Zambia's Konkola Copper Mines Restarts Chingola "B" Mine, Monthly Copper Ore Output Exceeds 200,000 Tonnes

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On May 21, Zambia's Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) resumed mining operations at the Chingola "B" Mine, located within the Nchanga mining complex. The mine had been shut down since 2003, remaining idle for 18 years. After the restart, the production capacity is expected to exceed 200,000 tonnes of copper ore per month, surpassing the historical levels recorded between 1980 and 2003, when monthly output was approximately 60,000 tonnes with an average grade of 2.5%.

The Chingola "B" Mine is located in Chingola city, in the Copperbelt Province of north-central Zambia, and is part of the Nchanga mining complex. Eighteen years ago, the mine was closed because its known resources were depleted, and the original majority shareholder divested due to losses and a lack of expansion capital.

Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), which operates the Chingola "B" Mine, is currently 79.4% owned by Vedanta Resources and 20.6% by the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH).

Zambia, Africa's second-largest copper producer, produced 890,000 tonnes of copper last year, falling short of its 1 million tonne target. The reopening of this old mine is a key step in its mining strategy, aiming to triple the nation's annual copper output to 3 million tonnes by 2031.

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