Dean Esau, Swakop Uranium's Office Administrator in Swakopmund (Left

OCTOBeR 2011 NeWS FOR THe FRIeNDS aND peOpLe OF SWaKOp URaNIUM This was the good news from the latest reserve estimate. Not only is there more uranium: the ore grade in Husab Zones 1 and 2 shows a 4% increase in forecast grade from 497 parts per million (ppm) to 518 ppm uranium oxide. It furthermore shows a 15% reduction in life-of-mine strip ratio. Total ore tonnes within the reserve have increased by 37% to 280 million tonnes. In short, we will be getting a better grade than originally thought, have to remove less waste rock to get to it, and have much more ore to process. The strip ratio now stands at 6,2:1 (previously 7,3:1), which means that just over six tonnes of waste rock have to be removed to obtain one tonne of ore. The reduction in strip ratio is expected to have a positive effect on project economics. The 20-year mine life, which includes pre-strip and ramp-up, is based on the definitive feasibility study (DFS) processing target of 15 million tonnes of ore and 15 million pounds (6 800t) of U3O8 per year. Once this production is reached, Husab will become the world’s third-largest uranium-only mine. young child grappling with his times tables in primary THaT school right now, could well be an engineer working there’s MoRe to Husab for Swakop Uranium’s proposed Husab Mine in 20 years’ time. The According to Jonathan Leslie, CEO of Extract Resources (Swakop proposed mine near Swakopmund now has a potential mine life of Uranium’s 100% shareholder), the updated reserve estimate marks the more than 20 years and uranium reserves of at least 280 million tonnes. Continued on page 2 Dean Esau, Swakop Uranium’s office administrator in Swakopmund (left), and PR officer Nomvula Kambinda are not only basking in the sun; they’re basking in the glory of being part of the editorial team that was responsible for VISSION being judged the best External Newsletter in Southern Africa. the glorious details are on page 12 Continued FRoM page 1 wHAT’S IN OUR NAME? Vision (intelligent foresight) and fission (nuclear reaction) met the day that Swakop Uranium was established. The result? Our own Vission newsletter. DO you have any newS or viewS to support our VISSION? Please email your comments to: [email protected] An icon tells the story Key financial, social and latest phase of the company’s Mine evaluate further opportunities to increase mine environmental issues around the Optimisation and Resource Extension (MORE) life, and to optimise the process plant and min- Husab Project are identified by programme, which is aimed at substantially ing operations to add significant additional simple icons as follows: increasing project value. He points out that the value to the Husab project.” increase in reserves arises from identifying new Important steps in bringing the Burning issue resources and upgrading resources previously US$1,66 billion (N$12 billion) Husab Uranium we’ll cover any topic that fuels classified as “inferred” to “indicated” (inferred Project into production will be taken during debate. resources cannot be included as reserves). the next six months. “we are eagerly waiting He is confident that Husab will become a for the Namibian government to grant a min- in the marketplace The need, demand and pricing of nationally and globally significant long-life ing licence, the application for which was uranium will feature prominently. mine, with opportunities to increase the lodged in December 2010. The Ministry of reserve base further by adding the defined Mines and Energy has confirmed that our Green notes resources at Zones 3 to 5, and through build- licence it is under active consideration.” Environmental considerations grab the headlines in this section. ing on promising exploration results from According to Norman Green, CEO of Middle Dome, Pizzaro and Salem. Swakop Uranium, potential process enhance- Room for a view This is an opportunity for individuals “A review of life-of-mine pit sequencing and ments are being evaluated in Australia and to air their views – however scheduling is now under way to further refine South Africa. This includes the use of elevat- controversial – on any subject the overall mine plan and financial model for ed temperature, fine grind and simplifying surrounding the Husab Project. Husab. The MORE programme continues to the solid liquid separation circuit. People are talking about ... These articles will address resource clAssificAtion community-related or social issues. Classification tonnes (million) Grade (ppm) Contained uranium (Mlb) Project pipeline Zone 1 Proven 25,3 482 26,9 Key milestones will be tracked. Probable 123,4 460 125,1 did you know? Zone 2 Proven 37,4 628 51,8 These bite-sized items of interest will whet your appetite for news. Probable 93,9 561 116,1 totAL 280,0 518 319,9 2 Welwitschia’s fluid hide-and-seek game a question that has HeRe’S puzzled scientists for decades: In a desert that generally receives an average of just 35 mm rainfall each year, how is the welwitschia able to survive? The welwitschia uses water just like a normal plant, yet in the Namib Desert the source of Klaus Knupp of the plant’s water remains unclear. Earthmaps Consulting As Swakop Uranium fine-tunes its designs in Swakopmund shows for the proposed Husab Mine and associat- how he will use ed infrastructure, it has become clear that electromagnetic waves we need a greater understanding of how to map groundwater water reaches the welwitschia field south of distribution. This Zones 1 and 2. we want to ensure that our information will help operations do not negatively impact on any ensure that if there is potential sources of this water. any seepage from the Swakop Uranium’s Environmental proposed mine, it will Manager, Michele Kilbourn Louw, explains: not affect the “In keeping with our commitment to take Welwitschia field. care of the welwitschia field and the rich environmental heritage that it represents, we have commissioned three geophysical studies to give us more information on what type of sub-strata we have between the desert surface and the bedrock under the mine residue facility and north of the welwitschia field. “we know from the detailed groundwater modelling study done for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that there will be a obtain information. “while GPR records show of the ground beneath us. where the resistivity natural gravitational drawdown, or flow, of radiowave pulses which bounce back from is lower, we can indicate portions of the subsur- groundwater in the later years of the mine. water-bearing layers in the ground, the HLEM face that are more saturated with water than in There will also be possible seepage from the method records induction currents generated other places.” mine residue facility toward, and into, the pit. in these layers when sending down electromag- Test pits have been dug along each of the two “Our concern is in the early years of the netic waves from the surface,” he says. survey lines as a control measure to the findings mine. If any seepage is generated beneath “This geophysical orientation study will help obtained through geophysical measuring. the mine residue facility, we want to estab- us decide which of the methods is most effec- “From what we learn about the near-surface lish where it may go to avoid near-surface tive in mapping the groundwater distribution geology, and the possible direction that early impact on the welwitschias.” under the mine residue facility, the ephemeral draw-down water is likely to want to go, we will channels and, ultimately, the welwitschia field.” be able to design measures to prevent possible two cost-effective methods Gregory Symons of Gregory Symons seepage from reaching the channels,” says “we have contracted two Namibian firms Geophysics uses a different method to deter- Michele. “This information will help us design of geophysical consultants to help us get mine where the water tables may be. “Our the channel needed to divert water around the this important near-surface geological method is at the other end of the electromag- mine reside facility and back into a diversion information”. netic spectrum and uses direct current (DC) pond that redistributes water back into the Klaus Knupp of Earthmaps Consulting electricity to penetrate the ground,” he lower end of the ephemeral channels affected uses two high-frequency methods called explains. “By measuring the current we pump by the mine,” she adds. “we need to increase ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and hori- into the ground and voltage drop at specific our knowledge to ensure we minimise any zontal loop electromagnetics (HLEM) to points, we are able to determine the resistivity potential impact on the welwitschia field.” 3 It’s water, but can you drink it? the recent heavy rains, Fifteen boreholes currently cover aFTeR many rivers in the Erongo the proposed Husab Mine site and District came down in spate. But abundance the Swakop River, and these are does not always mean quality, as our testing monitored every quarter. Three more results might prove. boreholes are planned for the Khan are present as well as the general salt water in the Namib Naukluft National Park River and several more on the actual proposed content. The presence of naturally occurring is a rare sight and a precious commodity. mining site and in the welwitschia fields. radionuclides, which include radium and Recent heavy rains have helped shore up the “water in the Swakop River is traditionally polonium that are decay products of uranium, water table in the northern part of Park, which brackish, but we’ll have to check whether that also needs to be determined.

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