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China Non Mining Corporation Mulyashi plant on schedule Frid
Friday, 11 Dec 2009
An official said that plans by China Non Mining Corporation Luanshya Mine to complete the design and open the USD 300 million Mulyashi open cast mine and the leach plant in Zambia in 2009 are on schedule.
Mr Gao Xiang vice GM said that plans and designs for the new open pit once completed will be submitted to the holding company in China for approval and subsequent commencement of construction and operations in 2010.
Mr Xiang said that “We are hoping to get final designs from our holding company in China by the end of March of 2010 so that we can start construction works.”
Construction of the open pit mine and the leach plant are expected to be undertaken simultaneously because the company was in a hurry to begin operations at the 2 sites especially Mulyashi open cast mine which is the company’s lifeblood.
He said that the cost of the investment is expected to increase because of various factors that include the exchange rate fluctuations. Both Chinese and Zambian experts are designing the Mulyashi and leach plants which should be ready before the close of December 2009.
China Luanshya Mine has engaged Gomes Haulage, a local company to rehabilitate the road leading to Mulyashi mine site and other road infrastructure in the area.
The new project has ‘A’ grade copper oxide and has a lifespan of 15 years. Baluba mine, an adjacent unit also owned by China Non Mining Corporation Luanshya Mine which has been the mainstay of Luanshya mine since 1934, has grade ‘B’ copper.
Mr Xiang said that the leach plant, expected to be the biggest in Southern Africa will facilitate the processing of high grade copper using acid as opposed to smelting. Meanwhile China Non Ferrous Metals has invested additional USD 150 million into mining operations in Luanshya to speed up rehabilitation works at Baluba mine where production is expected to begin on or after December 14th 2009 to coincide with the completion of rehabilitation works on the concentrator.
The Chinese company decided to rehabilitate the concentrator because it has not had a facelift for a long time. More than 1,000 jobs are expected to be created for Zambians once the 2 sites become fully operational.
According to official statistics, Mulyashi open cast mine has 800,000 tones of contained copper. It was planned to produce 50,000 tonnes of copper a year under the previous owners, Enya Holdings and its lifespan was estimated at 12 years to 15 years from inception.
Mr Derek Webbstock former CEO of Enya BV Holdings said recently that the company had spent USD 71 million on developing Mulyashi mine since it decided to develop it in 2008. It planned to start copper production of 50,000 per annum by the end of 2008 but was hampered by the global financial crisis that affected international copper prices leading the closure of the mine.
Mr Webbstock stated that although Enya BV made about USD 50 million profits when the price of copper was at its peak, all the profits were reinvested in the project. Enya BV further spent USD 150 million on upgrading the Baluba mine, USD 30 million was part of the money that was invested in the mine in September last 2008 with USD 80 million provided by shareholders.