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Inscription: Jeu 30 Juil 2009 16:48
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Kansanshi may construct copper smelter in the next few years
Kansanshi Copper Mines, a unit of First Quantum Minerals operating in Zambia and world’s eighth largest copper producer, may construct an own 1.2 million tonne copper smelter in the next few years to offset rising operating costs and increase mineral output. The decision follows plans by the Australian listed miner to expand its processing units at its unit in Solwezi, north western Zambia and one of Zambia’s key copper contributors to metal market.
Mr Alan Delaney plant manager said that currently Kansanshi processes some of its copper concentrates at Mopani Copper Mine another unit of First Quantum operating in Zambia but with the increased production and escalating transportation costs, the miner plans to develop an on site smelter expected to be operational by 2014 and have a labour force of about 400 people.
The mine plans to further expand its a oxide circuit treatment holding resulting in increased processing capacity of 35,000 tones by the fourth quarter of this year while a new concentrator, expected to increase facility output by 115,000 tonnes will also be commissioned in the Q1 of 2014.
Mr Delaney told Mr Jazzman Chikwakwa deputy mines minister of Zambia during a plant familiarization tour that the miner had stepped up the use of expert mining methods enabling it to maximize extraction of the mineral ore during both wet and dry period in the country. The mine, 80% owned by First Quantum with 20 percent stake owned by Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investment Holdings had stockpiled concentrates but has no capacity in the country to process it into finished copper and meet the international copper demand.
Mr Delaney stated that the miner, one of the oldest in the country, would also electrify its main and North West pits to reduce on the cost of diesel. Mr Chikwakwa encouraged Kansanshi and other investors to process such concentrates locally and increase employment opportunities in the country which in 2008, lost 13,000 employees in the mining and copper industry because of the global recession that plummeted copper prices on the international market leading to closures of most mines in Zambia, Africa’s largest copper producer.
Mr Chikwakwa urged Kansanshi to maximize production noting that it should also consider bettering the welfare of its employees who are cardinal in the production of the metal through improved conditions of service. Kansanshi Copper Mine is an operating open pit mine in Zambia. It mainly produces copper and gold. In Raw Materials Data you will find mine production data for copper, gold for 5 years between 2005 and 2009. It is controlled owned by First Quantum Minerals Limited.
Mining is carried out in two open pits, Main and Northwest using conventional open pit methods and employing hydraulic excavators and a fleet of haul trucks. Ore treatment is flexible to allow for variation in ore type either through an oxide circuit, a sulphide and a transitional ore mixed float circuit with facilities to beneficiate flotation concentrate to final cathode via the HPL circuit. Sulphide ore is treated via crushing, milling and flotation to produce copper in concentrate.
According to data, the expansion of the sulphide milling circuit was approved to maintain finished copper production as oxide ore is depleted and sulphide ore grades begin to fall as the mining horizon deepens. The capital expenditure commenced in early 2006 which increased production capacity significantly from the Q4 2008. The successful achievement of production goals with the sulphide expansion circuit and successful completion of test work aimed at achieving economic recoveries from transitional mixed ores allowed a switch to mixed ore treatment through the original sulphide circuit, with dedicated treatment of sulphide ore in the expansion circuit only.
This positions Kansanshi to economically process all significant in situ ore types and significantly reduces mining costs as transitional ores are no longer moved to stockpile and value is realized immediately. Extensive stockpiles of mixed ore are available and will provide low cash cost mining as the stockpiles are recovered.
Additional cleaning capacity, in conjunction with added capacity provided by in circuit crushing for the new mill circuit, due by end of Q1 2010 will further increase capacity, flexibility and efficiency. Oxide ore is treated via crushing, milling, flotation, leaching and the SX/EW process to produce a sulphidic and gold bearing flotation concentrate as well as electro won cathode copper. The construction of a fourth Electro winning facility commenced in 2007 and was commissioned early Q3 2008 and, along side a third SX train, provides extra capacity to handle the additional copper input from the HPL circuit.
Kansanshi has also developed a gold circuit to process post HPL circuit solids through cyanide leaching and elution to recover contained gold and produce gold bullion. The gold plant has not been placed in operation due to technical issues with the HPL residue. A gravity gold processing route was developed in 2009 that significantly increased the recovery of gold into bullion and other saleable products. The circuit combines efficient gravity concentration with pyro-metallurgical processing of lower grade gravity products, thus minimizing losses and improving recovery. This process complements the additional gravity concentrate streams being developed, thus raising overall gold recovery and improving revenue realized from the gold stream.
The pyrometallurgical stage is still in development but additional gravity processing capacity is installed and running well with an additional 35% extra capacity being installed in Q1 2010. The HPL is used to treat a portion of the increased copper concentrate by processing the concentrate in the autoclaves by oxidation and leaching. In 2009, HPL switched from treating Kansanshi concentrate to Frontier concentrate on a toll treatment basis. The change in processing concentrate from Kansanshi avoids the loss of payable gold in the concentrate treated. At the end of last year, Kansanshi mine employed 3,500 workers with the local labour force being unionized through Mine workers Union of Zambia and National Union of Miners and Allied Workers, the two labour movements representing miners in Zambia.