The Langer Heinrich mine (LHM) is a large
open pit
Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the earth from an open-air pit, sometimes known as a borrow.
This form of mining ...
mine located in the western part of
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
in the
Erongo Region
Erongo is one of the 14 regions of Namibia. The capital is Swakopmund. It is named after Mount Erongo, a well-known landmark in Namibia and in this area. Erongo contains the municipalities of Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Henties Bay and Omaruru, as ...
. Langer Heinrich represents one of the largest
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 ...
reserves in
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
having estimated reserves of 57,000 tonnes of ore grading 0.055%
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 ...
.
The Langer Heinrich mine is currently owned by Paladin Energy Ltd with a 75% stake and CNNC Overseas Uranium Holding Ltd with a 25% stake. Paladin Energy sold the 25% to the Chinese National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) in 2014 for a reported $190 million. The mine is under
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 ...
since 2018.
History
The uranium deposit was discovered at the Langer Heinrich mine in 1973, however the mine only commenced uranium mining operations in 2007 after the mine had been unused for nearly 7 years.
Development of Langer Heinrich mine
In 2008, Paladin Energy announced that the Langer Heinrich mine had achieved its production target for December 2007. In 2008 though, two incidents occurred that halted production: The open pit was flooded with runoff rainwater rendering it unusable for over a month. The second was an electrical accident injuring three people.
In August 2008, Paladin announced an increase or 64% in Inferred Resources and 46% increase in the Measured and Indicated Resources of the Langer Heinrich mine.
In June 2009, Paladin announced the approval of the Stage III Expansion of the mine which was forecast to increase production capacity to 5.2 million lb U3O8
000 t Uper year, a reduction on previous forecasts. In October 2009, the company announced a Stage 4 Expansion forecasting production to increase to 10 million lb U3O8
,846 t Uper year using heap leaching.
In 2010 Paladin Energy announced the sale of uranium to China would start in 2011 after signing an agreement with China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group Co. In 2011, Stage III Expansion was halted due to a miners strike by 600 workers. This was followed by another strike in 2013 by 300 mine workers.
In 2013, mines across Namibia faced an uncertain future due to a lack of water needed for mine operations due to a widespread drought in the region. In 2014, the sale of 25% of the mine was concluded with Chinese National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). In the same year, Paladin Energy announced that Stage 4 Expansion would be halted due to the weakened price of uranium. In 2015, further cost-reduction projects were put in place by Paladin Energy. The Prime Minister of Namibia released a report on the state of the mine addressing safety concerns and working conditions. In July 2016, Paladin announced the sale of a further 24% of the Langer Heinrich mine to CNNC to cover mounting debts, bringing the total ownership by the Chinese owned company to 49%.
In May 2018, Paladin confirmed that the mine would cease operations and would be placed into
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 ...
. It was still in this state , awaiting higher uranium prices.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Langer Heinrich Mine
Uranium mines in Namibia