Rössing Uranium is committed to protecting the environment in which we operate. With cognisance of how our mining operations impact natural resources and the environment, we drive a wide range of preventative monitoring activities.
We have a particular focus on water management and monitoring, especially considering the extreme rainfall conditions associated with the Erongo Region’s water-scarce and hyperarid climate. We have a strong history of engagement and co-operation with our regulators and other stakeholders to ensure that the environment remains protected.
We manage impacts on the environment with guidance from, among others, Namibian legislation, the ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System, Rössing Uranium’s performance standards, and international best practices.
Through transparent reporting, we provide our stakeholders with the assurance that our environmental impacts are monitored, and the necessary mitigation measures are in place to keep our environmental impacts minimal. Our environmental management performance, measured against set objectives and plans, is discussed on the pages that follow.
Water management
Water management at Rössing Uranium is guided by a formal water strategy, a water management plan, and a Rössing-specific environmental standard on water usage and quality management.
These management tools cover all activities related to water abstraction, transport, storage and usage (potable and process), as well as impounded water and groundwater. The intention of the standard is to ensure efficient, safe, and sustainable use and protection of water resources and ecosystems.
In addition, Rössing Uranium adheres to all aspects pertaining to water in the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia. To that effect, we operate with a Wastewater and Effluent Disposal Exemption Permit 674, as well as a Water Abstraction Permit 10200.
Knowing that our water requirements are substantial, our focus is on the sustainable and accountable use of this scarce and valuable resource, with minimal adverse effect on the environment.
We carry out various continuous monitoring activities, which include:
- Taking frequent flow-meter readings at various points in the processing plant to provide a continuous overview of our water balance data
- Taking frequent water level measurements on our TSF and numerous monitoring locations across the mine site, extending to the Khan and Swakop Rivers
- Conducting water quality sampling at various locations (starting at the source, the TSF), which we use to understand changes in water chemistry due to chemical reactions in the heterogeneous environment
All spillages in the processing plant are captured and channelled to a large recycle sump for re-use. Effluents from the workshops are treated to remove oils and sewage is processed at the onsite sewage plant. These semi-purified effluents are used in the open pit for dust suppression.
At the deposition pool (active paddy) of the TSF, water is recycled and re-used on a continuous basis in the processing plant, minimising surface evaporation and infiltration into the tailings pile. Water that infiltrates the TSF is recovered by pumping boreholes and open trenches installed on the facility itself to reduce the volume of underground water within the tailings pile.
Seepage control systems are also employed outside the TSF. They include a surface seepage collection dam to capture water from the engineered tailings toe drains, cutoff trenches in sand-filled river channels, dewatering boreholes situated on geological faults and fracture systems on the downstream, western side of the facility. All systems are designed to lower the water table to the extent that flow towards the Khan River is interrupted. The recovered water is re-used in the processing plant.
Freshwater use
Our water demand is met by the local bulk water supplier, NamWater, via a pipeline from the base reservoirs in Swakopmund and is sourced from the Orano desalination plant near Wlotzkasbaken. Freshwater supply continues to be a challenge for our operation, as our demands are not always met due to engineered or otherwise natural challenges experienced by the suppliers.
For 2023, we kept our freshwater usage target, which was set in 2021, unchanged at 2,814,150m3 of freshwater for all operations. Our actual freshwater consumption for 2023 was 2,698,292m3, which is a 3% reduction from what was used in 2022 (2,768,768m3), and a 4% savings from the planned target for the year.
Monthly freshwater usage, as depicted in the freshwater use per tonne of ore milled, was below plan for most of 2023. This is attributed to high return dam solution recovery from the active paddocks and the in-pit dewatering water pumped to seepage dam contributed to less freshwater usage. Similarly on the same figure, water usage per tonne of ore milled records correlate to freshwater usage, with ratios below the set target for some months.
Overview of Rössing Uranium’s water balance, 2023
Credits from our continuous improvements and sustained infrastructure maintenance remain visible in our total recycled volumes, with 59.2% of the total water usage (see Figure 9) accredited to recycling.
Our freshwater consumption performance from 2019 until 2023 is depicted in the figure below.
Khan River water use
Saline groundwater from the Khan River aquifer, in conjunction with biodegradable dust suppressant polymers, is used for the purpose of haul road dust suppression in the open pit. The business is permitted to abstract 870,000m3 per annum from the aquifer. In 2023, there were no abstractions made from the Khan River, which represents an absolute reduction from 4,780m3 (0.55% of permitted annual volume) which was abstracted in 2022. In compliance with the abstraction permit conditions, annual reports derived from the water level and vegetation monitoring programmes are submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (“MAWLR”)
Air quality management
Rössing Uranium is committed to protecting the environment from the harmful effects of air pollution caused by its mining activities. Dust is generated during blasting, the loading and dumping of ore and waste, as well as during the crushing and conveying of ore. Winds at speeds above 30km/h potentially mobilise fine particles from rock dumps and the TSF and disperse them into the environment. Dust particles can be so small that they become airborne, easily causing environmental effects such as reduced visibility, increased acidity in water bodies, and lessening of soil with the resultant damage to plants.
In addition, noise and ground vibrations are created during mining operations including blasting, while the machinery deployed in the open pit and the processing plant generates noise continuously.
Therefore, dust emissions, noise and ground vibrations created during mining activities require an understanding of the impact they have on the people and the environment. Hence, an air quality monitoring programme (“AQMP”) is in place to measure and monitor air pollutants in the mining and surrounding areas. This guides us in implementing programmes to help reduce these impacts.
Environmental dust
Rössing Uranium is located in an arid environment and the climatic conditions make dust an inevitable reality. Dust emissions are of concern to the residents of Arandis and Swakopmund, especially when high velocity winds occur during the winter months.
The AQMP is in place to quantify the dust fallout generated by our mining activities and allow mitigation when necessary. Measures are taken to ensure that exposure levels do not exceed the adopted occupational limits, and that the controls efficiently detect differentiations resulting from process changes.
Two types of dust are measured: firstly, a very fine dust (invisible to the naked eye) that is comprised of particulate matter less than 10 micron (known as PM10); and secondly, fallout dust, which is visible to the naked eye and is comprised of larger particles, but also includes PM10.
The measure of PM10 is the concentration of particles less than, or equal to, 10 micrometres in diameter in 1 cubic metre of air. We continuously monitor PM10 dust levels at four monitor stations: three onsite and one in the nearby town of Arandis (see Figure below, denoted by pink triangles).
The levels measured in 2023 showed that the PM10 dust concentrations at the available stations were below the adopted World Health Organization standard of 75μg/m3 (see Figure below). The Communication Management Centre (CMC) station was damaged by strong east winds experienced in July; a spare unit was deployed but was found to be faulty – replacement is underway.
Fallout dust is measured at six stations at different locations along the mine boundary (see the yellow dots on the map, Figure above). The dust fallout limit is 600mg/m2 per day with an annual average target of 300mg/m2 per day, as required by the adopted South African National Dust Control Regulation (“SA NDCR”) standard.
During 2023, values measured at the six stations ranged between 1 and 343mg/m2 per day with an annual average of 31mg/m2 per day (see Figure above).
All measured deposition rates were well below the selected or adopted SA NDCR standard.
Environmental noise and ground vibrations
In the absence of Namibian legislation on environmental noise and vibration, Rössing has adopted or referred to:
- the United States Bureau of Mines RI 8507 criteria for safe blasting, and
- The relevant South African National Standards Code of Practice, SANS 10103:2008 (SANS, 1992) for operational noise, as internal reference limits
Ground vibration and air blasts are monitored during every blasting event at fixed locations, on and off site. Environmental noise is monitored according to a specific procedure and reported monthly to help identify events when these levels have been exceeded.
In 2023, both air blast and ground vibration levels were consistently below the limits of 134dB and 12.5mm/s, respectively (see Figure below). Blasting is only carried out in the open pit, and monitored at two places, on site and in Arandis.
Environmental noise is measured over snapshots of 10 minutes at six different sampling points or stations, namely: Station 1 – Rössing Main Mine Access Road; Station 2 – Arandis Airport Gate; Station 3 – Khan River Valley; Station 4 – Khan River Rock Island; Station 5 – Khan Riverbed; and Station 6 – Khan Riverbed. There were a few occasions during which environmental noise readings exceeded the Rössing internal noise level of 45dBA (see Figure 15). These exceedances were attributed to natural background windy conditions (bergwinds) experienced at the time of monitoring rather than to excessive noise generated during mining activities.
Energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions
As part of the environmental commitment and priority given to protecting the environment, Rössing measures and manages its greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions and energy intensities. This assists in improving energy efficiencies and reduce GHG emissions. The sources of GHG emissions at Rössing include electricity and fuel consumption, the transporting of reagents and uranium oxide, blasting (use of explosives), waste management areas (the sewage plant, rubbish disposal and landfill site), and the extraction and processing of ore. The intensity of emissions is reported per unit of uranium oxide produced.
In 2023, the total energy consumption of the mine was 1,208,298GJ for 2,920 tonnes of uranium oxide drummed. This converts to an annual energy consumption of 414GJ per tonne (“GJ/t”) of uranium oxide produced, which is 19% below the projected internal target of 513GJ/t uranium oxide produced (see Figure below).
In the reporting year, emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) per unit of production amounted to 50 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per tonne (CO2-e/t) of uranium oxide, which is below the internal threshold of 63 tonnes CO2-e/t of uranium oxide for the year (see Figure below).
Biodiversity management
The protection of environmental quality, including biodiversity, is important at Rössing. We take pride in the conservation of biodiversity within the ambit of the Rössing mining licence, in the surrounding communities, as well as in Namibia at large. Ecosystems and associated biodiversity at Rössing are managed through our Biodiversity Action Plan (“BAP”), which follows the mitigation hierarchy and aims to prevent, minimise, rehabilitate, and restore Rössing’s footprint and impact on the ecosystem. Rössing continued to be involved in various biodiversity awareness campaigns and projects that aimed to create awareness and strengthen the understanding of biodiversity among the workforce, communities, and the Namibian population.
Snake handlers training
Snakes and scorpions, which frequently wander into operational areas, are captured and relocated within the mining licence boundary. To ensure safe handling of the critters, the business annually offers a voluntary snake and scorpion handling course. In 2023, 21 employees received snake handling training from an external service provider. The course equips the volunteers with theoretical knowledge and practical skills required to safely capture and relocate the reptiles. Only trained and certified employees are permitted to handle snakes on the mine.
Environmental Day commemoration
In commemoration of the World Environment Day under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution, the following activities were carried out in promotion of the 3R’s (reduce, re-use, recycle):
- Handmade cellphone stands crafted from recycled pallets were distributed to the workforce as tokens
- To discourage single use plastic bags, reusable cotton bags were donated to the learners at J.P. Brandt Primary School
- Recyclable pallets and 25L plastic containers were donated to NIMT to fabricate raised beds for the gardening project and to refurbish the playground at J.P. Brandt Primary School at Utuseb
Raised beds for the gardening project
Birdwatching day
The Rössing annual birdwatching event was hosted at the beautiful Walvis Bay Lagoon. The event aims to give participants an opportunity to view the unique birdlife, and to promote a long-term interest in birds, linked to conserving local and wilderness biodiversity. The 2023 event attracted 63 learners from schools in Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Arandis. With the aid of a provisional birdwatching guide, participants could identify different bird species and get insight into associated facts (differentiating physical features and reasons for their evolutionary adaptations, diets, migration routes, etc.). Learners were provided with binoculars and a printout with pictures of birds and their names, with which they could spot and identify different birds along the lagoon. A fun quiz was arranged for learners to participate and win prizes.
Learners identifying different bird species.
Rössing’s commitment to Project Shine
As part of our social responsibility, Rössing continues to support the Project Shine clean-up campaign under the management of Swakopmund Municipality. Rössing was a founding member of the Project Shine initiative and with input from various stakeholders, the mine has sustained this project successfully since its inception.
Project Shine is aimed at minimising negative impacts of pollutants on the environment and encouraging environmental cleanliness in Swakopmund and has been successfully executed for the past 12 years. A total of 1,020 bags of waste were collected by the groups and disposed of at the landfill site.
In 2023, Rössing donated N$50,000 to the continuation of the project. The funds were earmarked for supporting Project Shine in executing its mandate of cleaning up the roads and awareness/education campaigns. Rössing has also committed to supporting the project with an evaluator and a 4x4 vehicle on monthly evaluation sessions. By supporting such initiatives, Rössing aims to be the leader in environmental stewardship in Namibia.
Mayor of Swakopmund Municipality receiving Rössing donation of N$50 000.
Progressive rehabilitation
Progressive rehabilitation has been recognised as a key strategy for minimising mine closure liability or obligation and environmental risks.
To leave all rehabilitation until mine closure is not best practice; therefore, progressive rehabilitation is applied. Particular effort is made to land rehabilitation, clean-up of redundant and decommissioned facilities and infrastructure. Since this happens throughout the life-ofmine, mining activities are not interrupted and continue as normal.
The proactive progressive rehabilitation campaign which Rössing has embarked upon in 2023 is based on clean-up projects and rehabilitation work. Clean-up projects focus mostly on clearing land from waste which has accumulated in identified areas over the years without necessarily rehabilitating the land, and at this stage, the land remains within the operational footprint of the business. Rehabilitation, on the other hand, takes place outside operational areas.
The approach taken in 2023 was to proactively transport this waste to its final disposal areas and, in doing so, reduce the liability and associated cost at closure. Successful implementation of these projects requires thorough disposal strategies for future waste similarly generated through operations to avoid such waste from accumulating. Of the ten projects that were planned in 2023, nine were successfully completed, and one was deferred to 2024.
Below are some of the prior closure and clean-up projects that were completed during 2023.
Land-use management
Rössing is committed to limiting our impacts on land and biodiversity as much as possible. To achieve this, we use the “mitigation hierarchy”, which involves a combination of three factors:
- Avoidance: Wherever possible, prevent mining operations from encroaching onto undisturbed areas
- Mitigation: Where such areas have been disturbed, try to reduce the impact of the disturbance
- Rehabilitation: Following inevitable disturbance, rehabilitate the land
Guided by the above principles, particularly avoidance for 2023, Rössing’s footprint remains unchanged at 2,579.58ha since 2021. The open pit, waste rock dumps, tailings facility, infrastructure, and processing plant account for about 90% of this disturbance.
Waste management
Mining operations are resource-intensive, consuming land, water, power, fuel, chemicals, and construction materials to extract the metal held by the ore body. During the ore mining and metal refining processes, waste materials are produced which consist of mineral wastes in the form of rock and process tailings, and other waste products generated by the services that support the mining process.
Mineral waste
During 2023, a total of 16.09 million tonnes of mineral waste was generated by the mine. This includes 9.30 million tonnes of tailings and 6.78 million tonnes of waste rock. By end of December 2023, the total cumulative mineral waste stored onsite was 1,018.46 million tonnes of waste rock and 499.55 million tonnes of tailings.
Deposition of both tailings and waste rock generated in 2023 took place within our existing footprint and therefore our footprint remained the same for these facilities. The footprints of the two mineral waste storage facilities have remained approximately the same since 2021. They cover an estimated area of 1,488ha northwest of the Khan River and are approximately the same size as the town of Swakopmund.
Tailings were deposited on the existing TSF and hence the footprint remained the same.
Non-mineral waste
Non-mineral waste is waste materials that are not generated from the mineral ore, for example redundant conveyor belts, chemicals, domestic waste, wood pallets, building rubble, scrap materials, used oils, and lubricants from maintenance activities. If waste is not stored and treated properly, it has a negative impact on the environment, health, and safety of the employees.
Therefore, the aim of managing waste at the mine is to promote the 3R’s to ensure that waste generated onsite is re-used, recycled, recovered and disposed of in accordance with Rössing standards, applicable laws, regulations, best practices and permit conditions.
Waste on site is being managed by an integrated waste management contractor. The waste contractor handles both hazardous and non-hazardous waste streams and ensures proper treatment and disposal. As part of good corporate governance, Rössing monitors all recyclable waste streams (such as used oil, scrap metal, wooden pallets, and packaging materials) sent offsite for treatment, recycling, or disposal by performing a verification assessment of contractors and facilities to confirm that the wastes are being managed correctly and the facilities are legally compliant. If a contractor or facility is found not compliant, waste generated at Rössing does not reach that entity, with exception of donations made to vocational training institutions or community development projects (which only receive wooden pallets and scrap metal).
Recyclable waste
During 2023, a total of 2,276.6 tonnes of both hazardous (225 tonnes) and non-hazardous (2,052 tonnes) recyclable waste materials (mainly wooden pallets, scrap metal, paper and used oil) were taken offsite for recycling purposes. Rössing continuously promoted the 3R’s by supporting community projects through the donation of timber (100 tonnes) to the vocational training centres (COSDEF, NIMT), Erongo Constituency offices, Sonstraaltjie kindergarten, Arandis Town Council, and the Urban Agricultural Project under the management of Swakopmund Municipality.
Among the recyclable waste, the following waste streams were all taken offsite to the Rössing verified and approved recyclers: paper 22.4 tonnes, domestic 100 tonnes, metal drums 30.7 tonnes, conveyor belts 182.6 tonnes, and scrap metal 1,609.2 tonnes.
A total of 225 tonnes of hazardous waste was also taken offsite for recycling purposes. Used oil (128 tonnes) stored in 210L metal drums and in bulk storage tanks was collected directly from site and transported to Windhoek by the oil recycler. Oil filters (3.8 tonnes) and batteries (2.9 tonnes) were also recycled through an approved scrap dealer. 88.6 tonnes of haul truck tyres were procured by a fishing company for re-use at the docking area at the harbour.
Aligned with our corporate social responsibilities, 0.8 tonnes of redundant computer equipment was donated to Africa Institutional Management Services (“AIMS”).
The rest of the recyclable and re-useable waste is transported from the mine site to the Rent-A-Drum (“R-A-D”) sorting facility in Swakopmund and further dispatched to the contractor’s refuse derived fuel plant in Windhoek. The non-recyclable waste, including domestic waste, is disposed of at the municipal landfill site in Swakopmund
Onsite waste disposal/storage
Contaminated solid waste includes both radioactive and non-radioactive contaminated waste materials (such as air filters, building rubble and processed mineral waste) that are generated from mining, workshops, as well as from processing plant areas. This waste stream is not permitted to leave the mine site under any circumstances.
In 2023, 2,791.8 tonnes of both hazardous and non-hazardous waste was disposed of on site, and both radioactive (1,879.1 tonnes) and mining contaminated (342.2 tonnes) waste was disposed of at the TSF. Air filters (9.1 tonnes) and concrete rubble (457.4 tonnes) was also disposed of at TSF, while garden refuse (36.1 tonnes) and sewage sludge (34.0 tonnes) was disposed of at the dormant landfill site.
Safe and environmentally friendly re-use and/or disposal of used tyres remains a challenge for the business, due to a lack of recycling facilities in the country. A total of 174.9 tonnes of used tyres generated were collected and stored at the designated areas on site. The radioactive contaminated grease and diesel drums generated from FPR are also stored on site.
Offsite disposal
The different types of hazardous waste streams generated on site include PPE, filters, grease, redundant chemicals, batteries, used oil and other items, such as fluorescent tubes and e-waste.
RUL continuously ensures that our hazardous waste is managed correctly and disposed of by a legally registered facility. In 2023, 1,073.8 tonnes of non-recyclable waste was disposed of offsite compared to 666.9 tonnes in 2022. No hazardous waste was disposed of offsite in 2023, since the Walvis Bay Hazardous Landfill Site was under construction at the time.
The medical waste stream is managed by the medical personnel on site and gets transported to Medixx in Arandis before it is dispatched to Walvis Bay for incineration. A total of 0.05 tonnes of medical waste was generated, which is more than the 0.03 tonnes generated in 2022.
Disposal certificates for all waste streams taken offsite for recycling and disposal have been submitted by the recyclers and are accounted for. All waste generated and disposed of in 2023 is categorised and depicted in the Figure below.
Closure planning
The current Rössing mining plan foresees cessation of production at the end of 2036. The Mine Closure Plan is in place and is reviewed and updated from time to time; the latest version was updated in 2022. The plan guides and consolidates the information on closure planning, and as such, it functions as a tool to gather developing knowledge on a continuous basis. The closure planning and management addresses the major socio-economic considerations, both internally and externally. Proactive strategies are put in place and implemented in a progressive manner to limit future liabilities and prevent actual risk at closure.
Various infrastructure and features are classified as per the different domains and a plan exists for each domain. For example, in terms of the open pit domain, the main feature is an open pit, which will not be backfilled and is envisaged to remain a mining void which will be reworked to prevent access by humans and wild animals.
Other prominent domains that need to be considered in terms of closure are site infrastructure and the TSF, which also have dedicated closure intervention plans. The tailings will be managed in a manner that will prevent aeolian and fluvial soil erosion, while seepage will be recovered and allowed to evaporate in the open pit. The processing plant and the mine’s infrastructure will be demolished as per the demolition strategy and cost estimate. Materials not leaving the mine site will be disposed of safely in the open pit and sufficiently covered with waste rock so that they cannot cause future harm.
Mine closure readiness remains a pivotal part of the business’s strategic plans. The 2022 CMP, which is drafted to ensure the business sets practical and achievable closure targets/objectives, was presented and submitted to the Ministry of Mines and Energy (“MME”), Ministry of Environment Forestry and Tourism (“MEFT”), MAWLR, NRPA and the Chamber of Mines (“CoM”). Subsequently, the 2022 CMP was discussed with the regulatory authorities during a technical site visit conducted on the mine in 2023. In this CMP, Rössing developed implementation plans for mitigation measures and calculated the associated closure costs, which were, to a high degree of certainty, confirmed to be sufficient.
The RERF remains well in place, with annual contributions to the fund calculated according to the current total projected costs associated with the mine closure. The contributions are made to ensure sufficient funds are available at the time of closure.
At the end of December 2023, the fund had a cash balance of N$1,623 million and the net present value of the present closure obligation (referring to the full amount of close-down and restoration costs) which Rössing is committed to at the balance sheet date of 31 December 2023 stands at N$1,630 million, including retrenchment costs. This is based on the extended life-of-mine ending in 2036.