Overview

Mine Type	Underground
Status	Active
Commodities	Copper Cobalt
Mining Method	Longitudinal Room-and-Pillar Sub-level caving Longitudinal stoping Vertical Crater Retreat Sub-level open stoping (SLOS)
Production Start	...
Mine Life	...
Snapshot	Mopani Copper Mines are the Mufulira mine site (in Mufulira) and the Nkana mine site (in Kitwe). The Mufulira site has an underground mine operation, a concentrator, a smelter, an acid plant and a copper refinery while the Nkana site has four underground mines, a concentrator, a new state-of-the-art concentrator and other associated operations. Mopani Copper Mines continues to upgrade its infrastructure. The new infrastructure includes three deep shafts (Synclinorium, Mindola and Henderson), which were sunk and equipped between 2014 and 2021 to extend the life of the mine by over 25 years. Mopani Copper Mines has planned for a ramped-up production profile as these projects are expected to be commissioned to full capacity by 2027.
Related Assets	Mufulira Mine, Nkana Mine

Deposit type

• Stratabound
• Sediment-hosted

Summary:

Nkana
The predominant mega-structure of the mining area is the northwest-plunging Nkana syncline. This structure is asymmetric, with a curved axial plane inclined steeply to the northwest in the trough of the syncline but upright to westward dipping at higher structural levels. A complex occupies the axial zone of the syncline but this folding dies out on its flanks. As a result of the north-westerly plunge of the Nkana syncline, the present land surface represents a horizontal section through progressively higher structural levels of the syncline from southeast to northwest.

Within the Nkana mining area there are four underground mines and a series of open pits. The open pits are under care and maintenance and have therefore been excluded from Ore Reserves and included under Mineral Resources. All are situated on the north-eastern limb of the Nkana Syncline area. Other cupriferous zones are present in the nose and southwest limb of the syncline. The orebodies are stratiform and are mainly confined to a recognisable ore formation, which occurs near the base of the Katangan sequence within the Lower Roan Group of the Mine Series. In the underground workings, the principal copper ore minerals are chalcopyrite and bornite with subordinate chalcocite. There is a zoning in the geographical distribution of these minerals. Cobalt occurs as carrollite and cobaltiferious pyrite. The principal ore minerals are malachite, pseudomalchite, chrysocolla, native copper, cuprite and libethenite. In the open pit, malachite and chrysocolla are the principal ore minerals in the zone of oxidation closer to the surface. In some places however, vermiculite, malachite pseudomalachite and accessory wad are more important. At deeper levels chalcopyrite, bornite and chalcocite are predominantly present.

Mufulira
The rocks of the Mufulira Basin are asymmetrically folded, moderately dipping on the south western flank and sub vertical on the north eastern limb, outcropping at Mokambo on the DRC border. The Roan sediments in the Mufulira syncline in the vicinity of the mine dip at approximately 45º to the north east. Small folds and minor faults are present within the mine area. The Lower Roan arenaceous quartzites and greywackes are the host rocks to the copper mineralisation.

In the Mufulira mining area, the Basement Complex topography appears to have exerted a significant structural control during deformation. The distribution of ore minerals in all three orebodies is stratigraphically controlled, occurring dominantly as disseminations, blebs and irregular masses. The principal copper minerals are chalcopyrite (60%), bornite (40%), and minor/trace chalcocite. Oxide minerals are confined to near surface occurrences, and supergene enrichment zones. Generally the deposit is structurally simple being characterised by three main folds that are in part overturned with a plunge and dip approximately 10º to the northeast. The basin is open and untested at depth.

Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

Commodity	Product	Units	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
Copper	Metal	M lbs	....	....	....	48	131	92	91	203

Operational metrics

Metrics	2022	2021
Annual production capacity	....	....

Personnel

Job Title	Name	Profile	Ref. Date
.......................	.......................		Sep 25, 2023
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Employees	Contractors	Total Workforce	Year
......	......	......	2020