Rossing

One of the world's largest open pit uranium mines

The Rössing Uranium Mine is an open pit operation situated close to the town of Arandis some 65 kilometres inland from the coastal town of Swakopmund in Namibia, south-western Africa.  The mine began producing uranium oxide in 1976 and now supplies nuclear power utilities in Central Europe, North America and South-east Asia where uranium oxide is used in the generation of electricity.

Rössing, which is one of the largest open pit uranium mines in the world, and currently produces about 7.55 per cent of the world's uranium oxide.

With safety being of paramount importance, Rössing's uranium oxide is packed into steel drums that are loaded into standard containers and transported by rail to the deepwater port of Walvis Bay. From there, the containers are shipped via the South African ports of Durban or Cape Town to converters in Canada, China, France, and the United States.

The mining town of Arandis was established by the Rössing Mine to provide family accommodation for its 800 workers, 96 per cent of whom are Namibian citizens, and a new community that people could call home. Working closely with the Arandis community, the Rössing Foundation strives to ensure an economically independent and self-sustaining town.