ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP
Since we recognise that our business activities have an impact on the environment in which we operate, we aim to minimise this impact.
Through various environmental programmes, identified not only by us but also through stakeholder engagement, areas of continuous improvement have been identified.
An important mechanism to monitor environmental resource stewardship is the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 14001:2004, which specifies requirements for an environmental management system to enable organisations to develop and implement environmental policy and manage their interaction with the environment.
Adoption of this standard implies a constant commitment on our part to improve our environmental monitoring and environmental performance efficiency.
We were again successful in maintaining ISO 14001 certification.
The 2008 audit was conducted by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), the global certification body appointed by Rio Tinto, for the first time.
Climate change
Climate change continues to be a hot topic of discussion worldwide. At Rössing, we forged ahead with our Climate Change Action Plans for 2007—2009.
A Climate Change Communications Plan, implemented throughout the mine, aims to:
- raise the profile of the climate change issue, and its importance to society, Rio Tinto and Rössing;
- inform every employee and contractor of the effects of climate change and what they can do to contribute to the climate change solution;
- provide management, operational, technical, engineering and environmental staff with a fundamental understanding of the climate change issues facing Rössing through training programmes;
- raise awareness of the standards and guidelines that aim to address climate change on-site; and
- get employees, contractors and relevant stakeholders actively involved and informed through sharing information and by other means to meet our energy usage and GHG emissions reduction targets.
Another strategic activity was the Climate Change Risk Assessment. Its purpose was to identify priority areas for action within our business from three areas of risk opportunity, namely actions required for the life-of-mine to manage weather-related climate and opportunities; risks from the production process; and market related climate risks.
The output of this risk assessment will be used to inform, review and update our Climate Change Action Plan.
Energy usage and GHG emissions
In the absence of Namibian legislation on climate change on the local level, we voluntarily quantify and report our GHG emissions. Rio Tinto also requires this from an international perspective.
In 2008, our energy usage was 140.9 megajoules per tonne (MJ/t) of ore processed. This was above the annual target of 117 MJ/t of ore processed set to conform to the predetermined Rio Tinto targets.
Our CO2 emission per unit of production was lower than the previous year, and near target due to the record of 4,108 tonnes of uranium oxide having been produced, as well as good grade throughput in the Processing Plant. The GHG emission intensity was 54.2 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2-e) per tonne of uranium oxide (U3O8) produced, with the target being 51.6 t CO2-e/t of U3O8 produced.
In as early as 2007, we recognised that our 2008 targets would not be met because the life-of-mine extension had been approved. Many factors have contributed to not meeting our targets, but it is predominantly due to the following:
- An increase in the mine’s fleet as additional equipment was purchased and put into operation.
- The pit has deepened and narrowed significantly in the last few years and it takes longer and uses more fuel to get from pit bottom to ground level; also, manoeuvring haul trucks with large turning circles becomes more difficult the narrower the pit bottom gets.
- Increased stripping of overburden and waste due to mine expansion.
New climate change targets for 2009—2013 were developed to replace those that had served up to the end of 2008. Accordingly, the targets for 2009 are 21.9 MJ/t material hauled, 47.2 MJ/t of ore milled, and GHG equivalent emission intensity of 43.9 t CO2-e/t U3O8.
Land use and rehabilitation
Early in the year, the Social and Environmental Impact Assessment and Management Plan for three of the mine’s expansion projects was submitted to Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism, whereupon the Ministry issued us with an environmental clearance certificate.
These projects include the building of a radiometric ore sorting plant, the mining of a small satellite ore body known as SK4 about 1km to the east of our current open pit, and the building of a sulphur-burning sulphuric acid plant.
Rössing’s land use inventory, which was compiled during 2007 from detailed geohydrological, archaeological, biodiversity and visual impact studies, was used during 2008 to plan future land use at the mine.
The planned expansion and production increase at the mine, considering new methods of uranium extraction such as heap leaching, also require an expansion of the associated waste storage facilities. In order to consider the environmental constraints during the identification of currently undisturbed sites for the new waste storage facilities, decision-making considered environmental land use aspects on par with technical aspects. The premise of “given the constraints on space, we need to find the optimum arrangement to limit impact on undisturbed ground” was used during site selection.
Land disturbance during 2008 amounted to a total of 45ha compared with 10ha in 2007. Use of new land was related to construction of roads (7ha), exploration drilling (3ha), extension of the open pit (9ha), stockpiles (5ha) and waste rock dumps (21ha). The total area impacted by the mine was 2,440ha at the end of 2008.
Because most previously disturbed ground away from Rössing’s operational area had already been rehabilitated in the past, no further rehabilitation work was carried out during 2008.
Water use
The mine’s use of fresh water in 2008 was 3.7 million m3, or 10,048 m3/day, while the operating plan made provision for 3.5 million m3 or 9,590 m3/day. Water performance for 2008, therefore, was higher than expected at a rate of 0.29 m3/t of ore milled, against a target of 0.26 m3/t of ore milled.
The Processing Plant and the associated tailings disposal operations consume most of the water at the mine. Tailings – which are the remaining crushed and milled ore rock from which uranium is extracted – are pumped as a mixture of sand, fines and water to the tailings facility. The water forms a pond on the tailings facility, and from there it is recovered for reuse in the mills.
Although our water demand depends mainly on the tonnage of ore milled, the demand can be reduced with the implementation of water-savings projects. Various projects that were evaluated in 2008 to reduce fresh water demand by 0.7 million m3 per year will be implemented in 2009. These will include the installation of mechanical gland seals on certain slurry pumps, which will save gland-seal water and upgrade the recycled water collection systems.
The predicted fresh water demand for 2009 has been set at 3.2 million m3, based on the implementation of the watersaving projects mentioned above. The planned mine extensions will, however, require additional dust suppression, which could decrease savings realised to 0.3 million m3 per year.
Efficient fresh water use and supply
The efficient supply of fresh water continues to be a concern, especially taking cognisance of the cumulative effect of the uranium boom.
The consumption of fresh water by bulk users and the status of aquifers countrywide are continuously monitored by the Namibia Water Corporation Ltd (NamWater) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry’s Department of Water Affairs (DWA). The results of these monitoring exercises are provided to bulk users and Basin Management Committees. All bulk users are required to conserve groundwater resources by sharing information and promoting water demand management and/or sea water desalination. We are an active member of the Basin Management Committees and continue to share our experience in reducing fresh water consumption.
Saline water use and quality
The impact of mining effluents on the water quality of neighbouring areas, especially the Khan and Swakop Rivers, continued to be a public concern.
The DWA and the Ministry of Mines and Energy’s Directorate of Geological Survey are in the process of arranging an independent sampling exercise to establish the baseline water quality. The survey will cover monitoring boreholes close to and in the river courses. Each mine located near a river has or will have its own water quality monitoring programme, and will report its analysis results to the DWA, whose task it is to protect people and the environment from any contamination.
The mines in the vicinity of the Khan and Swakop Rivers are also currently extracting saline groundwater from them for industrial purposes, or have earmarked them for such abstraction.
However, excessive pumping might reduce the availability of water to the farming area along the lower reaches of the Swakop. The monitoring network mentioned above will, therefore, measure water levels in the two rivers to ensure fair usage of the available saline water.
External incidents report
In June 2008, a train that transported acid from the port of Walvis Bay to the mine was hit by a truck at one of the rail crossings outside the port, derailing the two locomotives as well as the first acid tanker.
There were no injuries or spills.
At national carrier TransNamib’s request, a Rössing team stepped in to help protect and empty the derailed acid tanker so it could be moved safely. Before work commenced at the scene a full risk assessment and options analysis were carried out.
Closure planning
After the major update of the closure plan in 2005 in order to prepare for closure in 2009, the mine is now planning for expansion beyond 2026. Hence, in 2008, only a financial update of the previous plan was attempted.
The total closure cost projected for the mine in 2008 terms stands at just over N$896 million. This includes retrenchment and training costs, demolition and tailings rehabilitation, and long-term seepage control and monitoring costs.
The provision for closure in the independent Rössing Environmental Rehabilitation Trust Fund stood at N$100 million at the end of 2008, and will be increased during the coming years to provide fully for the time of mine closure.
“Namibia has been blessed with an abundance of mineral resources and a breathtaking, but highly sensitive, natural environment. The Ministry of Mines and Energy is committed to the development of both for the benefit of the Namibian people, guided by the conviction that this is possible if sound scientific principles are applied.”
Dr Gabi Schneider, Director: Geological Survey of Namibia, Ministry of Mines and Energy
“In areas where conflicting land uses prevail – for example, industry and mining versus tourism and conservation – or where localised impacts of many small developments may add up to a large, cumulative impact, a strategic approach is called for. Thus, environmental assessments should not only look at individual developments in isolation, but need to put this into the broader context of regional and national, longterm, sustainable development goals and integrate the impacts of planned developments in the surrounding areas. Such assessments not only prevent long-term, irreversible damage to the environment, but can also be powerful tools to guide the planning of supplementary infrastructure in a more coordinated manner. A land use plan for the areas affected by a mine, such as the one in the process of development at Rössing, is an important tool to plan future developments and extensions with the least environmental impact.”
Dr Antje Burke, Environmental Consultant, EnviroScience
As one of the major electricity consumers in Namibia, it is essential that we use energy optimally.
View of the operations at Rössing. In the foreground is a Euphorbia, a common plant in the area.
Two Komatsu haul trucks move slowly out of the open pit with their loads of uranium-bearing ore.
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