Chamwe Kaira
The government sees potential in the nuclear fuel cycle chain, including uranium conversion and small modular reactors, with the ability to inject up to N$20 billion into the economy under favourable conditions.
These include geopolitical dynamics, market trends, and Namibia’s financial and technical capacity.
The sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) shows that one of the planned interventions is to assess the viability of uranium conversion.
The plan also sets the stage for considering a nuclear power programme beyond the NDP6 period.
The proposed activities include the establishment of a Nuclear Institute of Namibia and exploring flagship nuclear projects such as a laboratory, fuel value chain development, a small modular reactor for energy production, a research reactor, and an industrial irradiation facility.
The government said NDP6 will provide the foundation for future use of advanced nuclear technology. It noted that the emergence of small modular reactors (SMRs) and microreactors (MRs) has made nuclear energy more accessible to developing countries.
These reactors are standardised, take less time to build, cost less, can be deployed in remote areas, and are suitable for small electric grids.
They are scalable and can support both electricity generation and other uses such as industrial heat, seawater desalination, petroleum refining, hydrogen production, and steelmaking.
The uranium mining sector contributed 3.2% to Namibia’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024. Turnover from the sector in 2023 stood at N$15.53 billion.
Of this, N$10.27 billion came from wages, royalties, and local procurement. The industry provided 6,437 direct jobs.
Namibia currently focuses on the uranium mining stage of the fuel value chain. The government has developed a strategy for the nuclear industry to support the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Policy of 2014 and the Nuclear Science and Technology Policy of 2016. These policies outline Namibia’s aim to use nuclear technology to help achieve national development goals.
The uranium value chain includes mining, processing, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, power generation, and spent fuel management.
