Uranium core samples removed

Uranium drilling core samples stored in containers on a farm about 40km outside Rehoboth have recently been removed, after the containers were reportedly left open and unattended for several months.

The containers had reportedly been left unsecured after their locks were broken. According to information obtained by this publication, they were only visited occasionally, when samples were loaded onto bakkies and transported from the site via back roads.

Upon enquiry, Kirill Egorov-Kirillov, director of mining projects at Uranium One Group and managing director of its Namibian subsidiary, Headspring Investments, confirmed that the samples belonged to the company.

He said the samples originated from an exploration drilling campaign conducted at Headspring’s experimental operations near Stampriet.

After the company obtained a licence for its first drilling campaign around 2019, between 20 and 30 boreholes were drilled, Egorov-Kirillov said. Portions of the resulting core samples were cut and sent to laboratories for analysis, while the remaining sections were stored in containers.

He described the remaining material as “empty cores” and leftover rock.

The samples have since been moved to Uranium One’s completed storage facility on Farm Tripoli, about 15km outside Leonardville. Egorov-Kirillov said the facility is also constructed from shipping containers, but has a dedicated perimeter fence and is secured.

“When the initial exploration season was finished, we needed to store the samples, and we agreed with the owner of Mining Licence (ML) 162. When the [resident] farmer called to say that he had found that the containers had been opened, we removed the cores to our own storage,” he said.

However, the Atomic Energy and Radiation Protection Authority (AERPA) said radioactive material falls within its regulatory mandate, including ore samples that meet the prescribed threshold for radioactive material.

Director Axel Tibinyane said regulated activities include the handling, storage and transportation of such material. “We have no record of any authorisation for storage of samples at this specific site,” Tibinyane said, confirming that the authority had not issued authorisation for the storage of the samples on the farm.

He also said the authority had not been notified that the samples had subsequently been moved to another location.

“The ore samples that we usually encounter and authorise for handling or storage have low radioactivity and activity concentration, with low radiological risks. However, this does not negate the necessity for regulatory compliance and proper management,” Tibinyane said.

He explained that the owner of the samples is required to apply for authorisation to store them.

“The proper procedure is for the owner to apply and seek our authorisation for the storage of the samples. This involves providing this Authority with an application and a Radiation Management Plan that includes storage, which we then evaluate,” he said.

“Since this has now come to our attention, we will ask them to explain and give us a report to this effect before determining next steps,” Tibinyane added.

Disputed uranium project

Headspring Investments’ Wings Project in the Omaheke Region has been the subject of opposition and debate for several years.

The project involves in-situ leaching to extract uranium from deposits near Leonardville. The mining method involves injecting a liquid solution underground to dissolve uranium from the ore body before pumping the uranium-bearing solution back to the surface through production wells.

The Stampriet Aquifer Uranium Mining Association (SAUMA) has strongly opposed the proposed development, citing concerns about mining within the Stampriet Artesian Basin, an important groundwater resource and designated water-protection area.

SAUMA has argued that the basin is a critical source of water for communities and livestock in Namibia and extends into neighbouring Botswana and South Africa.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reportedly completed a technical safety review and submitted its findings to the Namibian government. The report has not been made public.