Russia To Help Shape Nuclear Energy Future In Namibia

2007-12-06

Namibia has asked Russia for assistance in drawing up a national nuclear energy policy, including proposals for the possible construction of nuclear power plants in the country.     Details of proposals under discussion were confirmed for NucNet by the Nuclear Society of Russia (NSR) on 26 February 2006. Russia’s Techsnabexport, Renova and Vneshtorgbank have already created a joint venture for uranium mining in Namibia.     Namibia is also interested in building a plant for the initial processing of uranium and developing a domestic nuclear energy programme ? possibly starting with construction of a floating nuclear power plant and a “medium capacity” nuclear plant.     The head of Russia’s Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom), Sergei Kiriyenko, said Renova and Vneshtorgbank already hold licences to mine uranium in Namibia.     Namibia’s minister of mines and energy, Erkki Nghimtina, said in February 2007 that his country needed a “national policy on the issues related to nuclear fuel” and he welcomed Russia’s assistance.     NucNet reported in November 2006 that Russia expects to complete construction of the world’s first civilian floating nuclear power plant, near the town of Severodvinsk in the northern Arkhangelsk region, in May 2010. State-owned utility Rosenergoatom and the Northern Machine Building Plant (Sevmach) began building the plant in March 2006.     NSR said a number of countries have expressed an interest in floating plants. Apart from electricity generation, the plants can also be used for desalination.     The plants are described as “floating” because they will be placed on a purpose-built barge. The barge will hold two Russian-designed KLT-40C reactor units of 35 megawatts electric each and two generators. The plant will use only low-enriched uranium of less than 20% of uranium-235. (NucNet,2/3/2007)