Summary

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) Sub-level Retreat
Backfill type	...
Production Start	...
Mine Life	...
Snapshot	Mopani Copper Mines are the Mufulira mine site (in Mufulira) and the Nkana mine site (in Kitwe). Mopani is a copper mine comprising underground mines, a concentrator, a smelter, a refinery, underground mines, open pits (none of the open pits are currently operational), a concentrator and a cobalt plant. Mopani Copper Mines PLC has since 2014 sunk and equipped three brand new shafts to replace the old infrastructure at both Nkana and Mufulira mine sites, which dates back to the 1930s: the Syclinorium and Mindola Deeps Shafts at Nkana Mine and The Henderson Shaft. Mopani has also built a brand new Concentrator at Nkana mine site, the Syclinorium Concentrator. The Mopani has planned for a ramped-up production profile as project are expected to be commissioned to full capacity by 2027. Project Development Plan is expected to drive Mopani’s copper production beyond 200,000 tonnes per year over the next 4–5 years.
Related Assets	Mufulira Mine, Nkana Mine

Deposit type

• 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.

The mines 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

Processing

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Commodity Production

Commodity	Product	Units	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
Copper	Metal	kt	....	....	....	....	....	22	59	42	41	92
Copper	Metal in concentrate	kt						11

Operational metrics

Metrics	2024	2023	2022	2021
Annual production capacity	....	....	....	....

Personnel

Job Title	Name	Profile	Ref. Date
.......................	.......................		Jul 22, 2025
.......................	.......................		Jul 22, 2025
.......................	.......................		Jul 22, 2025
.......................	.......................		Jul 22, 2025
.......................	.......................		Jul 22, 2025
.......................	.......................		Jul 22, 2025

Employees	Contractors	Total Workforce	Year
......	......	......	2023
......	......	......	2020