Message Lun 21 Fév 2011 08:48

Chambishi Smelter embarks on US$250m expansion programme

Chambishi Smelter embarks on US$250m expansion programme
By Joseph Mwenda
Mon 21 Feb. 2011, 04:00 CAT [147 Reads, 0 Comment(s)]


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CHAMBISHI Copper Smelter has embarked on a US$250 million expansion programme at its Copperbelt plant in a bid to double its 150,000 tonnes production of blisters annually starting next year.

Chambishi Copper Smelter deputy chief executive officer Fan Wei told Steel Guru that the increase in its annual production capacity to about 300,000 tonnes of blisters and 340,000 tonnes of sulphuric acid was expected to satisfy rising demand.

He said the company had engaged some state of the art “ISA technology” from Australia to satisfy its customer list that includes Lumwana Copper Mines, Luanshya Mine, NFCA and Chibuluma.

Wei said the expansion program was already on course although he regretted that the company did not have its own mine benefiting from its copper processing plant.

And Chambishi Copper Smelter said it would remain committed to improving its environmental protection measures.

In a recent assessment report to the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ), the company stated that it aimed at reducing or maximising on the amount of effluent discharge into the natural environment.
The company said it planned to improve on the copper recovery rate to 98 per cent and the sulphur dioxide recovery rate emitted into the environment to nine per cent.

According to the report, construction of the concentrator unit was underway, comprising a slag cooling system, crusher milling plant, floatation circuits and modification of auxiliary facilities.