The vast, arid landscapes of southern Namibia hold a treasure beneath the sun-baked earth: the Haib Copper Project. Koryx Copper Inc.’s latest development update paints a picture of significant progress towards transforming this long-dormant asset into what it envisions as “Africa’s next simple, but large and world-class copper mine.” Yet, amidst the encouraging metallurgical results, advancing engineering studies, and ambitious production targets, a fundamental challenge emerges with profound significance for Namibia itself: the monumental task of securing sufficient water to sustain this industrial giant in one of the driest countries on Earth.
Koryx’s announcement brims with technical confidence. Six months of intensive metallurgical testwork, leveraging historical data from industry giants like Rio Tinto and Teck, have yielded “excellent” results. Copper flotation recoveries exceeding 92% for high-grade material (>0.275% Cu) and averaging 89% across the resource grade (0.35% Cu) validate the core processing plan. Conventional crushing, milling, and flotation, enhanced by innovations like coarse particle flotation (potentially reducing plant size by rejecting 15% of feed early), form the backbone of the proposed operation. The Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA), slated for Q3 2025 and involving world-class consultants, aims to solidify Haib’s credentials as a long-life, low-cost open-pit operation. The base case targets clean copper concentrate production, with potential expansion through heap leaching of lower-grade material (0.175% – 0.275% Cu) to produce cathode copper.
However, the sheer scale of the envisioned operation – a “large-scale open-pit mine” designed for longevity – brings immense logistical demands, particularly for essential resources. Namibia, characterized by low and erratic rainfall, faces chronic water scarcity. The Haib project, situated in this parched region, estimates an annual requirement of approximately 20 million cubic meters of raw water. This staggering figure immediately elevates water sourcing from a technical consideration to a critical national issue and a pivotal factor in the project’s ultimate viability and social license.
Koryx acknowledges the gravity of the challenge. Preliminary trade-off studies have narrowed the viable options to two sources, each presenting significant hurdles. The closest potential source is the Orange River, a mere 9 kilometers away. Proximity offers a clear advantage in reduced pipeline infrastructure costs. However, abstracting such vast quantities from a major transboundary river system raises complex permitting issues, potential environmental impacts on river ecology, and necessitates intricate negotiations with neighboring South Africa, with whom Namibia shares the Orange River under treaty agreements. The alternative, the Neckartal Dam located 250 kilometers from the mine site, represents a massive domestic infrastructure project – the largest dam in Namibia. While potentially easing international complexities, the sheer distance translates into exorbitant capital expenditure for pipeline construction, significantly higher operational costs for pumping, and introduces dependency on the dam’s capacity and management by Namibia’s bulk water utility, NamWater. Both routes present distinct challenges in terms of capital expenditure (capex), operational expenditure (opex), operability, and crucially, the timeline and certainty of securing the necessary permits and agreements.
Parallel to the water challenge is the substantial energy demand. The project’s peak power requirement is estimated at 145 MVA (120 MVA for the milling/flotation plant and 25 MVA for the heap leach circuit), with annual consumption projected at 1,123 GWh. Recognizing Namibia’s own energy constraints and the global shift towards sustainability, Koryx proposes a hybrid solution as the preferred option. This involves connecting to the national grid via the existing Harib Substation, augmented by a significant on-site solar photovoltaic (PV) installation. This approach aims to reduce reliance on the national grid, lower long-term operating costs, and decrease the project’s carbon footprint. Engagement with Namibia’s parastatal power utility, NamPower, is underway to assess grid capacity and necessary upgrades to deliver the required load. While complex, the power solution appears more defined and potentially synergistic with national renewable energy goals compared to the water quandary.
Beyond these fundamental resource challenges, the update details significant strides in other areas crucial for Namibia. The project promises substantial economic benefits: job creation during construction and operation, demand for local services, and long-term tax revenue. Koryx emphasizes its commitment to responsible development, highlighting that a comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and associated Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) are being developed to stringent International Finance Corporation (IFC) standards. This process, aimed at securing an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) from Namibian authorities by late 2025 or early 2026, covers terrestrial and aquatic ecology, hydrology, geochemistry, air quality, noise, archaeology, and socio-economics. The company reports no “fatal flaws” identified to date, though detailed baseline and impact studies continue throughout 2025. The planned Tailings Storage Facility (TSF), designed as a lined valley impoundment capable of holding 450 million tonnes of thickened tailings, incorporates seepage interception and water recycling, reflecting modern environmental safeguards.
Infrastructure planning extends beyond water and power. Up to 60 kilometers of internal access roads are envisaged. Concentrate transport analysis favored trucking to the nearest port, Lüderitz, for international shipment, bypassing longer routes to Walvis Bay or South Africa’s Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Mine camp location and waste rock dumps (775 million tonnes) near the pit have been strategically assessed. The technical studies have converged on an optimal mineral processing flowsheet: primary gyratory crushing followed by secondary cone crushing, tertiary crushing with High-Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGRs), and single-stage ball milling. The process will include a molybdenum recovery circuit operating in batch mode when higher-grade Mo pockets are mined, adding valuable by-product revenue.
President and CEO Heye Daun’s statement underscores growing confidence: “As we incrementally de-risk and improve the Haib copper project our confidence continues to grow.” The progress on metallurgy, flowsheet design, and infrastructure planning is undeniable. The imminent PEA will be a major milestone, aiming to demonstrate the project’s economic rationale. The accelerated drill program targeting an improved mineral resource estimate by H1 2026 further signals commitment.
Yet, the shadow of the water question looms large over this optimism. Successfully navigating this challenge is not merely a technical or financial hurdle for Koryx; it is deeply intertwined with Namibia’s national resource management policies, environmental stewardship, transboundary cooperation, and socio-economic priorities. Securing 20 million cubic meters annually in this region is a formidable undertaking that will require innovative engineering, significant investment, meticulous environmental management, and crucially, transparent and collaborative engagement with Namibian authorities, NamWater, local communities, and potentially international partners. The chosen solution will have lasting implications for the surrounding ecosystem and water availability for other users. How Koryx and Namibia address this critical issue will be a defining factor in whether the Haib Project truly becomes the world-class copper mine envisioned, or remains constrained by the very environment that holds its riches. The copper may be in the ground, and the processing may be proven, but for Haib, water is the indispensable key to unlocking its future.