ZCCM-IH APPROVES KCM’S US$498 MILLION NCHANGA TAILINGS PLANT TO PRODUCE 70,000 TONNES COPPER
ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc has approved the construction of a US$498 million Tailings Leach Plant at Nchanga, paving the way for Konkola Copper Mines to produce around 70,000 tonnes of LME Grade A copper cathode a year without mining new ore.
In a statement issued to Diamond News, ZCCM-IH Chief Executive Officer Kakenenwa Muyangwa says ZCCM-IH, which holds a 20.6 percent stake in KCM, has given shareholder approval for the project.
Mr. Muyangwa says KCM subsequently signed an engineering, procurement and construction agreement with China NERIN Engineering Company Limited on 17th September 2026.
He adds that the plant will reprocess 546 million tonnes of historical tailings from the TD5 dam at Nchanga, grading 0.54 percent copper, using proven solvent extraction and electrowinning technology.
He says the facility will be the largest tailings leach plant in Africa using the latest technology, designed to process 53,500 tonnes of tailings a day or 17.7 million tonnes a year, at a commercial recovery rate of 74 percent.
He reveals that implementation is expected to take 24 months, with output rising to full capacity of about 70,000 tonnes a year from the fourth year of operation.
He says the plant will be funded by KCM and is outside Vedanta Resources’ initial US$1 billion investment programme for KCM. The project will not require any capital contribution from ZCCM-IH, as KCM’s equity contribution will be financed from internally generated resources.
Mr. Muyangwa says the project turns waste into revenue and supports national ambitions.
He points out that Nchanga’s tailings are one of the largest secondary copper resources in Africa and, using the latest technology, the plant turns them into around 70,000 tonnes of LME Grade A cathode a year without mining a single new tonne of ore.
By Respite Kaoma
