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Zambia

KCM Complex

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Summary

Mine TypeOpen Pit & Underground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Copper
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Sub-level stoping
  • Post Pillar Cut & Fill
  • Sub-level open stoping (SLOS)
  • Panel caving
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SnapshotSince July 31, 2024, Vedanta regained control over Konkola Copper Mines plc (KCM), which held copper operations in Zambia. KCM’s operations comprise refineries, smelter and mines at Konkola (12°22'44.2"S 27°49'46.5"E), Nchanga (12°31'38.5"S 27°50'54.8"E) and Nampundwe (15°29'32.2"S 27°54'31.3"E).

The Konkola Mine is comprises a large mine and an on-site concentrator.

Nchanga operation include a number of open-pit mines, a large underground mine (care and maintenance), Tailings Leach Plant (TLP), a smelter with a cobalt recovery furnace, and a sulphuric acid plant and copper concentrators.

The Nampundwe mining operating assets are the Nampundwe pyrite mine and concentrator.

The FY 2024-25 was the first year since the mines were handed back to Vedanta following provisional liquidation. The mines were on care and maintenance prior to restart in August 2024.
Related AssetsKonkola Mine, Nampundwe Mine, Nchanga Mine

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc. 20.6 % Indirect
Vedanta Resources plc. 79.4 % Indirect
Vedanta Resources Limited (VRL) through its wholly owned subsidiary, Vedanta Resources Holdings Limited (VRHL) holds 79.4% equity stake in KCM. ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc (ZCCM-IH), which owns 20.6% of the shares in KCM had obtained an ex parte order from the High Court of Zambia appointing a provisional liquidator (PL) for KCM in May 2019. The appointment of PL had caused loss of its control over KCM.

Various legal proceedings were initiated and carried out during 2019–2023.

On 06 November 2023, VRL, ZCCM-IH and KCM signed a new shareholder agreement for KCM as well as an Implementation Agreement that sets out the terms for VRHL’s re-entry and new investment into KCM. Post the completion of scheme of arrangement, the provisional liquidator was removed in late July 2024 and the Board of KCM was re-instated on 31 July 2024.

Contractors

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Deposit type

Summary:

KCM operations comprise the Konkola, Nchanga and Nampundwe mines.

Konkola
The geological setting of the Zambian Copperbelt is unusual compared to other worldwide copper deposits in that it occurs in sedimentary host rocks that have high carbonate content. The presence of dolomite in the geological sequence effectively eliminates any risk of acid mine drainage. The dominant structural feature of the Zambian Copperbelt is the Kafue Anticline, a Northwest — Southeast striking structure, the core of which is comprised of granite, schist and gneiss of the basement complex.

The Konkola Deposit is a very large copper deposit situated on the northern section of the Copperbelt. The Katangan sediments that contain the copper mineralisation are draped around a core of basement rock. Dips are in the range 15-70 degrees. Relatively continuous grades and thickness commonly occur on a regional scale with local variations being due to areas of structural thickening of the Ore Shale Formation and low grade zones resulting from leaching around faulted ground.

Copper mineralisation in the Ore Shale Formation is typically 2-20 m thick, and is also found in its immediate footwall and hanging wall. Economic grades of mineralisation (approximately 4%TCu) are generally consistent within the stratabound deposit and extend over a 7 km strike length at surface, extending to over 10 km at depth (>1,400m). The deposit is open at depth. The orebody thins out at its eastern extremity due to the development of arenaceous facies within the Ore Shale Formation. To the south-east it is cut by the Luansobi fault zone.

Primary mineralisation is mainly of bornite and chalcopyrite with secondary copper minerals being widespread above the 275 m Level, including chalcocite, malachite, chrysocolla, covellite and azurite. Further, general zonation is from chalcocite near surface to pyrite at depth.

Disturbed ground and minor faulting with throws of less than 10 m are present throughout the deposit.

The Konkola deposit is positioned between two major faults; the Lubengele in the north and the Luansobe in the south. These faults form the main hydrogeological boundaries to the deposit.

The Ore Shale Formation is located between three main aquifers:
• Hanging wall aquifer located 30 m to 180 m above the Ore Shale;
• Footwall aquifer directly on the Ore Shale contact;
• Footwall quartzite 400 m below the Ore Shale.

The hanging wall aquifer contributes 35% of the water in the mine and mainly comprises carbonate rocks, limestones, dolomites and calcareous sandstones and siltstones, while the footwall aquifers provide 65% of the total water inflow and are composed of siliceous rocks: quartzites, sandstones and conglomerates. As a generalisation, the quantity of water inflow to the mine increases with steepening dip of the stratigraphy due to the development of wider fracture zones.

The dominant features of the mine are the Kirila Bombwe Anticline in the southeast and the Konkola Dome in the northwest. The ore body in the No. 1 shaft area lies on the southern flank of the Kirila Bombwe Anticline and has an average thickness of about nine metres. The No. 1 shaft ore body generally strikes to the northwest-southeast and dips steeply southwest. It has a strike length of approximately 4,000 metres with an average dip of 50 degrees. The ore body in No. 1 shaft area is traced to 1,800 mtr deep and is open-ended at that depth. The ore body at the No. 3 shaft lies across the axis of the Kirila Bombwe Anticline and has an average thickness of 13 metres. The dips at the No. 3 shaft generally range from 10 degrees to 65 degrees. The ore body at the No. 3 area has been traced to a depth of 1,150 metres where it flattens out and continuing in the neighbouring licence area.

Nchanga
Copper mineralisation is zoned, with shallower oxidation and supergene mineralisation (chalcocite, malachite and cuprite and less common native copper, chrysocolla and azurite) giving way to primary chalcopyrite, bornite, and chalcocite with pyrite developed below. In most orebodies average grades are fairly consistent over large areas. In the so-called Chingola Refractory Ore (CRO), low-grade copper oxide mineralisation occurs within the crystal lattice of micas and between the mica plates.

Primary mineralisation is hosted within two stratigraphic horizons:
the Lower Ore Body (LOB)
the Upper Ore Body (UOB)

The LOB ranges from a few metres to up to 40 m in thickness and is essentially unfolded and is separated from the UOB by a bedding parallel thrust plane. It can be traced in the NOP over distances in excess of 6km and dips 25° northward for most of its strike length. In the area of the current underground workings, it has been identified to a vertical depth of 900 m. However, it rapidly thins down-dip due to the development of arenaceous facies within the LOB, which limits the future potential of the mine. The LOB is hosted primarily in the Lower Banded Shale and Transition Arkose and has an assay footwall, which may extend into the stratigraphic unit below. Mineralisation in the Transition Arkose is nuggety making grade estimations challenging. Overall the LOB contains average in situ grades from 3% to 5%TCu.

The UOB is some 30 m to 40 m stratigraphically above the LOB and lies within the Feldspathic Quartzite and to a lesser extent in the Upper Banded Shale. It is 10 m to 40 m thick on average and in places is deformed by tight isoclinal folding. The UOB contains from 2%TCu to 3%TCu and has been traced for over 5 km along strike to a depth of 600 m. Cobalt mineralisation with grades of up to 0.7%TCo occurs within the UOB primarily in the Feldspathic Quartzite (TFQ) with an assay hanging wall that extends into the overlying Upper Banded Shale.

Nampundwe
The Nampundwe pyrite deposit is situated on the western flank of a synformal basin composed of basement rocks, which are unconformably overlain by Katangan sediments. The deposit is hosted within limestones and schists of the Middle Katangan Cheta Formation, which roughly correlates with the upper portion of the Lower Roan Group. The Cheta Formation dips steeply to the northeast and is tightly folded with a northwest-southeast trending axial trace. The deposit comprises stratabound, massive-sulphide mineralisation located in a thick (50m to 130m) sequence of massive dolomites and limestones. No significant faulting has been identified either within the host zone or the individual orebodies.

The primary sulphide mineralisation at Nampundwe is pyrite with minor amounts of pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and covellite.

Four orebodies occur over a strike length of about 1,600 m and dip from 70° to vertical along fold limbs and from 25° to 70° near the noses of folds. They thin at the fringes of the orebody and down-dip. The sulphide orebodies are overlain by oxide caps (gossans) that extend from surface to a depth of 60m. These deposits are generally parallel and range in thickness from 5-20 m. The oxide caps act as natural conduits for water thus making Nampundwe Mine relatively wet. The orebodies have been identified to a depth of 300 m below surface and remain open at depth.

The primary sulphide mineralisation at Nampundwe is pyrite with minor amounts of pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and covellite. Gangue mineralisation is of calcite, dolomite, quartz, magnetite, talc, mica and iron oxides. Pyrite mineralisation occurs as disseminated grains, bedding parallel layers, and as thick continuous zones up to 2 m thick. Copper mineralization was strongly developed in the upper parts of the orebody but these areas have now been mined out.

Reserves

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Comminution

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Processing

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Commodity Production

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Personnel

Mine Management

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Workforce

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