Russia eyes nuclear plant in Namibia

WINDHOEK – Russia’s Techsnabexport, Renova and Vneshtorgbank have established a joint venture to produce uranium in Namibia, the head of the Russian nuclear agency said on Friday.

“Our enterprises – Renova and Vneshtorgbank – already hold licences to produce uranium in Namibia. We agreed to found a joint venture to prospect and produce uranium,” Sergei Kiriyenko said after a meeting with Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba.Russian Natural Resources Minister Yury Trutnev said Renova had won a tender to develop two uranium deposits in Namibia, whereas Russia’s state-run foreign-trade bank Vneshtorgbank had received its licence earlier.According to a Reuters report, Russia has also offered to build a nuclear power plant in Namibia.Kiriyenko told reporters on a visit to Namibia that Russian firms would also form a joint venture to mine uranium.”Today Russia is present on all continents in the sphere of atomic energy but we had left out Africa,” Kiriyenko said.”Here there is a big potential market and we must be successful in this market.”He said Russia was looking at building a floating nuclear power plant for Namibia: “We are ready to build one,” Kiriyenko said, according to Russian news agency Interfax.”We are ready to produce electric power together and sell it together.”Prime Minister Nahas Angula said Namibia and Russia are discussing the possible use of Russian nuclear technology to make up for Namibia’s energy deficit.Namibia expects a reduction in energy supplies from South Africa in the next three years and forecasts an energy deficit of 300 megawatts.”The Russian side said there are a number of available technologies, one of them being nuclear,” Angula told journalists after a meeting with the Russian delegation.Angula said the environmental and economic expediency of using nuclear technology in bilateral cooperation should be assessed, adding that Namibia produces uranium.Angula said he discussed co-operation prospects with Trutnev and Kiriyenko.The Namibian Prime Minister also said one of the urgent problems was to help southern African countries, including Namibia, satisfy their energy needs.In January, Renova Group, a management company, and Techsnabexport, Russia’s state-run nuclear exporter, signed a cooperation agreement to set up joint ventures as part of a joint investment project to prospect and develop uranium deposits in Africa and Asia.Techsnabexport and Russia’s leading asset management company, headed by tycoon Viktor Vekselberg, plan to set up joint ventures in South Africa, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the company said in a statement.Minister of Mines and Energy Erkki Nghimtina said Namibian authorities hope Russia will assist in developing a state policy in the uranium sphere, which would make it possible to cancel a moratorium on uranium production licensing in the country.”It would be good if our friends could help us form a policy in this sphere, as this could speed up the cancellation of the moratorium,” he said.The moratorium on uranium production was imposed in Namibia several weeks ago for security reasons, the minister said.”There are countries that behave not seriously: they receive licenses, make money and leave,” he said.Nghimtina said the uranium industry is very important for Namibia, and that his country needs a national policy dealing with nuclear fuel issues.Anna Belova, a Techsnabexport representative, said her company and Renova are ready to start geological prospecting work in Namibia, and that licenses could be formalised later.RIA NovostiWe agreed to found a joint venture to prospect and produce uranium,” Sergei Kiriyenko said after a meeting with Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba.Russian Natural Resources Minister Yury Trutnev said Renova had won a tender to develop two uranium deposits in Namibia, whereas Russia’s state-run foreign-trade bank Vneshtorgbank had received its licence earlier.According to a Reuters report, Russia has also offered to build a nuclear power plant in Namibia.Kiriyenko told reporters on a visit to Namibia that Russian firms would also form a joint venture to mine uranium.”Today Russia is present on all continents in the sphere of atomic energy but we had left out Africa,” Kiriyenko said.”Here there is a big potential market and we must be successful in this market.”He said Russia was looking at building a floating nuclear power plant for Namibia: “We are ready to build one,” Kiriyenko said, according to Russian news agency Interfax.”We are ready to produce electric power together and sell it together.”Prime Minister Nahas Angula said Namibia and Russia are discussing the possible use of Russian nuclear technology to make up for Namibia’s energy deficit.Namibia expects a reduction in energy supplies from South Africa in the next three years and forecasts an energy deficit of 300 megawatts.”The Russian side said there are a number of available technologies, one of them being nuclear,” Angula told journalists after a meeting with the Russian delegation. Angula said the environmental and economic expediency of using nuclear technology in bilateral cooperation should be assessed, adding that Namibia produces uranium.Angula said he discussed co-operation prospects with Trutnev and Kiriyenko.The Namibian Prime Minister also said one of the urgent problems was to help southern African countries, including Namibia, satisfy their energy needs.In January, Renova Group, a management company, and Techsnabexport, Russia’s state-run nuclear exporter, signed a cooperation agreement to set up joint ventures as part of a joint investment project to prospect and develop uranium deposits in Africa and Asia.Techsnabexport and Russia’s leading asset management company, headed by tycoon Viktor Vekselberg, plan to set up joint ventures in South Africa, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the company said in a statement.Minister of Mines and Energy Erkki Nghimtina said Namibian authorities hope Russia will assist in developing a state policy in the uranium sphere, which would make it possible to cancel a moratorium on uranium production licensing in the country.”It would be good if our friends could help us form a policy in this sphere, as this could speed up the cancellation of the moratorium,” he said.The moratorium on uranium production was imposed in Namibia several weeks ago for security reasons, the minister said.”There are countries that behave not seriously: they receive licenses, make money and leave,” he said.Nghimtina said the uranium industry is very important for Namibia, and that his country needs a national policy dealing with nuclear fuel issues.Anna Belova, a Techsnabexport representative, said her company and Renova are ready to start geological prospecting work in Namibia, and that licenses could be formalised later.RIA Novosti