Malawi expected to produce 1.7 percent of global uranium

Malawi is set to contribute 1.7 percent of global uranium production once the country's Kayalekera Uranium Project (KUP) starts producing uranium oxide in late 2008, the Australian mining firm Paladin said on Monday.

Paladin, which the Malawi government has granted a mining license for the uranium project, said in a statement that Malawi would from late next year be producing up to 3.3 million pounds (1, 500 tons) of uranium oxide every year for a period of seven years.

"Converted into electricity production, 3.3 million pounds of uranium is enough to produce more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity each year," the company stated.

Currently, Malawi produces 275 megawatts of hydro-powered electricity every year.

The mining firm, which is also operating a uranium mining project in Namibia, said Malawi would late next year join a select group of countries that produce clean nuclear energy.

The Malawi government recently granted Paladin exclusive mining contract of its 11,000 tons of uranium deposits which is projected to earn the country about 200 million U.S. dollars every year for the expected 10-year mining life span.

The uranium deposits are located on a 55.5 square km stretch of land at Kayalekera in Malawi's northern border district of Karonga, located about 300 km north of the capital Lilongwe.

The Malawi government's plans to mine the uranium have been heavily criticized by local civil society groups who argued that it would expose people living within the vicinity of the mine to dangers of radiation and toxic chemicals used in the separation of uranium ore.

The government has nonetheless parried away the civil society claims, saying necessary precautions will be taken to avoid any hazards on people's lives and the environment.

Malawi's high-grade sandstone uranium deposits were discovered in the 1980s by a British mining firm, the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB), which showed interest to mine the uranium but later decided against it due to low global uranium prices at the time.

Ministry gets ready to break ground on new primary school in Malawi.

Malawi (MNN) -- Grace Ministries International is celebrating a partner's growth in Malawi.

The Grace church has just been given a new 20-acre plot of land for a primary school in Senga Bay on the coast of Lake Malawi. Pray that they can use the 40,000 bricks and various donations to build the school before the end of the year.

GMI began their work in Malawi in 2000. At that time, two Zambian Bible School graduates were sent as short-term missionaries to that country. In January 2005 Rev. and Mrs. Kennedy Simtowe, GMI missionaries to Zambia, moved to Malawi to strengthen the work by establishing a training center and expanding the evangelistic outreach and church-planting ministries.

Since then, aside from the educational aspect, numerous churches have been planted in addition to establishing 32 future church plants. One missionary team is focused on starting new preaching points through evangelistic outreach.

Please pray for spiritual growth for those men in training. Pray, also, for the two Malawians who are students at Zambia Grace Bible Institute.

Grace Ministries International
Phone: (616) 241-5666
Fax: (616) 241-2542
Web Site
P.O. Box 9405
Grand Rapids, MI49509
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