Mopani approves $320m Zambian shaft development

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Message Jeu 11 Aoû 2011 14:59

Mopani approves $320m Zambian shaft development

Mopani approves $320m Zambian shaft development
By: Henry Lazenby
11th August 2011

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Zambian copper miner Mopani on Thursday announced board approval for a new $320-million shaft and associated infrastructure, to be constructed at its Synclinorium project.

The new shaft is expected to extend the life of the Nkana copper and cobalt mines by about 25 years, the Glencore subsidiary, in which First Quantum Minerals and ZCCM-IH hold minority stakes, said in a statement.

The new shaft would boost Nkana’s ore production to 5.1-million tons a year by 2018, from 3.4-million tons a year. Limited hoisting could start as early as 2015, Mopani said in a statement.

The development comprises a 7-m-diameter main shaft and a 6-m-diameter ventilation shaft, which will be sunk to a depth of 1 277 m, providing Mopani with access to about 115-million tons of ore, at grades of 1.9% copper and 0.09 % cobalt.

The investment would extend the Nkana operations to well beyond the current expected depletion dates for the existing reserves at Mindola north, the southern ore body and central shafts of 2015, 2017 and 2018 respectively, securing about 3 000 jobs.

CEO Emmanuel Mutati said that the Synclinorium project was a significant investment in the long-term future of the company and would help ensure that the miner maximised the value of Zambia's natural resources for decades to come.

“This will mean more revenue for the country and for our shareholders, and more jobs for the local community,” he said.

The project is expected to create about 500 temporary jobs during the construction and commissioning phases.
Ce que l'on conçoit bien, s'énonce clairement, Et les mots pour le dire arrivent aisément. BOILEAU
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Message Mer 24 Aoû 2011 20:10

New $320 million shaft system for Zambian underground copper

New $320 million shaft system for Zambian underground copper/cobalt mine
Glencore's major Nkana copper mine in Zambia has set in motion the construction of a new shaft which will add perhaps 25 years life to this major copper mining operation.
Author: Lawrence Williams
Posted: Wednesday , 24 Aug 2011


LONDON -
Murray & Roberts Cementation Zambia has announced that it has been awarded the shaft sinking and equipping contract, reported to be worth some $320 million, for the new Synclinorium shaft for Mopani Copper Mines in Kitwe, Zambia. The new shaft is expected to add about 25 years to the life of the Nkana copper and cobalt mine near Kitwe.
The main shaft, which will be sunk to 1,200 m will b 7 m in diameter and will be equipped as a rock hoisting shaft to service the Synclinorium orebody. A 6 m diameter raisebored ventilation shaft will also form part of the full project.
By 2018 the new shaft will help boost Nkana's ore production from 3.4 Mt/y to 5.1 Mt/y.
Mopani is an integrated copper and cobalt producer located on the Zambian Copperbelt. Mopani's operations comprise four underground mines, a concentrator and a cobalt plant at Kitwe (the Nkana operation) and an underground mine, concentrator, smelter and refinery at Mufulira. Mopani is majority owned by Glencore, with First Quantum a principal minority shareholder.
The Nkana copper mine is one of the largest in Africa. The mining operation produces copper and cobalt ore from our underground sections namely: Mindola North Shaft, Mindola Sub Vertical Shaft, Central Shaft, South Ore Body (SOB) Shaft and Open Pits dotted across the Nkana Oxide Cap. Vertical crater retreat (VCR), both caving and post-fill, have been the predominant mining method utilised within the Nkana mine, but is now being converted to a combination of sub-level caving (SLC) and open stoping techniques.
The mine has been in operation since 1932 and has produced over 6 million tonnes of copper so far.
Earlier this year Mopani announced its intentions to sink the new shaft which will open access to some 115 million tonnes of copper ore which are not accessible from the current shaft systems - nor do they have the appropriate hoisting capacity. It is scheduled to enter service in 2015 and will reportedly create about 600 jobs.
Ce que l'on conçoit bien, s'énonce clairement, Et les mots pour le dire arrivent aisément. BOILEAU

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