Namibia will decide on the uranium project via science

A uranium mining proposal near Leonardville has Namibia waiting on an IAEA technical report before anyone gets an environmental green light.

Groundwater fears over the Stampriet aquifer

• The Stampriet aquifer feeds drinking and irrigation water to the Omaheke and Hardap regions.
• Botswana and South Africa also depend on that same aquifer.
• Contamination risk is the core concern driving pushback.
• The government insists science will dictate the final call.

Rosatom-linked company wants to dig

• Headsprings Investments applied for an exclusive prospecting licence.
• Its parent entity is Russian state-owned Rosatom.
• In-situ leach mining would dissolve uranium underground before pumping it up.
• Namibia has zero prior experience with this extraction method.

IAEA's role in the decision

• Environmental commissioner Timoteus Mufeti admitted Namibia lacks the technical expertise.
• An IAEA team visited Namibia earlier this month.
• Their technical report lands with the government in March.
• Axel Tibinyane stressed that the IAEA holds no decision-making power.

What comes after the report

• Environmental clearance hinges entirely on that IAEA assessment.
• Tibinyane acknowledged job creation and economic potential.
• Political considerations are supposedly off the table.
• Exploration cannot proceed without a clearance certificate.