A recent update on this project shows that Swakop Uranium, the state-owned Chinese subsidiary of China General Nuclear Power Group, is stepping in to help.
The Chinese company is partnering with Namibia’s water utility, NamWater, on the construction of the desalination plant, which would be situated close to Swakopmund.
Both parties, via a joint statement, revealed that the negotiations went very smoothly, and Swakop, which owns a 70% stake in the project, is keen on beginning the project immediately.
“The next steps include the registration of the Erongo Sunam Desalination Project Joint Venture Company, the detailed engineering, environmental assessments, financing arrangements, and construction planning,” the statement read.
The desalination plant, as seen on Reuters, will benefit communities in Namibia’s Erongo region near the Atlantic Ocean and strengthen water supplies to Husab, the nation’s largest uranium mine.
Earlier reports indicated that Namibia intended to begin construction early in 2025.
This project was first suggested in 1998, and only resurfaced and was approved last year, owing to Namibia’s 100-year high drought.
Namibia’s need for a second desalination plant
Last year, Namibia reported its worst drought in more than a century, making the project essential, alongside the country’s uranium production.
Namibia is the world’s third-largest producer of uranium, accounting for 11% of the global market. The uranium sector is experiencing a surge in acquisitions and exploration, which is increasing the water demand.
Namibia’s aggressive green hydrogen objectives, which aim to produce 10–12 million metric tons of hydrogen equivalent per year by 2050, are depleting the nation’s subterranean water sources.
According to Calle Schlettwein, the country’s minister of agriculture, the desalination plant would be engineered to have the capacity to produce roughly 20 million cubic meters of water.
