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Chinese to pump $150m into Luanshya Copper Mine rehab Financ
Finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane (r) and Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Li Quiangmin during the signing of the deal on Luanshya mine
THE China Non-Ferrous Metal Company/Luanshya Copper Mine (CLM) is set to inject an additional fresh investment of more than US$150 million in the rehabilitation of Luanshya Mine, which commences production on December 14.
And Mines and Minerals Development Minister Maxwell Mwale said the Government was impressed with the manner in which CLM had introduced the new mining technology replacing the 1930’s technology.
Mr Mwale said replacing the 1930 technology would lead to a situation where the mine would now start rocovering 93 per cent of copper which was being lost under the old copper ore processing method.
Meanwhile, Labour and Social Security Minister, Austin Liato said he was impressed that the CLM management and the unions had signed the recognition agreement and were now chatting the way forward in signing the collective agreement.
CLM chief executive officer, Luo Xingeng said in Luanshya yesterday that so far, his company had spent over $30 million in the rehabilitation of the mine and replacement of equipment and by the end of the year, $42 million would have been used on the development of the mine prior to the commencement of production.
Mr Luo said although the mine had not started actual production of copper, it had recruited over 2,250 employees despite the company having earlier projected that it would recruit 1,700 employees. The lowest paid worker at CLM gets a monthly salary of K1, 224,000.
He said the rate at which the mine was being developed had left those doubting about the viability of Chinese investment with no option but to join those who wanted to allow the Chinese to work with the Zambian people as partners in development.
Speaking when Mr Mwale, Mr Liato and Copperbelt Minister Mwansa Mbulakulima toured the mine’s concentrator and the Muliashi Mine project sites yesterday, Mr Luo said the CLM management and Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) and National Union for Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW) were coordinating well.
Mr Luo said although the mine had engaged more than 37 local and foreign contractors, most of the qualified personnel working for most of the former contractors had been re-engaged by the mine.
He said the CLM had over the past six months been undertaking the rebuilding and rehabilitation works of Baluba Mine.
“Already we have done the necessary preparations of viability of the conditions needed for production. We are scheduled to do the first blasting of the copper pre-underground on December 14,” he said.
Mr Luo said the mine’s concentrator was undergoing a complete overhaul with all the five crushers being replaced by modern ones and so far, three out of five had been replaced while two new crushers were still in transit.
He said the hard work being exhibited by the Zambian workers was helping in enhancing production at CLM.
CLM deputy chief executive officer in charge of technical services, Robert Kamanga said all was set to ensure that the Muliashi Open Pit Mine project and seven oxide camps were made operational next year.
Mr Mwale said the Government was impressed with the manner in which a lot of work had been done at the mine within a short period of time.
He said the rate at which the mine was being developed had left those doubting about the viability of Chinese investment with no option but to join those who wanted to allow the Chinese to work with the Zambian people as partners in development.
The minister said there was need for all those working on the mines to ensure that the Zambian and Chinese cultures converged to all the people from the two countries.
Mr Mbulakulima said construction of a 7.6-kilometre-long tarred road from the mine’s offices to the Muliashi mining site at a cost of K8.2 billion, which was being incurred by the mine even before the commencement of production, was a clear testimony of how serious CLM was as an investor in the mining sector.