Uranium exploration has moved to Opuwo in Kunene, where two companies—Snow Lake Energy and Gib River Diamonds—have acquired tenements.
The Kunene region covers an area of 115,293 km2 of total Namibian land. Kunene region is the second largest region after //Kharas region.
Kunene region has 120,762 inhabitants (Census 2023), representing 4% of the Namibian population.
The region’s northern border is with Angola, and the Atlantic Ocean is on the western edge.
The region borders the Omusati region to the east and southeast of Etosha National Park. In the south, it borders the Erongo and Otjozondjupa regions.
The Erongo region, where most uranium mining occurs, is about 400 km away.
An EU-backed case Study into Namibia’s Critical Raw Materials and Prospects for Investment identified the Kunene region as a source for cobalt, copper, rare earth metals, iron ore and nickel-copper-cobalt-platinum group element mineralisations.
The occurrence of uranium at a few localities in sediments of the Karoo Supergroup has been known since the early 1970s.
In particular, the Engo Valley deposit, occurring in the basal Dwyka Formation sediments, has been actively prospected.
Snow Lake Energy
Snow Lake Energy has acquired the Engo Valley Uranium Project, and Gib River Diamond pegged the Kunene Uranium Project comprising EPLs 10120, 10121, 10122 and 10191.
Snow Lake Energy agreed to acquire 68% of Namibia Minerals and Investment Holdings, which holds the Engo Valley Uranium Project titles under EPL 5887, covering about 68,283 hectares.
The 69,530-ha EPL-5887 covers the project and is valid until February 12, 2026.
The Engo Valley Uranium Project is on the Skeleton Coast, in the Opuwo District of the Kunene Region, along the coast of northwest Namibia, approximately 600 kilometres north of Swakopmund.
The project is accessible from the south via 190 km of desert track roads from Mowe Bay via the Sarusas mine.
To the east, unconfirmed track roads connect the project area to the settlement of Orupembe.
The license was granted for industrial minerals, non-nuclear fuel minerals, nuclear fuel minerals, precious metals, and precious stones, which include uranium.
Uranium mineralization was discovered in 1973, and General Mining and Finance Corporation Ltd. (Gencor), now part of BHP Billiton, conducted exploration intermittently between 1974 and 1980.
The Engo Valley Uranium Project is considered a top-tier exploration project.
The Namibian Ministry of the Environment issued an environmental clearance certificate to the project company for three years, valid until at least August 15, 2024, permitting exploration work on the license.
Gencor conducted an airborne radiometric survey, a ground radiometric survey, geological mapping, diamond and percussion drilling, limited resistivity work, and a radon etch survey.
A total of 5,784 meters of drilling were completed, including 1,061 meters of diamond drilling.
The airborne radiometric survey was confined to the western side of the license along the Engo Valley paleochannel.
The survey delineated four anomalies, named D1, D2, D3, and D4. D1 was further delineated into three anomalies named D1 Extension, Main Uranium Occurrence (MUO), and Louw’s Valley.
Most of the historical exploration was focused on D1, and most of the drilling was concentrated on the MUO.
The drilling was widespread, non-systematic, and non-grid.
An untested anomaly, D5, has yet to be evaluated for uranium and covers an area of 14 square kilometres with a strike length of seven kilometres.
Gencor also completed a historic, non-compliant S-K 1300 mineral resource estimate in the 1970s on the MUO and D1 Extension.
When Snow Lake Energy acquired a stake, it said it would review all historical exploration data, the historical resource estimate, and all previous drilling results, to be followed by fresh twin-hole drilling of historical drilling, together with grid infill drilling to both test the validity of the MOU and D1 exploration targets and to produce an initial SK-1300 compliant mineral resource estimate.
Exploration field crews began mobilising to the site in May to undertake the field portion of Phase 1 of the program.
Results from the radon cup survey, the initial phase of drilling, and the downhole gamma logging will inform the second round of drilling.
Snow Lake is finalising the Engo Valley Uranium Project drill targets after the two radon cup surveys.
The two drilling phases are designed to test the various exploration targets’ validity and produce an initial SK-1300-compliant mineral resource estimate.
With results from both phases of the radon cup survey, Snow Lake is finalising the drill targets.
Snow Lake Resources has also analysed all airborne survey data previously flown by the Namibian government over the project area, together with all other historical exploration reports and data on the project area on file with the mine ministry.
The company has also completed the topographical survey of the project site and located all historic drill collars from Gencor’s 1970 drilling campaign.
The following stages will involve an initial 1,000-meter reverse circulation drill program to twin the historical drill holes and begin an infill grid pattern between the historical drill holes and downhole radiometric on each new drill hole.
Snow Lake will acquire an additional 17% undivided interest by incurring additional exploration expenditures of a minimum of US$800,000 on the project within 12 months of acquiring the first-stage interest.
The company’s CEO, Frank Wheatley, said they are looking forward to starting the initial phase of drilling at this highly prospective uranium project.
Gib River Diamonds
GIB’s project in Kunene comprises EPLs 10120, 10121, 10122 and 10191.
The company has a significant ground holding in the area, with four EPLs covering 1,780 km2, and much of this area hosts Karoo Formation rocks.
GIB’s project areas are vast and considered prospective for uranium but highly under-explored.
The nearby Engo Valley Uranium Project, operated by Canadian company Snow Lake Energy, contains significant uranium mineralisation discovered by Gencor in the 1970s and illustrates the prospectivity of the region.
The region is remote and rugged, although accessible by helicopter and, in part, by 4WD vehicles.
The sparsely populated region is home to several Indigenous people, including the Himba; there is very little economic development in the area.
Palaeozoic Karoo-aged rocks, similar to those in Namibia, host some of the largest uranium resources in Southern Africa, including the Letlhakane Uranium Project in neighbouring Botswana (190.4 million pounds U3O86) and the Kayelekera Project in Malawi (46.3 million pounds U3O86). Lotus Resources Limited operates both projects.
The Kunene Project is considered a grassroots exploration play with a large area of under-explored ground.
The company currently searches for historical data and compiles information to work further.
Any on-ground or airborne geophysical exploration will require ECC clearance, one of the factors considered in planning follow-up work.
The company believes the Kunene Project has the technical merit and prospectivity for a significant new greenfield uranium discovery of the roll-front type and calcrete-hosted type and is currently assessing various options to develop this considerable ground for further holding in Namibia.
