In April 2016, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported, citing the news site Postzambia, that Namibia was weighing a seawater desalination programme. Agriculture minister John Mutorwa regarded new boreholes as wasted money given the lack of rain. He proposed shifting the NAD 600 million (US$40.8 million) set aside for 2016/17, so far meant mainly for groundwater, towards desalination and water research. At the same time, Namibia Water Corporation was negotiating with Areva over the price of the group's desalination plant near Swakopmund, which supplied the Trekkopje uranium mine.
The report showed how water scarcity in Namibia was turning attention from groundwater to the sea. Besides a new plant, buying an existing industrial facility was also on the table.