Uranium One Group, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned Rosatom, has withdrawn a high court case against the agriculture ministry.
The company dragged the agriculture ministry to the high court in early 2023, challenging minister Calle Schlettwein’s decision not to issue them an exploration permit.
Uranium One’s Namibia subsidiary, Headspring Investments, has uranium interests in the Leonardville area.
The area where Uranium One wants to mine has about four aquifers.
Schlettwein denied the company a permit, saying the company’s proposed mining method was concerning.
Uranium One uses a in-situ mining method, which involves drilling a series of boreholes into an ore body and using acids or bases to dissolve mineral deposits.
On Monday, Uranium One Group withdrew the case after the minister tabled the Water Resources Management Act, Act 11 of 2013, on August 29, 2023.
According to Uranium One Group, the Act introduced material changes to the previously existing legal landscape, leading to the decision to withdraw the case.
Uranium One expressed confidence that the project would benefit the country and that the whole process of exploration, test mining (part of exploration), and eventual mining of the uranium would be safe with the minimum negative ecological impact.
