Zambia's KCM Nchanga Copper Smelter Restarts After US$40 Million Upgrade

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Konkola Copper Mines (KCM)'s Nchanga copper smelter in Chingola, Zambia, has resumed operations and completed its first copper anode casting following the restart. The restart marks the end of a 106-day planned shutdown for maintenance and upgrade, with the project costing approximately US$40 million. It is the first large-scale systematic overhaul implemented at the smelter in more than eight years.

The Nchanga smelter was originally scheduled for a 60-day shutdown. When KCM launched the maintenance on May 29, the scope of work included maintenance, repair and reliability improvement of key equipment, with operations planned to resume in August. As dismantling and inspection progressed, the engineering team identified additional critical repair items, ultimately extending the shutdown period to 106 days. KCM disclosed that more than 1,500 company employees and contractor personnel participated in this round of upgrading.

The smelter has an annual copper processing capacity of approximately 311,000 tonnes and is the core smelting facility in KCM's integrated mining, processing and smelting system in Zambia's Copperbelt Province. The Nchanga integrated complex also includes underground and open-pit mines, concentrators, tailings leach facilities and other production units; the sulfuric acid produced during smelting is also supplied to KCM's tailings leach system.

During the shutdown, to maintain its copper processing operations, KCM continued to supply the required acid source to the tailings leach plant through purchased sulfuric acid and the existing 500-tonne-per-day sulfuric acid plant at Nchanga. With the Nchanga smelter back in operation, this temporary production arrangement has ended, and the smelting segment has been reconnected to KCM's existing mining, processing, leaching and refining system.

KCM's copper production in 2025 was 80,215 tonnes. The company is currently advancing its mine and smelting facility restoration plan and has set a target of increasing annual copper production to 300,000 tonnes by 2030. Following the restart of the Nchanga smelter, the subsequent production pace will be advanced in sync with KCM's upstream mine ore supply and the capacity recovery of the entire processing system.