Namibia testing ground for EU’s mineral dreams

The European Union (EU) is funding critical raw material projects in Namibia that could open a path for critical mineral processing in Europe.

The union in May announced a partnership with Andrada, the London-listed mining company operating a tin mine in the Erongo region, involving that it will fund a N$74-million project at Andrada’s Uis mine, called ProLith.

In an interview with The Namibian on Thursday, Andrada head of exploration Timothy Marais explained that it is a pilot project to prove that the kind of lithium found at Uis is suitable for making electric vehicle batteries.

The demand for lithium has exploded internationally as lithium is a key component of batteries. Historically, the lithium used in batteries has been produced from a mineral called spodumene.