KCM set to re-open Fitwaola open pit
Posté: Jeu 8 Oct 2009 15:11
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KCM set to re-open Fitwaola open pit - by Mwila Chansa in Chingola - 8 october,2009
KONKOLA Copper Mines (KCM) is set to re-open its Fitwaola open pit mining project that was closed at the height of the economic crisis, director of operations Jeya Kumar has confirmed.
During a tour of the tailings dump, Kumar said Fitwaola once opened would create about 100 jobs.
Meanwhile, KCM has begun the process of reclaiming copper from the Tailings Dump (TD3) as one way of minimising the cost of copper mining.
Kumar disclosed that the company had invested about US $10 million in the TD project.
Previously the country did not have sufficient technology to reclaim ore from the dumps.
Kumar explained that TD had a lifespan of about 15 years and that the mining giant had resorted to reclaiming copper ore from the dams because it was a cheaper production option, although other mining operations would continue as usual.
He said TD contained the lowest grade of copper but that grade did not really matter as prices of copper on the international market were the same regardless of the source or the grade.
Kumar said it was therefore up to mining companies to come up with cheaper mining methods.
"We spend about 80 cents per pound to mine copper from this. But underground, the cost varies. In some instances, we spend 170 cents per pound, 250 and even 350 cents per pound sometimes," said Kumar.
He further said the company's operational efficiency was currently stable although they would like to improve it by 20 or 25 per cent.
He said TD would also create about another 100 jobs and that KCM was aiming to produce about 500,000 tonnes of copper by 2011.
from < http://www.postzambia.com/content/view/14465/50/ >
KCM set to re-open Fitwaola open pit - by Mwila Chansa in Chingola - 8 october,2009
KONKOLA Copper Mines (KCM) is set to re-open its Fitwaola open pit mining project that was closed at the height of the economic crisis, director of operations Jeya Kumar has confirmed.
During a tour of the tailings dump, Kumar said Fitwaola once opened would create about 100 jobs.
Meanwhile, KCM has begun the process of reclaiming copper from the Tailings Dump (TD3) as one way of minimising the cost of copper mining.
Kumar disclosed that the company had invested about US $10 million in the TD project.
Previously the country did not have sufficient technology to reclaim ore from the dumps.
Kumar explained that TD had a lifespan of about 15 years and that the mining giant had resorted to reclaiming copper ore from the dams because it was a cheaper production option, although other mining operations would continue as usual.
He said TD contained the lowest grade of copper but that grade did not really matter as prices of copper on the international market were the same regardless of the source or the grade.
Kumar said it was therefore up to mining companies to come up with cheaper mining methods.
"We spend about 80 cents per pound to mine copper from this. But underground, the cost varies. In some instances, we spend 170 cents per pound, 250 and even 350 cents per pound sometimes," said Kumar.
He further said the company's operational efficiency was currently stable although they would like to improve it by 20 or 25 per cent.
He said TD would also create about another 100 jobs and that KCM was aiming to produce about 500,000 tonnes of copper by 2011.
from < http://www.postzambia.com/content/view/14465/50/ >