Equinox minerals mined 70000 tonnes of copper at Lumwana cop
Saturday, 25 Sep 2010Equinox minerals mined more than 70,000 tonnes of copper at its Lumwana Copper Mine unit in Zambia in the H1 of this year contributing to the Southern African country’s gross mineral output.
Mr Adam Wright MD of Lumwana Copper said that the copper miner produced 74,000 tonnes of the base metal between January and mid 2010 a situation that helped the country increase its copper output compared to a year earlier.
He was speaking during a recent tour of the mine situated about 500 kilometers in north western region of Zambia recently by the deputy minister of mines Mr Gabriel Namulambe.
During the visit, Mr Namulambe expressed concern at some people accusing the Lumwana Mining Company of exposing its workers to unacceptable levels of radioactivity in its uranium mining project.
According to government, the company is complying with internationally acceptable standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Government is happy that the company is conforming to standards in the handling of uranium ore.
Mr Namulambe assured that there is no health risk to those handling uranium ore and those in the surrounding areas. Workers are not exposed beyond the IAEA limited levels of exposure and that the exposure is in fact far way below the limit while the levels of air pollution are almost zero.
He said that when processing starts things will be done properly and people of this area are very safe. He advised workers and residents not to worry. He added that there is no need for a specified government policy on uranium because other mining regulations related to uranium are already in place. Those who argue for the policy should provide concrete suggestions for possible amendment of the law related to the mining of uranium.
During the tour, Mr Namulambe said that he was impressed by the amount of investment at Lumwana copper mine and hoped that Zambia will attain 1 million tonnes copper production mark per annum in the near future. He commended the company for its corporate social responsibility which he said is very good.
Earlier Mr Wright said that LMC has spent ZMK 8 billion in the last 2 years mostly on infrastructure development and that the company’s priority was safety for all people.
Mr Wright assured government that the company is complying with international regulations and that workers are not being exposed to high levels of radioactive materials. The mine plans to construct a uranium plant to process the ore which is currently being stockpiled.
http://www.steelguru.com/metals_news/Eq ... 66995.html
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( Pierre Mac Orlan )
( Pierre Mac Orlan )