Namibia to build critical desalination plant as mining surges

WINDHOEK, June 28, 2024 – The government of Namibia has announced plans to launch construction of the country’s second desalination plant in 2025, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The new plant is set to be commissioned by early 2027.

Namibia, already prone to drought, has seen a surge in uranium mining activity in recent years that has put a strain on its water resources, which include groundwater aquifers from the Omaruru Delta and Kuiseb Delta.

The country currently hosts the Erongo Desalination Plant, which has a capacity of around 20 million cubic metres per year.

Now, according to Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Calle Schlettwein, the government has approved a second plant with a similar capacity.

The second plant will also be located in the Erongo region, an area on Namibia’s central coast proximate to the inland capital of Windhoek.

Photo of the the Erongo Desalination Plant courtesy of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia.

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