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DRC
Tenke Fungurume Mine

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 Location:
77 km NW from Likasi, DRC

  Regional Office:
Route de l’Aéroport, Bâtiment TFM, Commune Annexe Ville de Lubumbashi, Province du Haut-Katanga
Lubumbashi
DRC
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Fleet
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Cobalt
Mining Method
  • Surface miner
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Processing
  • Sulfuric acid (reagent)
  • Counter current decantation (CCD)
  • Acid tank leaching
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
Mine Life33 years (as of Jan 1, 2019)
Tenke Fungurume Mine is one of the highest grade copper and cobalt mines globally with great prospects for resource exploration and development.


Owners

Source: p. 29
CompanyInterestOwnership
China Molybdenum Co., Ltd 80 % Indirect
In 2016 and 2019, the China Molybdenum Co., Ltd completed the acquisition of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. and BHR’s 56% and 24% equity in the TFM copper-cobalt business in Congo (DRC), respectively. The China Molybdenum Co., Ltd currently holds 80% equity in TFM in aggregate. The China Molybdenum Co., Ltd achieved control on TFM copper-cobalt business in Congo (DRC) through its indirectly controlled wholly-owned subsidiary in Hong Kong, CMOC DRC Limited.

Deposit Type

  • Stratabound (SMS)


Summary:

Tenke Fungurume is classified as a strata-bound copper cobalt deposit. The Tenke Fungurume coppercobalt deposits are typical of those that comprise the Central African Copperbelt. The Copperbelt is located in a major geological structure called the Lufilian Arc, a 500 km fold belt that stretches from Kolwezi in the southern DRC to Luanshya in Zambia. The deposits of the Tenke Fungurume district are located at the northernmost apex of the arc. The arc formed between the Angolan Plate to the southeast and Congo Plate to the northwest during the late Neoproterozic, approximately 650 to 600 million years before present (Ma). Rocks in the arc are exposed in a series of tightly folded and thrusted anticlines and synclines, generally trending east west to southeast-northwest in the southern DRC. The Tenke Fungurume group of sedimenthosted copper cobalt deposits occurs near the base of a thick succession of sedimentary rocks belonging to the Katanga System of Proterozoic age (1050-650 Ma). [2016 AR, p. 39]

The Tenke-Fungurume deposits lie in the largest tectonic window of Roan Group rocks in the Central African Copperbelt. This central Roan window is surrounded by Nguba and Kundelungu lithotectonic assemblages. The Mines Series forms a series of scattered tectonic blocks referred to as ‘écailles’. These are fault bounded on all sides and tend to form tight, upright or recumbent anticlines or monocliines. The écailles can range from several 10’s to over 500 m in length and extend downdip from 20 to 200 m.

The Luflian Arc is an intensely folded zone composed of three distinct but related structural units. The outer unit, within which the Tenke Fungurume group of deposits is located, is the most northerly, consisting of tightly folded and thrust blocks of Roan age rocks which have been tectonically transported from south to north, and now rest upon a younger Kundelungu foreland.

The Tenke Fungurume concession encloses thrust slices of various dimensions and orientations. The northern portion is relatively undisturbed with a gentle northerly dip, while the southern portion is occupied by the Dipeta syncline. At its eastern extremity the syncline is closed by a series of thrust blocks which form the Fungurume section of the deposits. At the western end, the northern limb of the syncline is terminated by a major dislocation which offsets the Tenke deposits to the northeast.

Within the east west trending Dipeta syncline both the northern and southern limbs can be traced in more or less continuous ridges of Lower Roan rocks, with more resistant RSC forming the crestal spines. These ridges run approximately parallel for a distance of 14 km, apparently undisturbed. Drilling and geophysical surveys indicate that the syncline is a gently box-folded recumbent isoclinal fold with steep to overturned inside flanks and a relatively flat bottom.

As is the case with the Kolwezi Nappe, it is possible that the mineralized mega-fragments represent transported blocks of large dimension riding as nappes, or related structures, on series of decollement planes. The overall transport direction has been interpreted as being from south to north.

Both to the north and south, the Dipeta syncline is flanked by numerous écailles of Lower Roan rocks. They attain a maximum development south of the syncline where they form, in general, randomly oriented blocks. By contrast the thrust blocks to the north of the northern flank of the syncline are smaller and fewer in number, generally aligned sub-parallel to the strike of the Dipeta syncline, and are seen to rest upon the lower member of the Dipeta formation (RGS) of Upper Roan age.

The copper-cobalt mineralization at Tenke-Fungurume is mainly associated with two dolomitic shale horizons (RSF and SDB respectively), each ranging in thickness from 5 to 15 m, separated by some 20 m of cellular silicified dolomite (RSC). Primary copper and cobalt mineralogy is predominately chalcocite (Cu2S), digenite (Cu9S5) bornite (Cu5FeS4), and carrollite (CuCo2S4). Oxidation has resulted in widespread alteration producing malachite (Cu2CO3(OH)2), pseudomalachite (Cu5(PO4)2(OH)4), chrysocolla (hydrated copper silicate) and heterogenite (Co3+O(OH)).

Dolomite and quartz are the main gangue minerals present. Dolomite or dolomitic rocks make up the bulk of the host strata. Weathering of the host rocks is normally depth related, intensity decreasing with increasing depth, producing hydrated iron oxides and silica at the expense of dolomite, which is leached and removed. As a result, gangue acid consumption (GAC) is lower in the oxide zone.


Mining Methods

  • Surface miner
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

Tenke Fungurume mines copper-cobalt oxide ores by open-pit mining techniques. Drill and blast is employed in the both the ore and waste rock. Conventional loaders and trucks transport the ore to the crusher or stockpiles and the waste to dumps. Larger mining equipment is currently being introduced to enable increased mining rates.

Mining at Tenke Fungurume has historically been carried out on benches of 5 m or 10 m height advancing top down in the various development phases. Recently, the bench height has been increased to 7.5 m and 15 m height. Bench operating surface widths are generally quite generous with the narrowest areas having a width of 30 m. Ore is generally broken using a continuous surface miner and excavated using a wheel loader. Waste and some low grade ore is drilled and blasted and excavated using either hydraulic excavators, front shovels or wheel loaders. Ore and waste is hauled in 85 t and 45 t capacity off-road end dump trucks. Long haul trucks will be introduced to haul ore from some of the more distant deposits. The smaller trucks are generally being phased out in favour of larger units. [2014 TR, p. 123]

Ore zones are mined first using the surface miner. High-grade ore is delivered to stockpiles near the mill feed chute. A two month stockpile of this high grade ore is maintained and loaders provide an optimized blend to the mill. The two month stockpile also allows the mine to develop in an orderly fashion without “chasing” ore in the phase to meet short-term demands. [2014 TR, p. 123]


Crushing and Grinding
Crusher / Mill TypeModelSizePowerQuantity
SAG mill


Processing

  • Sulfuric acid (reagent)
  • Counter current decantation (CCD)
  • Acid tank leaching
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

Copper is extracted using standard SAG milling, sulphuric acid leach, SX-EW to produce copper cathode. Iron, manganese and aluminium are removed from a low grade residue stream from the tankhouse and a cobalt rich solution is recovered which is purified before the cobalt hydroxide product is precipitated out.

Nominal daily mill feed of oxide ore has increased from the original design of 8,000 tpd to 11,000 tpd to 14,500 tpd following several phases of plant debottlenecking and the completion of a phase 2 expansion.

The phase 2 expansion of Tenke Fungurume was completed in 2014 increasing annual copper production by 50% to a nameplate of 195,000 tonnes copper cathode and 15,000 tonnes cobalt hydroxide. The expansion included additional mining equipment, mill upgrades, acid plant expansion and a doubling of the existing tank house capacity. A second sulphuric acid plant was commissioned in early 2016.

Run-of-mine (ROM) ore is delivered by haul truck to ........

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter20162015201420132012
Copper Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Copper Head Grade, % 4.244.14.23.6
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Production:

CommodityProductUnits202020192018201720162015
Copper Cathode t  ......  Subscription required ^  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required213,843215,940203,964
Cobalt Hydroxide t  ......  Subscription required ^  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
^ Guidance / Forecast.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics2019201820172016201520142011
Tonnes processed  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required9,415 kt12,657 kt13,073 kt9,995 kt
Tonnes milled  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required5,516 kt5,440 kt5,372 kt4,046 kt
Daily milling capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required14,500 t
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required195 kt of copper cathode195 kt of copper cathode
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required15 kt of cobalt hydroxide15 kt of cobalt hydroxide
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2019:

CategoryTonnage CommodityGrade
Proven & Probable 182.6 Mt Copper 2.2 %
Proven & Probable 182.6 Mt Cobalt 0.31 %
Total Resource 857.7 Mt Copper 2.9 %
Total Resource 857.7 Mt Cobalt 0.29 %

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits201820172016201520142013
Cash costs (sold) Copper USD 1.23 / lb† 1.21 / lb† 1.15 / lb† 1.21 / lb†
C1 cash costs Copper USD  ......  Subscription required† 0.15 / lb†
† Net of By-Product.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Financials:

Units201920182017
Revenue M RMB  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Operating Income M RMB  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax Income M RMB  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
After-tax Income M RMB  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required


Heavy Mobile Equipment as of July 21, 2014:
HME TypeModelSizeQuantity
Drill ....................... Subscription required 4
Excavator ....................... Subscription required 11 cu. m
Loader (FEL) ....................... Subscription required 6.4 cu. m
Loader (FEL) ....................... Subscription required 125 cu. m
Shovel ....................... Subscription required 16.5 cu. m
Shovel ....................... Subscription required
Surface miner ....................... Subscription required 5
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required 85 t 32
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required 45 t 18
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 30, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 30, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 30, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 30, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 30, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 30, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 30, 2020
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2019
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2015

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2018
Annual Report 2017
Management Discussion & Analysis 2017
Annual Information Form 2016
Management Discussion & Analysis 2016
Quarterly Report 2015
Management Discussion & Analysis 2014
Technical Report 2014
Management Discussion & Analysis 2012
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Aerial view:

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