LAST week the second shipment of Sodium Di-Uranate (SDU) produced during the MIDI pilot phase at the Trekkopje mining site left the Walvis Bay industrial port for the Comurhex Malvesi site in France, which specializes in processing uranium concentrates.

In order to achieve this, the teams completed SDU drying and drumming at the Maxi process facilities in June. This second convoy brings the total uranium production figure for the Trekkopje site to 435 tonnes before the start of the facility monitoring and maintenance programme.

The success of MIDI has made it possible to confirm the technical operation parameters for a large-scale alkaline leaching facility, a first in uranium mining. While the site is mothballed, an onsite team will continue to work on further improving facility operation in order to be ready to restart operations once the global uranium market conditions have improved.

Said Hilifa Mbako, Areva Namibia Managing Director: "The skills and the good performance of our Project, Operations, Radiation Protection, Maintenance and Logistics teams have demonstrated that the aims of an industrial pilot programme such as MIDI could be achieved. Thanks to their combined efforts, Areva was able to exceed its initial target of 410 tonnes of uranium in Namibia in 2012 and 2013"