Chamwe Kaira
Walvis Bay Salt Holdings (Pty) Ltd plans to apply for an amendment to its Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) to expand salt production within its Mining License (ML) 37 area. Documents show the expansion will take place southwest of Walvis Bay in the Erongo Region.
The company, established in 1964, processes seawater to produce crude salt and is one of the largest solar evaporation salt facilities in Africa. In November 1995, the Ministry of Mines and Energy extended its licence for the salt works under ML 37. Annual production has since increased from 750,000 metric tonnes to about 1.1 million metric tonnes.
Walvis Bay Salt, which recently marked its 60th anniversary, exports to more than 15 international markets and accounts for 70% of the product flow through the Port of Walvis Bay. In 2024, the company contributed over N$36 million in revenue to the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport).
In May of this year, the company inaugurated a N$100 million salt warehouse at the port, marking a significant step for Namibia’s export infrastructure and industrial capacity.
The Ministry of Mines issues new ECCs to the company every three years, with the most recent granted in February 2025. Walvis Bay Salt now plans to develop new evaporation and crystallisation ponds within its current boundaries to boost salt output.
Walvis Bay Salt Holdings operates through three subsidiaries: Salt and Chemicals (Pty) Ltd, Walvis Bay Salt Refiners (Pty) Ltd, and Ekango Salt Refiners (Pty) Ltd.
“Salt & Chemicals is conducting the salt production and mining operations to generate the crude salt, whilst Walvis Bay Salt Refiners further processes and markets the products. Ekango produces refined table salt,” the company said.
Sodium chloride makes up about 80% of the total salt content in seawater by weight. The group currently operates solar salt production across 5 214 hectares of water-covered area.
The company said the proposed expansion will not require major changes to its existing infrastructure.
“The current seawater intake facilities have sufficient capacity to support the increased footprint and the associated larger evaporation area and production volumes. Similarly, the existing salt washing and bagging plant has adequate spare capacity to manage the anticipated increase in production,” the company stated.
Caption
Walvis Bay Salt Holdings is planning to expand its salt production facilities.
- Photo: Contributed
