There is potential interest in the country's nuclear power capacities, as Namibia is the world's fourth-largest uranium producer.
][citation needed] The central government previously placed a moratorium on issuing uranium exploration licences in 2007, largely due to the absence of a concrete nuclear energy policy.
Namibia's uranium deposits are of growing interest to major economies, with France, Russia and other countries reconsidering their own nuclear power policies.
The government had reconsidered to grant Areva a license to develop a nuclear power plant in Namibia after its first application was decline in the year 2007.
The White House Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) expressed concern that Namibian uranium might fall into the wrong hands.