29/05/2026
Orano working towards restart of Trekkopje Uranium Mine
NDINELAO JOHANNES
State-backed French uranium company Orano Mining Namibia (formerly Areva) has set sights on completing a definitive feasibility study for the possible restart of commercial operations at the long-idled Trekkopje Uranium Mine in Erongo region by the end of 2026.
According to the Chamber of Mines of Namibia 2025 annual review, the company is engaged in advance technical assessments and resource evaluation work at the project after launching the definitive feasibility study in 2025 following the completion of a prefeasibility study in 2024.
The first phase of the study involved a detailed assessment of equipment and infrastructure that has been under care and maintenance since mining operations were stopped in 2013.
“Findings were positive, showing that only limited capital and effort would be needed to restore the plant for a possible restart,” the report said.
As part of the study, the company completed a major drilling campaign during 2025 aimed at improving geological confidence and expanding indicated resources and drilled a total of 724 boreholes, covering 15 200 metres.
Trekkopje Uranium Mine is one of the largest calcrete-hosted uranium deposits in the country and an updated geological resource model is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2026 before being incorporated into the final feasibility assessment.
The mine contains an estimated 340 million tonnes of ore, but is characterized by a very low uranium grade (0.014%). After completing its initial pilot phase, the mine was mothballed before achieving full-scale commercial production and has remained under care and maintenance for over a decade.
“The final phase will involve completing the full feasibility study by the end of 2026, including the construction and operation of a pilot plant to verify technical assumptions and confirm economic viability,” the report said.
Trekkopje Mine, located about 70 kilometres north-east of Swakopmund, was discovered in 2005 and is regarded as one of Namibia’s largest uranium deposits.
The mine was placed under care and maintenance after the collapse in uranium prices more than a decade ago, but renewed global interest in nuclear energy and stronger uranium prices have brought a change of mind.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has expressed the desire to use uranium to generate electricity for the country and not depend on imports.
The Chamber reports that Orano incurred a loss of N$219 million in 2025, while spending N$28 million on wages and salaries and N$28.7 million on procurement, of which 90.59% was sourced locally.
The company also spent N$682,867 on training and skills development and awarded one bursary during the year.
The mine was placed under a structured care and maintenance programme in October 2012 due to a combination of market crashes and inherent technical obstacles.
Following the tsunami and subsequent nuclear accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011, global sentiment towards nuclear energy soured dramatically.
Uranium demand fell dramatically overnight, prompting a historic collapse in market values.
At the time Areva acquired the mine through the purchase of UraMin in 2007, uranium spot prices hovered around record highs of US$135-US$140 per pound.
But following the Fukushima disaster, prices plummeted to around US$25 per pound, making a low-grade, high-cost startup economically unfeasible.
“Because Trekkopje’s uranium concentrations are exceptionally low, the mine requires a massive, high-tonnage operation processing up to 100 000 tonnes of ore daily just to be profitable.
“The complex economics of executing a massive alkaline heap leaching process could not withstand the cheap market environment,” said the report.
Located in the hyper-arid Namib Desert, the mine has no natural freshwater. This forced massive upfront capital costs to build water infrastructure, which strained the project’s early financial viability.
REASONS FOR REOPENING
The outlook for the Trekkopje Mine has changed substantially, with Orano actively engaged in feasibility reassessments and submitting environmental clearance amendments to advance a restart.
Spurred by a global energy crunch and supply chain vulnerabilities, uranium prices experienced a major turnaround.
Spot prices neared US$100 per pound—reaching their highest levels since 2008 and crossing the threshold necessary to incentivize major capital investments.
The global push for clean, carbon-free baseload power to combat climate change has restored confidence in the nuclear sector. Major infrastructure expansions across Asia and Europe have locked in long-term demand for uranium feedstock.
The World Nuclear Association forecasts a severe, structural global supply shortfall of roughly 150 million pounds by 2040 and Orano is evaluating a restart to fill this vacuum and insulate its wider corporate portfolio against operational complications elsewhere globally.
According to the report, roughly 80% of the total investment to develop the mine has already been spent.
Orano built the highly successful Erongo Desalination Plant at Wlotzkasbaken to supply the mine’s massive water requirements. Because the plant is fully operational and currently supplying fresh water to the local coastal area, the mine can be powered without depleting fragile, local groundwater aquifers.
studies during the pilot phase (2008–2012) gave engineers data to optimize heap leaching and metallurgy. Ongoing technical reviews aim to utilize these baseline efficiency tweaks to process low-grade calcrete safely at a much lower operational cost.
If Orano finishes its current environmental permitting process, resource modeling, and engineering optimizations with favorable results, Trekkopje is strongly positioned to join Namibia’s next generation of operating uranium mines.
Bank of Namibia Parliament of the Republic of Namibia Standard Bank Group Nedbank MTC Namibia TotalEnergies
