South Africa's remote, semiarid Northern Cape province risks environmental damage by an inexperienced mining company that wants to prospect for the minerals critical for the renewable energy sector. Environmentalists have drawn attention to the "exceptionally poor" impact assessment studies, suggesting a lack of planning and consideration that heightens the risk of impacts on the environment and local communities. The potential impacts include groundwater contamination in a water-scarce region and the risk of radioactive dust polluting the soil and water sources. The company that's applied to prospect seven tracts of land in the province only registered as a business in 2023 and has no public track record as a mining company.