CHAMWE KAIRA
Deep Yellow Limited has outlined its environmental, radiation safety and social performance in Namibia as it advances the Tumas Uranium Project in the Erongo Region towards a final investment decision.
In its 2026 Sustainability Report, prepared in line with Global Reporting Initiative standards, the Australian uranium developer reported on its pre-production activities, economic contribution and environmental management at Tumas and its associated Namibian exploration tenements.
Deep Yellow said 211.3 hectares of land was cumulatively converted for development during the financial year.
The company said its infrastructure designs and mine plans were adjusted to avoid highly sensitive desert habitats, with additional biodiversity, soil and cumulative environmental impact studies commissioned in preparation for future compliance with the Equator Principles and International Finance Corporation standards. The studies are expected to be completed in 2027.
Water use accounted for 97% of Deep Yellow’s global water consumption during the reporting period, with 47.6 megalitres withdrawn for the Namibian operations.
The company said the water is saline local groundwater extracted under an abstraction licence and that there is no known community reliance on the source.
A groundwater monitoring network comprising more than 50 boreholes has been established to monitor baseline water chemistry and water levels.
Deep Yellow said it would supplement water supplies or reduce abstraction if its activities affect neighbouring mining operations.
The company recorded no incidents of direct effluent discharge into the environment during the reporting period. It said future industrial wastewater would be directed to a tailings storage facility for recovery and reuse in processing.
On radiation safety, Deep Yellow said it implemented project-specific Radiation Management Plans overseen by a Radiation Safety Officer.
Six uranium-in-urine sampling campaigns were conducted during the reporting period, involving 60 samples from 28 local workers.
The company reported that none exceeded best-practice upper limits, while average results were about 15% of the desirable threshold.
A total of 42 occupational dust samples were also analysed for alpha activity. The highest concentration recorded was 23.9 millibecquerels per cubic metre, equivalent to 4.8% of the company’s internal action level.
The mean estimated radiation dose across the Namibian workforce was 0.21 millisieverts, according to the report.
Deep Yellow currently employs 45 people in Namibia, with Namibian nationals accounting for 93% of its local workforce.
The company said 42% of its Namibian procurement spending was directed to suppliers local to its operations.
To increase local participation, Deep Yellow established an online procurement portal for Namibian businesses and introduced contract weighting criteria favouring local labour and local-content procurement.
Commercial production at Tumas is projected to begin in 2029. The company said its social sustainability activities also include community support programmes, educational assistance and youth empowerment initiatives through local sports.
