This information was relayed by Russia’s state nuclear agency Rosatom on Wednesday, following a meeting with a Namibian delegation currently in the Euroasian country.
The Namibian delegation, led by the country’s minister of international relations and trade, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, met with officials from Rosatom in Russia’s capital city, Moscow.
As reported by Sputnik, Rosatom’s timeline to finalize its uranium exploration in Namibia is 2026, while it intends to begin mining by 2029.
Russia’s nuclear partnership with Namibia
In April last year, reports indicated that Namibia had initiated discussions regarding the potential establishment of a nuclear power plant, in collaboration with the Russian Federation.
The move aims to utilize Namibia’s massive uranium deposits, as the country is currently the world’s third-largest uranium producer, while also lowering the country’s dependency on South African electrical imports.
At the time, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of Namibia and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev convened to explore enhanced cooperation in nuclear energy within the continent’s foremost uranium-producing nation.
By June, Rosatom had conclusively relayed its plans to build its first nuclear plant in the Southern African country.
“We see Namibia as a highly promising partner in the field of nuclear energy… not only as a resource-rich nation, but also as a forward-thinking country with the potential to become a regional leader in low-carbon energy,” he told Sputnik.
Namibia’s uranium mines have the potential to provide up to 10% of the world’s nuclear fuel supply, according to the World Nuclear Association.
