She said government is finalising a national nuclear energy policy and conducting research to pave the way for the country’s first nuclear power programme.
President said the country is finalising a nuclear energy policy and carrying out research that will eventually enable it to generate electricity from its own uranium resources.
The President made the remarks after leading a Namibian delegation on a tour of the China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant in Shenzhen, where officials demonstrated how uranium is processed and used to generate electricity.
The visit formed part of the President’s official visit to China aimed at strengthening cooperation in energy, industrialisation and investment.
Speaking to Namibian journalists after touring the facility, Nandi-Ndaitwah said the visit had reinforced government’s commitment to diversify Namibia’s energy sources and ensure the country’s natural resources benefit its people.
“From the visit, there is really to understand the whole operation, which I appreciate,” she said.
The President said the delegation received detailed explanations on how uranium is processed before being used as nuclear fuel.
“They even explained to us how the uranium moves through the different levels because they are not taking it raw as such. It crosses to a certain level before it finally comes to China,” she said.
She said Namibia, as one of the world’s leading uranium producers, cannot continue exporting the mineral without seeking greater value from it.
“So, definitely, you are right that the mixed energy is our policy – and as a producer of uranium, we cannot run away from that,” she said.
“But we have to be very bold to say that we cannot allow our natural resources not to be used to the maximum, and the maximum is when they create energy,” she added.
In what is likely to become a major policy direction for the country, the President revealed that government is already drafting a national nuclear energy policy.
“So, currently, we are busy putting up our nuclear energy policy. Once we finalise it, it has to be backed by the law, and we proceed,” she said.
She added that government is already conducting research on how such a programme would be implemented safely.
“And already, we are making research as to how we are going to handle this situation, but definitely we need it. It has to come at one point in the lifetime of Namibia. It has to come,” she said.
Namibia possesses some of the world’s largest uranium reserves and is among Africa’s biggest uranium producers, but the mineral is currently exported for processing and use abroad.
The President’s remarks suggest government now wants to move beyond mining uranium to eventually using it to produce electricity domestically as part of its long-term energy strategy.
The move also supports government’s broader industrialisation agenda, which seeks to add value to Namibia’s natural resources instead of exporting raw materials.
The Daya Bay visit gave the Namibian delegation a first-hand look at how nuclear energy is produced and managed in one of China’s most successful nuclear facilities.
Background
The China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant was commissioned in 1994.
It was China’s first large-scale commercial nuclear power station and is operated by CGN.
The plant uses pressurised water reactor technology to generate electricity and supplies power to both mainland China and Hong Kong.
In April 2025, CGN announced that the station had generated more than one trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity since it began operations, making it one of China’s landmark clean energy projects.
The President was accompanied by senior government officials, including ministers and officials responsible for mining, energy, agriculture, transport and national planning as Namibia continues exploring new partnerships with China to strengthen energy security, industrialisation and economic development.
Source: New Era