing conditions] (from the The Gulliver Rossing Uranium Ltd Dossier)]

For 2006 and 2007 the mine management has announced investment of about US$112 million, mostly on mining equipment such as haul trucks and shovels, as well as on updating the processing plant. The main target is to increase uranium oxide production to the mine's full planned capacity of 4,000 tonnes. Expansion plans are expected to extend the mine's life to at least 2016. The possibility of underground mining has been explored in the past, and stated to have the possibility of extending the life of the mine for several further decades. [ [http://www.sea-us.org.au/gulliver/rossing.html Origins and development] (from the The Gulliver Rossing Uranium Ltd Dossier)]

See also

* Uranium market
* Uranium mining
* Uranium ore deposits

References

External links

* [http://www.rossing.com/ Rossing Mine] (company website)
* [http://www.infomine.com/index/properties/ROSSING_URANIUM_MINE.html Rossing Mine] (from infomine.com, includes links to detailed info, satellite images, property map)
*" [http://www.sea-us.org.au/gulliver/rossing.html The Gulliver File: Rossing Uranium Ltd Dossier] " (from SEA-US, an Australian anti-nuclear initiative ("strong negative bias"), last revised 1997)