After we published a recent article about uranium activity in Namibia, we were flooded with emails about numerous other uranium exploration and development companies moving forward in this country.

We have little doubt Namibia could move higher in the World Nuclear Association rankings of uranium-producing countries.

The number of uranium juniors having now secured exploration licenses accompanying the two current producing mines, and yet another two mines on the horizon, adds up to an intensified increase in nationwide uranium production. Namibia’s chamber of mines president forecast the country’s uranium production could reach a global market share of 10 percent, possibly as high as 15 percent.

This production increase could send Namibia to fourth place behind Canada, Kazakhstan and Australia by 2012. According to the May 2007 World Nuclear Association rankings of uranium producing countries, Namibia ranked in sixth place behind Niger and Russia. Less than 400 tonnes of additional production would bring this country to the higher ranking.

Namibia’s production history, encouraging support of uranium mining and dependence upon mining as a revenue source has made the country an attractive proposition for mining yellowcake. Although these are low-grade deposits, a uranium price, which sustains around the present long-term contract levels, could lead to profitably mined uranium in this country, over the next decade.

By late 2006, the southwestern African republic had become a focal point for many junior uranium companies hoping to repeat the success of Paladin Resources. In February 2007, so many new companies had flocked to the country that the Ministry of Mines and Energy issued a moratorium on new prospecting licenses.

“Everyone is running to Namibia for uranium and we don't want every Jack and Jill mining uranium,” announced Joseph Iita, the permanent secretary in the ministry of mines and energy.”

Two of the more recent Jack and Jills include Forsys Metals and UraMin. Both are widely expected to become producing miners within three years or less. In 2006, the Geological Survey of Namibia wrote, “There is potential for similar alaskite-hosted uranium deposits in central western Namibia, for example Valencia (25.2 million tonnes of ore at an average grade of 300ppm U3O8), and Goanikontes (potential resource of several million tonnes of low grade ore).”

Since then, Forsys Metals has moved the company’s Valencia project through pre-feasibility and is now progressing toward obtaining a mining license for this uranium project. But what about the Goanikontes deposit?

One of our Australian subscribers, John Norriss, brought Bannerman Resources to our attention. The company is currently exploring the Goanikontes uranium project, which is 20 kilometers southwest, and along strike, of Rio Tinto’s Rossing mine. Bannerman holds an 80-percent interest in this project. It had lain dormant for more than twenty years.

It is reportedly prospective for primary alaskite-hosted uranium mineralization, which is similar to both Rossing and Forsys’ Valencia deposit. The orebody is comprised of multiple stacked alaskite units and reportedly show strong continuity below the base of the current resource.

One of the company’s targets is ‘Anomaly A,’ which has a database of more than 250 drill holes. A new resource estimate shows 27 million pounds U3O8 in the top 80 meters of Anomaly A over 1.4 kilometers. The company reports continuous mineralization over an additional 300 meters, and reports there are several significant intercepts up to five kilometers along strike.

Resource drilling in ongoing and Bannerman is targeting for a resource over 1.7 kilometers and up to a depth of 250 meters. The company hopes to simultaneously commence a scoping study this year. After finalizing the resource estimate, Bannerman hopes to proceed to a bankable feasibility study in 2008. If all proceeds as expected, the company hopes to be mining by late 2010 or early 2011. The company is aiming to list on the Toronto stock exchange in the latter half of 2007.

Bannerman also holds an exploration license close to Paladin’s Langer Heinrich uranium mine and additional uranium properties in neighboring Botswana.

Extract Resources has three primary targets near Rio Tinto’s Rossing uranium mine. At first glance the most promising appears to be the Ida Dome target. Anglo American Corp drilled 61 holes in the late 1970s. During that drilling 900 meters of strike length was tested between two anomalies, but only to 50 meters in depth. Many of the holes ended in mineralization and some holes yielded potentially economic mineralization.

The company’s 2006 work program resulted in economic grade mineralization in 19 of the 20 holes assayed to date. Of their best assays, three holes yielded grades greater than 0.1 percent. The top hole yielded 0.232 percent over eight meters, but it was the exception. Still these appear promising in an area known for very low uranium grades.

The company reported that ground radiometrics and drilling ‘suggest a uranium outcrop of approximately 10,000 meters.’ Consequently, Extract plans 380 holes, drilling 60,000 meters over twelve months to prove their conceptual resource target. In the company’s summary, they proposed a low-grade resource of about 20 million pounds U3O8 along a collective strike of 3,000 meters at 150 meters depth.

AIM-listed Kalahari Minerals (KAH) owns 36.4 percent of Extract’s issued shares. Later this year, Extract hopes to follow its Australian peers and list on either the Toronto or TSX Venture exchange.

Another exploration company situated in mid central Namibia is Erongo Energy. The company holds a 90-percent interest in four exploration licenses. In early May, Erongo commenced a 10,000 meter drilling program on its ‘Granites’ project.

Previous exploration more than 20 years ago by Falconbridge and Goldfields included 68 percussion holes and two diamond drill holes. The best hole yielded 32 meters of 348 ppm U3O8 from near surface down. Others to a depth of 46 meters also indicated promising results. The Namibian government completed an airborne radiometric survey in 2002.

The company believes uranium mineralization in this area is concentrated within horizontal granitic layers. Erongo Energy is targeting an intrusive-hosted uranium deposit found between the younger post tectonic Erongo granites which have intruded the older basement Salem granites. A mineralogical investigation revealed uraninite is the primary uranium mineral.

In mid October 2006, Deep Yellow Limited acquired the Namibian uranium interests (Reptile Tenements) of privately held Raptor Partners. These include three exploration licenses, which are valid through June 2009. The company has access to more than 2600 square kilometers of desert where previous drilling by Anglo American, Falconbridge, General Mining and Aquitaine took various turns to find a uranium deposit.

Nearby Paladin Resources did. It is now the Langer Heinrich uranium mine, with which Deep Yellow takes every opportunity to make some comparison. An example from the company’s website includes:

More to the point is the historic drilling by the major mining companies. About 37,500 holes were drilled and some of it reported outlined ‘extensive zones’ containing uranium mineralization. Carnotite is the mineralization, and in the valley-fill sediments similar to those found at Langer Heinrich.

However, at Langer Heinrich, Paladin reports a JORC compliant contained U3O8 resource of 44,000t. The nearby Tubas exploration license (EPL #3496) is estimated at less than 6,000 tonne U3O8 and with grades of 222 ppm. This appears very low grade.

Deep Yellow reports it plans to pursue environmental clearances before launching a comprehensive exploration program. This project is very early days.

In December 2006, Nova Energy was awarded three exploration licenses in central western Namibia, near Swakopmund.

Of potential interest is the 247.7 square kilometer Gawib West license, which is located about seven miles west of Paladin’s Langer Heinrich uranium mine and covers part of the upper Tumas drainage. The company speculates on its website, “The Company's reinterpretation of the geology suggests that this drainage may have originated from the uranium anomalous granitoids to the east. These granitoids may also have been the source of uranium in the Langer Heinrich deposit.”

Nova Energy also reports, “Carnotite mineralisation is generally hosted by coarse clastic sediments of Tertiary age, towards the Langer Heinrich channel. The sediments have been partially stripped by Quaternary erosion related to the Swakop-Gawib river system.  At the western end of the channel, the alluvial fill is almost intact and there are there are no significant surface radiometric anomalies.”

Consequently, Nova Energy will drill test for the buried western extension of the channel. This is extremely early days.