새 담수화 시설을 통해 나미비아의 우라늄 광산이 더 싸고 안전한 물 공급에 대한 투쟁을 끝낼 가망성에 대해 뒤섞인 소식을 받았다.

이코노미스트의 보고서에 따르면 나미비아의 Rossing 우라늄 광산에 위치한 담수화 플랜트 시공 계획이 밝혀진 몇 달 뒤에도 Rio Tinto는 계획을 시작하지 못하고 있다. Rio Tinto의 대변인은 “우리는 아직 어떠한 시공도 시작하지 않았다. 이 프로젝트는 지금 매우 초기 단계에 있다”고 밝혔다.

한편, 나미미아 주 물기업인 Namwater는 프랑스 설계회사 Areva가 소유한 연간 2천만㎥의 시설의 용량을 증가시키겠다는 처음의 목적을 확고히 했다.

 

 

 

Namibian uranium mines have received mixed news on the prospects for an end to their struggle to secure cheaper and secure water supplies through new desalination facilities.

 

Months after unveiling plans to construct a desalination plant at its Rossing uranium mine in Namibia, mining giant, Rio Tinto, has yet to begin the work according to a report by the Economist. A Rio Tinto spokesman was reported to have told reporters: "We have not started any construction yet. The project is still in a very early stage."

 

Meanwhile the Namibian state water company, Namwater, has confirmed earlier reported intentions to increase the capacity of a 20 million m³-a-year facility owned by French engineering firm, Areva.

 

The Areva plant is supplying about 10 million m³ of water a year to four uranium mines in the economically important but semi-arid Erongo region including Rio Tinto's Rossing mine. Namwater anticipates being able to increase the Areva plant's output to about 45 million m³. The plant was originally built to supply Areva's currently mothballed uranium plant at Trekkopje.

 

Rio Tinto said it planned to build its own desalination plant north of Swakopmund because the price paid for water from the Areva desalination plant, was too high.

 

Consultants to Rossing Uranium, SLR Consulting and Aurecon, have said the potential cost savings from a new plant were about US$ 72 million over the planned ten years Rossing would use a new desalination plant. Rossing said it needed to halve its current US$ 4 a cubic metre cost of water to remain viable and a new plant could achieve that reduction.The planned new plant would meet Rossing Uranium's entire water demand of 3 million cubic metres.

 

Rossing Uranium has said it was also motivated to build its own plant by Namwater's failure to have constructed a desalination plant for mining purposes by October 2014. The Namibian government subsequently opted to buy the Areva desalination plant rather than construct its own facility.

 

According to reports, managing director of Areva's Namibian unit, Hilifa Mbako, has made assurances that "negotiations with the government, which has offered to buy the plant, are under way and would probably be wrapped up in 2015."

 

[출처 = Desalination & Water Reuse / 2014년 12월 16일]