KCM acts to increase productivity, lifespan By Times Report
Posté: Jeu 29 Juil 2010 09:35KCM acts to increase productivity, lifespan
By Times Reporter
KONKOLA Copper Mines (KCM) has commenced the project to increase productivity and extend the lifespan of its Nchanga Underground Mine.
Trial mining under the Upper Ore Body (UOB) project was started recently, according to KCM’s latest Konkola News publication.
Project manager Moudline Mulilo says the copper ore in the UOB was known to be rich and to contain a significant amount of equally rich cobalt ore.
The current Nchanga Mine Ore source was mainly from lower ore body whose resources are expected to be depleted in the next eight years but the UOB was expected to go beyond.
Mr Mulilo said the UOB was not a new discovery but had existed since the mine’s inception in the late 1930s and could not be mined then due to geological complexities.
He said, with the advent of trackless mining and advancement in support technology, it had become feasible to mine the complex upper ore body.
Mr Mulilo said an initial trial mining would be undertaken to confirm the mining and operating parameters that were assumed at design stage.
He said with everything going smoothly, he expected that 2.5 million tonnes of copper ore would be mined annually from the new project.
A South African company, Mechanized mining Solutions, had been contracted to conduct the development work for the project.
By Times Reporter
KONKOLA Copper Mines (KCM) has commenced the project to increase productivity and extend the lifespan of its Nchanga Underground Mine.
Trial mining under the Upper Ore Body (UOB) project was started recently, according to KCM’s latest Konkola News publication.
Project manager Moudline Mulilo says the copper ore in the UOB was known to be rich and to contain a significant amount of equally rich cobalt ore.
The current Nchanga Mine Ore source was mainly from lower ore body whose resources are expected to be depleted in the next eight years but the UOB was expected to go beyond.
Mr Mulilo said the UOB was not a new discovery but had existed since the mine’s inception in the late 1930s and could not be mined then due to geological complexities.
He said, with the advent of trackless mining and advancement in support technology, it had become feasible to mine the complex upper ore body.
Mr Mulilo said an initial trial mining would be undertaken to confirm the mining and operating parameters that were assumed at design stage.
He said with everything going smoothly, he expected that 2.5 million tonnes of copper ore would be mined annually from the new project.
A South African company, Mechanized mining Solutions, had been contracted to conduct the development work for the project.