SYMBIOCITY:

Alfa Laval offers key to unlock Namibia's uranium mining

subscriber | 26 September, 2009

Swedish industrial technology company Alfa Laval believes it has a clear cut case on how to contribute to lower emissions by helping Namibia to step up its uranium production for nuclear power use dramatically.

The Alfa Laval process would, states the company together with the Namibian company (project owner), will contribute in solving the problem with potable water in Namibia and generate necessary energy in the process.

The company could invest € 25-30 million in the uranium project in Namibia if the client’s own investment plans are cleared.

That way uranium mining in Namibia’s desert areas would become possible and profitable. In particular during times of high uranium prices.

It is more than just a nice idea. A potential client is carrying out a feasibility study on two mining sites in Namibia and a successful outcome would open up for financing.

Alfa Laval presented its case, a combined energy recovery and sea water desalination process, during a Swedish Trade Delegation visit to Namibia earlier this month.

The overall shortage of water is, together with energy, the main obstacle to overcome before Namibia’s uranium production can move up a gear.

Namibia's uranium potential, states an industry sources, could increase the country’s GDP by as much as 20-30 percent.

Namibia in 2007 produced close to 3000 tonnes of uranium, or around 8 percent of the world output. The country could up a gear or two if technology issues could be solved.

The export income would also make the countries own nuclear power ambitions a reality. Namibia presently imports most of its energy from South Africa’s largely coal based power plants.

The way the Alfa Laval desalination process works is that heat exchangers will transform steam from sea or brackish water into pure distilled water. While there are other competitive  technologies, Alfa Laval’s titanium plate based technology has shown to be less costly when compared with RO technology in areas where waste heat is available, the company points out that operating and maintenance costs are lower and that it therefore is a cost-effective solution.

Another advantage states an Alfa Laval official, is that the technology is proven and works. The company has delivered desalinization plants to Brazil, Saudi-Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia.