Kayelekera uranium mine is an open cast

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

mine 52 kilometers west of the regional administrative and commercial centre

Karonga Karonga is a township in the Karonga District in Northern Region of Malawi. Located on the western shore of Lake Nyasa, it was established as a slaving centre sometime before 1877. As of 2018 estimates, Karonga has a population of 61,609. His ...

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

, Africa and was the country's largest mine. Production at the mine has been paused since February 2014, due to a fall in global uranium prices.

History

Kayelekera was owned 100% by Paladin (Africa) Limited (PAL), an 85% subsidiary of Australian and Canadian listed

Paladin Energy Paladin Energy Ltd is a Western Australian based uranium production company. It currently has one operating mine in Africa; the Langer Heinrich mine (LHM) in Namibia. Paladin was listed on the Australian, OTC and Namibian Stock Exchanges, as ...

and in July 2009, Paladin issued 15% of the equity in Paladin (Africa) Ltd to the Government of MalawiAnnual Report and Financial Statements
Paladin Energy Ltd. 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2016-09-22. under the terms of the Mining Development Agreement signed between PAL and the Government in February 2007. The mine was officially opened on 17 April 2009 by the then Malawian president Bingu wa Mutharika. In 2014, the mine entered

care and maintenance Care and maintenance is a term used in the mining industry to describe processes and conditions on a closed minesite where there is potential to recommence operations at a later date. During a care and maintenance phase, production is stopped but t ...

mode owing to a depressed uranium market. While in production, the mine exported containers of

uranium oxide Uranium oxide is an oxide of the element uranium. The metal uranium forms several oxides: * Uranium dioxide or uranium(IV) oxide (UO2, the mineral uraninite or pitchblende) * Diuranium pentoxide or uranium(V) oxide (U2O5) * Uranium trioxide or u ...

via the port of

Walvis Bay Walvis Bay ( en, lit. Whale Bay; af, Walvisbaai; ger, Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The c ...

. The mine has not been profitable for its operators and has met opposition from organisations and individuals concerned about the mine's tax concessions, operation, adherence to law and regulation and its potential impacts on human and environmental safety. In 2020, Paladin sold its 85% interest in the project to Lotus Resources (65%) and Lily Resources (20%). In 2021, Lotus acquired Lily's stake.

Incidents

Worker fatalities

Khwima Phiri

On July 30, 2013 mine employee Khwima Phiri was killed after being struck by a wheel that he was inflating.

Francis Mikonda

Francis Mikonda commenced work as a process operator at the Kayelekera mine on October 23, 2010. In 2012, he began to suffer from leg pains. An MRI scan of Mikonda's lumbar region conducted on December 28, 2012 revealed "diffuse marrow replacement and diffuse spondylosis from L2-3 to L5-S1, with moderate spiral stenosis at L4-5 and irritation of the right L4 nerve root." On January 17, 2013 he collapsed at work and was admitted to hospital suffering from fractures of left and right thigh bones. His right leg required amputation. On September 11, 2013, Mikondo died from cancer. Paladin denied that Mikonda's death was the result of exposure to radioactive substances.

Transport spill of uranium oxide

In February 2014, a truck rollover resulted in the rupture of a container of uranium oxide.

Storm surge liquid discharge

In January 2015, a stormwater surge caused the liner in a plant run-off tank to rupture, resulting in approximately 50 litres of liquid overflowing from a bunded area. Media reports claimed that the mine had begun to discharge wastes into the local river system, which Paladin refuted. Paladin stated that such reports originated from 'hostile' NGOs and contained "numerous blatant falsehoods and misleading statements, intended to cause alarm and distress in communities living in the vicinity of Kayelekera and the local river system."{{Cite web, url = http://www.miningreview.com/spill-at-paladins-kayelekera-mine-in-malawi-after-storm/, title = Spill at Paladin's Kayelekera mine in Malawi after storm, date = 2015-01-07, access-date = 2015-02-04, website = MiningReview.com, last = Sidler, first = Vicky

References

Uranium mines Mines in Malawi