Overview
| Stage | Production |
| Mine Type | Surface |
| Commodities |
|
| Production Start | ...  |
| Mine Life | 2034 |
In 2012, Central Asia Metals (CAML) completed construction and began producing copper from the Kounrad in-situ dump leach and solvent extraction electro-winning (‘SX-EW’) operation close to Balkhash in central Kazakhstan.
Kounrad Solar Power Plant On Track For Completion H2 2023: Solar Power Plant will provide 16-18% of Kounrad’s electrical power needs and reduce Kounrad’s Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by c.10% versus 2020. |
Source:
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Sary Kazna LLP, a Kazakh company which is responsible for leaching operations, is wholly owned by Central Asia Metals PLC (CAML) and is the registered subsoil user with exploitation rights for the Kounrad Project.
Contractors
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Summary:
The Kounrad open pit copper mine is located in the Balkhash metallogenic belt within the BalkhashJunggar orogenic belt of the Central Asian Metallogenic Domain (“CAMD”). The geology encompassing the deposit comprises porphyry copper mineralisation related to tectono-magmatism during the Devonian and Carboniferous-Permian volcano-magmatic arcs.
Site geology consists of unconsolidated sediments and granitic bedrock units. Sediments range from gravels, to sand and silts with some units being reported as ‘‘cemented’’ sediments. Bedrock ranges from granite to granodiorite. Highly weathered at the surface, the bedrock grades to competent rock within 10-40m from the surface.
Weathering and supergene enrichment have produced a general zonation of the mineralisation in the deposit:
- Oxidised cap - characterised by hematite, limonite, manganese oxyhydroxide, malachite, azurite, cuprite, native copper, chrysocolla mineralisation;
- Leached zone - characterised by moderate oxidation in the upper part and destabilisation of sulphide minerals under acidic conditions in the lower parts;
- Supergene blanket - characterised by chalcocite and covellite mineralisation; and
- Primary sulphide zone - characterised by disseminated and stockwork ore with pyrite, chalcopyrite, enargite and chalcocite mineralisation.
All of these mineralised phases, to a greater or lesser extent, are reflected in the composition of the waste dumps.
Very importantly from a dump leaching standpoint is the fact tha ........
Summary:
Kounrad mine recovers copper from waste dumps (Eastern and Western dumps) that originated from the Kounrad open-pit copper mine. Sitting on the surface, these dumps accumulated from open-pit mining operations carried out between 1936 and 2005. Over time, oxides and low-grade sulphides of copper formed a significant tonnage deposited at the mine site.
Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Production:
| Commodity | Units | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
|
Copper
|
t
| ...... ^ | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | 14,049 | 14,103 |
All production numbers are expressed as cathode.
^ Guidance / Forecast.
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Operational Metrics:
| Metrics | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|
Tonnes processed
| ...... | 186.12 Mt | 173.93 Mt | 165.25 Mt | 110.99 Mt | 69.3 Mt |
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Reserves at June 30, 2017:
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
|
Indicated
|
386.1 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.1 %
|
368.2 kt
|
|
Inferred
|
261.1 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.09 %
|
246 kt
|
|
Total Resource
|
647.1 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.09 %
|
614.2 kt
|
Source:
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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