Maravi

KCM contracts Brazilian firm to improve productivity

KCM contracts Brazilian firm to improve productivity
Written by Zumani Katasefa in Kitwe
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 2:43:14 PM

KONKOLA Copper Mines (KCM), which recently launched a major cost-saving initiative, has contracted U&M Mining of Brazil to enhance output at its Chingola Open Pit operations.

The contract has been necessitated by the need to improve productivity of the open pit operations as the company ramps up to a production rate target of 500,000 tonnes-per-annum by the year 2011.

Acting manager Open Pits, Obino Kalela, said under the contract, U&M would mine two areas referred to as COP F and D of the vast Chingola Open Pit over a period of three years.

“U&M enjoys global renown as a contractor in mining and construction having carried out mining contracts in Brazil, Spain, Chile and Mexico and construction projects in Spain, Chile, Portugal and Morocco,” Kalela said.

He said the open pits had the potential of contributing at least a third to the company’s copper and cobalt output.

“KCM is aiming to be a 500,000 tonnes per-annum producer at a cost of 80 cents per pound by 2011 and recently launched an aggressive initiative called Tusunge Tubombe (Work to Save) to drive this vision. The initiative is premised on four pillars; reduced costs, increased production, safety (zero-fatalities) and security. Under the Tubombe Tusunge initiative, KCM is moving towards engaging world-class contractors to develop a world-class operation,” Kalela said.

“Zambia used to produce over 700,000 tonnes per-annum in the 1970s when the country was one of the top four producers of copper in the world. The 500,000 target for 2011 would account for just over 50 per cent of the projected national output as the country looks to regain its global position after years of falling production.”

According to Kalela, KCM was also looking to raise its cobalt output to 5,000 tonnes per annum as a credit from its recently commissioned direct-to-blister 300,000 tonnes-per-annum smelter based in Chingola.

Kalela said U&M would be mining overburden in the same areas of COP F and D down to the 120 metre bench under an already running contract with Konkola.

He said under the new arrangement, the company would mine the entire COP ‘F&D’ of both waste and copper ore to completion down to 345m bench.

“Apart from creating employment, the company is bringing to KCM and Zambia other benefits, such as increased know-how and world-class competence in open pit operations,” he said.

Kalela said the existing KCM Open Pits team, using selected equipment, would now concentrate on mining just one of its pits, known as the Nchanga Open Pit (NOP) which, besides copper, was currently the company's main source of cobalt.

Labels: BRAZIL, CHINGOLA, KCM, OBINO KALELA

posted by MrK @ 1:42 PM