KEY POINTS
-
Lotus Resources has secured the final permit needed to export uranium from Malawi.
-
About 145,000 pounds of uranium concentrate is expected to leave Kayelekera shortly.
-
The first shipment is scheduled to depart from Namibia’s Walvis Bay port in November for processing in France.
Australian-listed Lotus Resources has secured the final regulatory approval needed to transport and export uranium from its Kayelekera mine in Malawi, clearing the way for its first shipment to international markets.
The company received Transport and Export Authorisation from Namibia’s National Radiation Protection Authority, completing the key permitting requirements across Malawi, Zambia and Namibia.
The first shipment, comprising approximately 145,000 pounds of uranium ore concentrate, is expected to leave the Kayelekera mine within a week, with road transport arrangements already mobilised. Shipment from Namibia’s Port of Walvis Bay is scheduled for November 2026.
The uranium product will be transported to France for processing at Orano CE’s conversion facility.
Final approval opens export route
The Namibian authorisation represents a major milestone for Lotus Resources as it prepares to move uranium from its Malawian mining operation to an international customer.
The company needed the necessary approvals from authorities in Malawi, Zambia and Namibia to establish a permitted transport and export route.
With the final approval secured, the company can transport its uranium product from Kayelekera through Zambia to Walvis Bay in Namibia, where it will be loaded for shipment to France.
The completion of the permitting process removes a significant regulatory hurdle that had to be addressed before the first shipment could proceed.
First shipment expected in November
Lotus plans to dispatch approximately 145,000 pounds of uranium ore concentrate from the Kayelekera site in the coming week.
Road haulage has been mobilised to the mine to support the movement of the material along the export route. The company has also booked the shipment from Walvis Bay for November.
The planned delivery will mark the first shipment of uranium product from the mine through the newly approved route.
The schedule depends on the successful movement of the material through the three countries and completion of the required shipping arrangements.
Uranium to be processed in France
Following its arrival at Walvis Bay, the uranium concentrate will be shipped to Orano CE’s conversion facility in France.
Uranium ore concentrate is an intermediate product that undergoes further processing and conversion before it can be used in the nuclear fuel supply chain.
The shipment will therefore connect Lotus Resources’ Malawian mining operation with an established European processing facility.
Securing the export route gives the company a pathway to deliver its product to the conversion facility, an important step in establishing its commercial supply chain.
Management welcomes permitting milestone
Lotus managing director Greg Bittar said obtaining the final approval followed substantial work by the company and its partners across the three jurisdictions.
He said the approvals from Malawi, Zambia and Namibia had opened the export pathway from Kayelekera to Orano CE’s conversion facility in France.
Bittar added that the company was targeting its first shipment from Walvis Bay in November.
The milestone brings the company closer to completing its first uranium product delivery, with transport and shipping arrangements now being prepared for the planned dispatch.
