Wood plc (Aberdeen, U.K.) has been selected by Australian-listed Bannerman Energy to deliver the detailed design phase of its flagship uranium project, Etango in Namibia.
Wood has supported Bannerman on the Etango project for over a decade delivering two feasibility studies and one pre-feasibility study on the development.
The Etango project is one of the world’s largest undeveloped uranium assets, situated in Namibia’s established uranium mining jurisdiction. Wood will apply its hydrometallurgical expertise in the uranium sector to design the next phase of development.
Jim Shaughnessy, President of Minerals, Metals & Life Sciences at Wood, said: “Uranium remains an important material in the world’s energy transition, with demand expected to increase by near 30% from 2023 to 2030.
“We’re delighted to continue working with our long-standing partner, Bannerman, on the next phase of this globally significant uranium project. Importantly, our front-end engineering design (FEED) included a focus on sustainable solutions for the development and we look forward to implementing these in the next phase of the project.”
The Etango-8 definitive feasibility study in 2022 confirmed that an eight million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) throughput rate was technically and commercially viable. A further scoping study in 2024 confirmed the ore body of the mine is capable of supporting an expansion case of 16 Mtpa (XP) operation or alternatively an extension case extending the life of mine (XT) from 15 years to 27 years. The Etango-8 project is progressing toward a final investment decision (FID), which is expected later this year.