environmental & other hurdles

Environmentalists and Govt want to see how PDN go first.........Trade it but don't fall in love with it yet. LOL

[EXRACTED FROM THE NAMIBIAN]

The World Information Service on Energy (Wise), one of the world's largest networks of groups working on nuclear energy issues, is the latest organisation to express opposition to the opening of the Langer Heinrich Uranium mine in Namibia.

In a statement, Wise said uranium mining creates radioactive dust and emission of poisonous gas.

The emissions, it said, put residents at a greater risk of developing cancer.

"Wise, one of the largest networks of groups working on nuclear energy issues, strongly opposes the opening of the Langer Heinrich Uranium mine in Namibia.

Mining uranium and mineral sands creates radioactive dust and radon gas,"said Peer de Rijk, Executive Director of Wise.

"When breathed into the lungs, the dust and gas release their radiation at close range where it does the most damage to the lining of the lung and increases the risk of developing cancer."

Further, noted the pressure group, the radiation exposure could affect men and women's reproductive health.

Studies by the United States Department of Occupational Safety and Health revealed that low doses of radiation, spread over a number of years, could be just as dangerous as acute exposure.

In short, there are no safe levels of radiation exposure.

In Namibia, the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has said that the mining operations would seriously affect the biodiversity of the Swakopmund environs.

The ecosystem, it said, was set to be contaminated.

But Government insists that the criticisms do not hold water.

According to Joseph Iita, Permanent Secretary of Mines and Energy, those with dissenting voices were not saying much tangible.

He said all procedures were followed properly and everything was in order.

Iita said an environmental impact assessment study was carried out before s licence was granted.

Concerns over the environment, he added, were adequately addressed.

"In line with constitutional mandates, all procedures pertaining to the environment were properly followed.

An environmental impact assessment study was carried out prior to issuing the licence.

Nothing is so peculiar to uranium mining in Namibia.

"It's not the first time either."

While Government expressed satisfaction with the progress so far, the NSHR said the granting of the licence was "as good as licensing death".

Dorkas Phillemon, a public relations and administration officer at the NSHR, said research on uranium mining at a global level had shown that no single mine to date had done very well.

Phillemon said it was improper to sacrifice people's health for the sake of investment and employment.

"Such kind of investment is not proper," said the human rights activist.

Rijk added that the health risk of uranium mining was not confined to workers alone.

Waste leaks into surrounding areas, especially rivers and underground water supplies, could pollute water sources.

The Wise executive director said: "The radioactive wastes left over from mining are a major hazard because they are easily dispersed through wind, rain and human error.

"Waste leaks into surrounding areas, especially rivers and underground water supplies, affect people's skin, clothing and vehicles can be contaminated by being near radioactive material."

The German Oeko Institute and Earthlife Namibia have also raised concerns about the granting of the licence.

They raised technical issues related to the way in which the environmental study was undertaken, insisting that notable issues were left blowing in the wind.

The Oeko Research Institute said the assessment done by the Australian company Paladin Resources Limited was not carried out properly, as it did not clearly define the area where the doses were below the dose limits and where the limits were exceeded.

Earthlife Chairperson Bertchen Kohrs said one of the most serious shortcomings of Paladin's assessment was that no realistic view of the hazardous effects on workers at the mining site was presented because no estimate had been made of the collective dose for the proposed operations.

The Oeko Institute said it had established that the Australian mining company had underestimated the concentrations for radium and radon by a factor of four.

EXRACTED FROM THE NAMIBIAN

Risks for Uranium Stocks in Africa

As with investing in any natural resource company, the most significant item to consider is whether there is an economic deposit to be mined. Of course, there are numerous other considerations, which a knowledgeable registered investment advisor might clarify. From his perspective as an experienced geologist, Greenway suggested investors consider at least the following six items when studying uranium companies who are developing a property in Africa.

1. Political Risk. As with any “exotic” country or continent, such as Mongolia or Central Asia, there is the questionable political risk. Case in point, we asked Greenway if there were any African nations to avoid. “Zimbabwe has a lot of certainty as what’s happening there at the moment,” he responded. “Niger has political and water issues.” From our analysis of news items, Namibia appears to be a politically stable.

2. Infrastructure. Unless the deposit is world-class, if there is no infrastructure in place, then the deposit will stay with Mother Nature a little while longer. Infrastructure can mean roads, a pipeline, or whatever transport system is required to move ore to a processing facility. If the project is sufficiently large, infrastructure will be built to service the deposit. In the case of Forsys Metals’ Valencia Deposit, it is near the Rossing mine. Not so near that some additional infrastructure might be necessary, but not hundreds of miles away from a mill, either.

3. Water. Many parts of Africa are arid. The world’s largest desert, the Sahara, is part of the African continent. Namibia’s uranium deposits are in a desert. Therefore, there must be readily available water to explore and mine the deposit. “Niger has been having a drought.” (Note: Greenway did, however, commend Niger for having developed infrastructure.)

4. Electricity. “Namibia is very reliant upon South Africa for their electrical supply,” said Greenway. “But they are talking about expanding their KUDU gas fields in the south, to build gas-fired electricity plants.” Other countries may rely upon expensive diesel to generate electricity. Ironically, the cost of uranium mining may be dependent upon the price of crude oil, more so in Africa than a major coal-producing region, such as Wyoming.

5. Tenure of Ownership. “Previously, Angola and Congo had issues with the tenure of ownership,” said Greenway. “You’d find two companies owning the same piece of ground depending upon who got bribed the most.” Greenway suggested this might still be found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “Land ownership is pretty clear cut in Namibia,” Greenway noted.

6. Mining Code. Basically, this defines how much the government gets to keep from the uranium mining. That’s what a mining code is really all about: royalties. “South Africa has become a bit of problem with that,” Greenway quietly stated. “Most of the other countries will let you get your money out of the country. Generally, the government will tax you 10 or 20 percent on your project, and then allow you to get your money out of the country.” He added in discussing South Africa, “There is a published code and there is a code that can be translated differently depending upon who you speak to.” Greenway concluded, “I don’t think you’ll find the same problem within Namibia.” He added that Burkina Faso had a pretty good mining code (formerly known as Upper Volta).

With any project, the maturity of an area strengthens the economic possibility of a worthy uranium project. The number of years it took for Rio Tinto to help develop relationships within Namibia may help smooth the way for Paladin, Forsys Metals and UraMin. Again, having a big guardian, such as the Rossing uranium mine, in the country where you wish to develop a mine, could expedite the mine development process.