The 55,000 m³/d Trekkopje seawater desalination plant in Nambia was opened opened on 16 August 2010 in the presence of Namibia’s minister of agriculture, water and forestry, John Mutorwa, and former president, Same Nujom
Designed and constructed by Keyplan, a South African specialist water treatment subsidiary of the Aveng Group, the reverse-osmosis plant, in the heart of the Namib desert, turns Atlantic seawater into high quality potable water for use at Areva Resources Namibia’s Trekkopje uranium mine.
The plant is currently being commissioned and has already produced high quality water. This followed a detailed environmental impact assessment, taking into account specific aspects of the coastline and potential carbon footprint of the operation.
Aveng Group CEO Roger Jardine said: “Today the Aveng Group has successfully demonstrated our competitive edge in applying home-grown water treatment solutions for mining operations. What is even more exciting is that these solutions can play a significant role in addressing security of water supply throughout Southern Africa, and other continents, where arid conditions are a major humanitarian concern and a restriction on industrial growth”.