Корпорация IDC получила более 30 предложений по продаже доли в урановом месторождении Рёсинг из-за санкций против Ирана

The move by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to sell its stake in Rössing Uranium, which it co-owns with China and the under-fire Iranian regime, has attracted more than 30 suitors, amid sanctions affecting Tehran’s stake in the mine. Rössing Uranium operates one of the world’s largest and longest-running open-pit uranium mines, located near Arandis in the Erongo region in Namibia. The IDC holds a minority shareholding of about 10.48%, which is valued at about R5bn. “Rössing’s current shareholder base includes entities that are subject to international sanctions, resulting in Rössing being classified as a sanctioned entity under the IDC’s risk and compliance management programme,” the IDC’s annual report reads. “Consequently, the IDC’s continued investment in Rössing is inconsistent with its internal policies and lender requirements, which oblige the IDC to exit business relationships involving sanctioned parties. “A broad marketing and advertising exercise was undertaken locally and in Namibia, supported by direct outreach to targeted financial and strategic investors. This process resulted in the receipt of 35 expressions of interest…. the process to dispose of IDC’s equity interest is still ongoing,” the report reads. Rössing, majority owned by the Chinese state-owned China National Uranium Corporation (CNUC), has been in production since 1976, with the IDC as one of the initial investors in the group. Rössing reached record production levels in 2023, when its management extended the mine’s life from 2027 to 2036, with plans for further life extension on the cards as the company assesses additional uranium deposits. Rössing’s primary product is uranium oxide, extracted from tough granite known as Alaskite. Rössing is the world’s third-largest mine of its kind, and its customers are represented in all nuclear power markets. The Iranian government holds a 15% stake in Rössing via the Iran Foreign Investment Company (IFIC). CNUC owns a 68% stake, which it bought from mining major Rio Tinto in 2019. While Iran owns a big stake in Rössing, one of the world’s largest open-pit uranium mines, it has, due to international sanctions, been unable to receive any uranium or dividends from the investment since 2007. The Namibian government has insisted over the years that it did not enter into commercial deals to supply Iran with uranium. Under UN, US and EU restrictions, Namibia cannot transfer funds or assets that might indirectly benefit Iran’s nuclear programme. All dividends payable to IFIC are deposited into escrow accounts in Namibia, where they remain recorded on the company’s books but are inaccessible to Tehran. Iran’s uranium enrichment programme is a big international concern, with the US hell-bent on preventing the country from building nuclear bombs. Iran’s ambitious nuclear power plans are longstanding. Starting in the 1970s, Iran’s atomic establishment, operated by the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), discussed building 20 large nuclear power reactors. The Trump administration recently launched a huge new sanctions campaign against Iran, “Operation Economic Outcast”, as part of Washington’s push to sever all remaining economic lifelines sustaining the Iranian government. Business Day