History
Uranium was discovered in the Namib Desert in
1928, but it was not until
intensive exploration in the
late 1950s that much interest
was shown in the area. After
discovering numerous uranium
occurrences, mining company
Rio Tinto secured the rights to
the low-grade Rössing deposit
in 1966. Ten years later, in 1976,
Rössing Uranium, Namibia’s
first commercial uranium
mine, started production.
In 2019, China National
Uranium Corporation
(“CNUC”) acquired the
majority shareholding in
Rössing Uranium.
Today
Today, Namibia has two
operating uranium mines
(Rössing Uranium and
Swakop Uranium, after the
Langer Heinrich Uranium
mine was placed on care and
maintenance during 2018),
which together provide
12% per cent of the world’s
uranium oxide output.
In 2022, Rössing Uranium
produced 4.4% per cent of
the world’s output. In 2022,
Rössing Uranium celebrated
46 years of production.
Our capacity
The mine has a nameplate
capacity of 4,500 tonnes
of uranium oxide per year
and, by the end of 2022, had
supplied a total of 145,567
tonnes of uranium oxide to
the world.
Our location
The mine is located 12km
from the town of Arandis,
which lies 70km inland
from the coastal town of
Swakopmund in Namibia’s
Erongo Region. Walvis Bay,
Namibia’s only deep-water
harbour, is located 43km
south of Swakopmund.
The mine site encompasses a
mining licence and accessory
works areas of 129.79km2,
of which 25km2 is used for
mining, waste disposal and
processing.
Current operations
Mining is done by drilling,
blasting, loading and hauling
from the open pit before
the uranium-bearing rock
is processed to produce
uranium oxide.
The open pit currently
measures 3.5km by 1.5km
and is 390m deep.
Our stakeholders
This website is aimed at all our
partners and stakeholders
who include private citizens
and their communities, as
well as non-governmental
organisations, small-scale
enterprises, and multi-national
corporations. Thus, the
benefits of our operations
are felt locally, nationally,
across the African continent
and internationally.
This website aims to give readers an overview of the activities of Rössing Uranium Limited (Rössing Uranium) from January to December 2022, including our interaction with society, the economy and the environment.
The website offers locally relevant information about our business and aspects raised during the year.
We believe in open communication and transparency,
and simultaneously instil a culture of sustainable
development throughout our company.
We would appreciate your feedback on the
content of this report. You can contact us on:
Tel: +264 81 143 3627/+264 64 520 9111
Email: RUL.communications@rossing.com.na