Modern Mining January 2022

COPPER

Process plant, concentrator plant, Kakula North and surface construction.

Kamoa Copper – a new era in commercial copper production

Kamoa Copper is regarded as one of the flagship copper mining projects in the world. With a shallow, high-grade and scalable copper deposit, complemented by a relatively small environmental footprint and a big focus on renew- able energy, the project ushers in a new era in copper production. Several milestones have been achieved thus far, with construction of the second 3,8-Mtpa concentrator plant (Phase 2) tracking ahead of schedule and hot com- missioning expected to start in Q2 2022. By Munesu Shoko .

E xecuted in phases, with Phase 1 & 2 coming in at a combined estimated project cost of US$2- billion and other phases still to follow, Kamoa Copper will make a huge contribution to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) economy. With Kamoa Copper’s Phase 1, 3,8 Mtpa concen- trator plant now operating at steady-state design capacity, construction of the second 3,8 Mtpa con- centrator plant (Phase 2) continues to progress ahead of schedule, with hot commissioning targeted for April 2022. CEO Mark Farren tells Modern Mining that engi- neering, procurement and fabrication activities all are effectively complete, with construction activities well advanced. As of the end of December 2021, the overall project was approximately 80% complete. Some pre-commissioning activities have already started. “The main construction focus now has shifted

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Rochelle de Villiers, CFO at Kamoa Copper SA.

Mark Farren, CEO at Kamoa Copper SA.

26  MODERN MINING  January 2022