Goanikontes uranium mine on way to being ‘2nd Roessing’

A PLANNED uranium mine near Goanikontes in the Namib-Naukluft Park is estimated to have at least 55 million tonnes of low-grade uranium, Australian exploration and development company Bannerman Resources announced this initial estimate last week in a press release.

It said that the amount was derived from their own drilling operation to a depth of 80 metres. The drilling work continues.Bannerman said the final available resource was expected to be much larger by the time the mine hoped to go into production in 2010.While the company is heralding its find, Namibian conservationists and tour operators remain concerned about the potential impact on the environment and how current and future mining activity will affect tourism in the area.The last information meeting Bannerman held at Swakopmund for the public, tour operators and conservationists, apparently did little to ease these concerns.However, Merrilyn Leipert, Chairperson of the Coastal Tourist Association, said it appeared that Bannerman was “willing to play open cards and to look at the concerns of the other stakeholders, as well as try and co-operate with them”.Other sources in the tourism sector said the mine’s drilling activities could already be heard and seen when tour groups were taken to the area, which is said to be within the boundaries of the Namib-Naukluft Park.There are fears that these sights and sounds will become more intrusive as the mine develops.Martin Spence of Bannerman admitted that tourists often encountered prospectors in the area.According to him, however, the impact of the prospecting activities on tourism and the environment was insignificant.”We are keeping to the conditions of our exploration licence and trying our level best to honour the concerns of the other stakeholders,” he told The Namibian at the end of last week.Spence said once the mine hit full production, the quality of uranium and the type of operation would be much the same as that of Roessing Uranium.The drilling work continues.Bannerman said the final available resource was expected to be much larger by the time the mine hoped to go into production in 2010.While the company is heralding its find, Namibian conservationists and tour operators remain concerned about the potential impact on the environment and how current and future mining activity will affect tourism in the area.The last information meeting Bannerman held at Swakopmund for the public, tour operators and conservationists, apparently did little to ease these concerns.However, Merrilyn Leipert, Chairperson of the Coastal Tourist Association, said it appeared that Bannerman was “willing to play open cards and to look at the concerns of the other stakeholders, as well as try and co-operate with them”.Other sources in the tourism sector said the mine’s drilling activities could already be heard and seen when tour groups were taken to the area, which is said to be within the boundaries of the Namib-Naukluft Park.There are fears that these sights and sounds will become more intrusive as the mine develops.Martin Spence of Bannerman admitted that tourists often encountered prospectors in the area.According to him, however, the impact of the prospecting activities on tourism and the environment was insignificant.”We are keeping to the conditions of our exploration licence and trying our level best to honour the concerns of the other stakeholders,” he told The Namibian at the end of last week.Spence said once the mine hit full production, the quality of uranium and the type of operation would be much the same as that of Roessing Uranium.