Vedanta plans $170-million investment in Zambia's Konkola copper mine

Zambia's largest mining company and a unit of London-based Vedanta Resources Plc (Vedanta), Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) plans to invest $170 million in a copper plant in Chingola, about 410-km north of capital Lusaka.

KCM said that the new plant will be located near its Nchanga mines and will have a capacity to process 12 million tonnes of refractory ore per annum. The project needs to obtain approval from the Environmental Council of Zambia.

"The proposed project will be a stand-alone hydrometallurgical plant with its own support facilities such as crushing, milling, electro-winning, residual neutralisation and disposal," KCM said.

Vedanta Resources Plc (Vedanta) is a diversified FTSE 100 metals and mining major. The group produces aluminium, copper, zinc, lead, iron ore and commercial energy. Vedanta has operations in India, Zambia and Australia.

In Zambia, KCM has mining operations in Konkola, Nchanga and Nampundwe, with ore processing plants in Konkola and Nchanga. The miner has recently commissioned a state-of-the art copper smelter in Nchanga with a capacity of 300,000 tonnes per annum.

During the December quarter, KCM produced around 42,000 tonnes of copper cathodes compared to 25,000 tonnes in the corresponding quarter last year as a result of ramp up of the new Nchanga smelter.