Uranium Stewardship Committee (USC):
The Chamber of Mines of Namibia proactively decided to establish a Uranium Stewardship Committee (USC) in the country in 2007. This was done with due regards to the rapidly growing Uranium industry in the country in response to the world’s demand for uranium in the generation of clean energy. The establishment of the Uranium Stewardship Committee (USC) was done in line with the recently published World Nuclear Association’s (WNA) stewardship principles which advocate collective responsibility and commitment by all players to the safe and responsible management of the Uranium product.
The Uranium Stewardship Committee (USC) is the representative body which both articulate the national and global interest associated with Namibian uranium exploration, mining and export, as well as advocating the industry's views to government and the community. It was established in 2007 to enable the senior executives of the Uranium Industry in Namibia to contribute to emerging policy debates about the expansion of the industry, to its safe, efficient and productive development, to a better understanding of the global context in which it operates and to stakeholder and public confidence in the industry.
Membership and funding:
Rössing, together with the Langer Heinrich mine championed the establishment of the Uranium Stewardship Committee (USC) and were initially responsible for the total funding of the USC and its activities. Areva Resources Namibia is now also a Class-A member along with Rossing Uranium and Langer Heinrich Uranium and finances the USC programmes and the Uranium Institute in equal parts. Class-B members assisted with the initial funding of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) project and also contribute towards the running costs of the Uranium Institute. The Chair of the Board of the Stewardship Committee is Mr. Werner Duvenhage, Managing Director/ General Manager of Langer Heinrich Uranium. For further details please read the USC Constitution.
The Uranium Institute
The USC acknowledges that nuclear energy and uranium mining are surrounded by questions of Health, Environmental and Radiation Safety, Waste, cost and non-proliferation. The USC believes these questions have sound and convincing answers and it is the task of the Uranium Institute to provide them, accurately and comprehensively, with full recognition of public concerns. The Chamber of Mines’ Uranium Institute was established in 2009; initially to introduce best standards for the Uranium Industry in Namibia but its tasks now include a wide range of function. http://namibiauraniuminstitute.com/joomla/
Advisory Committees
The USC has already established a standing advisory committee on Health, Environment and Radiation Safety and Safety (HERSS) as well as three Technical Advisory Committees (TAC) to plan, advice and coordinate Health, Environment and Radiation Safety and Security issues. The members of the committees are appointed by the Management Committee of the USC. The HERSS and TAC’s Committees are chaired by specialists who maintain liaison with the members of the USC via the office of the Director of the Uranium Institute.
Task Forces & Working Groups
Task forces or working groups may support the Management Committee as required. These groups will be established by the Management Committee and assigned specific terms of reference.
