en.Wedoany.com Reported - Recently, the beneficiation workshop systems of Phase II at Jiangxi Copper's Wutong Mine in China officially ceased operations, and mine production has fully shifted to the newly built Phase III beneficiation system, marking the successful completion of another significant capacity iteration in Wutong's development history.
The Phase II 5,000-ton/day deepening and expansion project at Wushan Copper Mine commenced construction in December 2004, was largely completed by the end of 2008, began trial operation of the new system in January 2009, and reached full production and standards in July of the same year, achieving production and compliance within the same year of launch. Over 17 years, this beneficiation system processed 5,000 tons of ore per day, cumulatively producing over 200,000 tons of copper metal, playing a critical role in sustaining stable production and efficiency at Wutong and supporting Jiangxi Copper Group's self-produced ore capacity.
This system transition was meticulously planned and fully prepared. Through parallel production during the Phase II and III transition period, personnel training, equipment commissioning, and process optimization were gradually completed, ensuring a smooth and orderly switch with seamless production continuity.
The Phase III expansion project at Wutong Mine officially started in July 2021, with a designed daily ore processing capacity of 10,000 tons—double that of the Phase II system—and a design service life of 24 years. Upon full production, it is expected to produce over 20,000 tons of copper in copper concentrate and more than 400,000 tons of sulfur concentrate annually. Phase III adopts advanced beneficiation processes, equipped with large core equipment such as semi-autogenous mills, and simultaneously builds an intelligent beneficiation expert system, aiming to create a "dark factory" that significantly reduces manual labor intensity and production energy consumption while greatly increasing capacity. On the other hand, Phase III is anchored in intelligent and green development directions, utilizing advanced technologies such as full tailings paste backfill and wastewater recycling, representing a strategic move by Wutong to implement new development concepts and achieve high-quality development.
This full transition to Phase III production is a key step for Wutong to become a benchmark underground copper mine in China, injecting strong momentum into Jiangxi Copper Group's efforts to stabilize self-produced ore capacity and build a world-class enterprise.
