Copper Mines (KCM), which is controlled by Vedanta, awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contract to China NERIN Engineering for a new tailings-leach plant at its operations in Chingola.
According to an announcement published by China NERIN, the Chinese company will undertake the project as part of KCM’s renewed investment programme in Zambia.
Additional details released by KCM show that the plant will have the capacity to recover approximately 70,000 tonnes of copper annually from existing mine tailings.
Tailings are the materials left after valuable minerals have been extracted from ore. Advances in processing technology have made it possible for mining companies to return to these deposits and recover metal that earlier operations could not extract economically.
KCM says the proposed facility will be the largest tailings-leach plant in Africa.
China turns Zambia’s mine waste into new copper supply
Instead of depending entirely on newly mined ore, the plant will use wet-leaching technology to extract copper remaining in accumulated waste from earlier mining and processing operations.
The new facility will operate alongside KCM’s existing tailings plant at Nchanga. China NERIN’s contract covers engineering, equipment procurement, construction, installation, commissioning support, performance testing and the training of workers.
“We are pleased to partner with Konkola Copper Mines on this important project,” China NERIN Chairman and President Wu Runhua said.
KCM Deputy Chief Executive Officer Satish Kumar described the project as “a major milestone in our growth journey.”
The project forms part of a broader investment programme through which Vedanta plans to revive KCM and increase its copper production to 300,000 tonnes annually by 2030. Vedanta has pledged more than $1 billion for the operation, including the development of the Konkola Deep Mining Project.
KCM is 79.4% owned by Vedanta Resources, while Zambia’s state-controlled ZCCM Investments Holdings owns the remaining 20.6%.
Vedanta rebuilds after five-year Zambia dispute
The agreement represents another step in Vedanta’s return to Zambia after a prolonged confrontation with the country’s previous government.
Zambia placed KCM into provisional liquidation in 2019 after accusing Vedanta of failing to invest sufficiently in the assets. The Indian company challenged the action and regained control in 2024 after reaching a settlement with President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration.
Vedanta subsequently considered selling part of its interest but shifted towards raising debt to retain control. It also established US-based CopperTech Metals as part of efforts to attract international capital to its Zambian copper business.
The company’s plan is tied to Zambia’s wider ambition to increase national copper production to three million tonnes annually. The country is currently Africa’s second-largest copper producer, behind the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Copper demand is expected to be supported by the expansion of electricity grids, renewable-energy infrastructure, electric vehicles and power-hungry artificial-intelligence data centres.
China’s involvement also reflects its continuing influence across Africa’s mineral-processing industry, even as the United States and European partners finance alternative supply routes intended to reduce Western dependence on Chinese-controlled mineral networks.
Source: Africabusinessinsider