Zambia's Luanshya Copper Mine Set to Resume Production, Testing Nation's Copper Expansion Strategy

As August begins, attention is turning to Zambia's Luanshya Copper Mine, where the upper mine is scheduled to resume production this month. However, at the time of writing, no official update has confirmed whether operations have commenced, making the project an important test of Zambia's broader strategy to expand copper production through the revival of dormant mining assets.

According to the Ministry of Mines, production at the upper mine is expected to resume following the completion of dewatering works, while production at the lower mine is planned for 2029 under the ongoing redevelopment of Shaft 28 by China Luanshya Mine (CLM). The redevelopment represents an investment of approximately US$710 million, covering new shaft systems, a concentrator plant and supporting infrastructure. The Ministry also said more than US$75 million has already been invested, with CLM exploring potential collaboration with ZCCM Investments Holdings (ZCCM-IH) to develop newly acquired mining areas.

Once fully operational, Luanshya is expected to produce approximately 100,000 tonnes of copper annually by 2030, supporting Zambia's ambition of increasing national copper production to 3 million tonnes by 2031. The project is regarded as an important demonstration of how brownfield redevelopment could complement new mine developments in accelerating future copper supply.

The planned restart of Luanshya's upper mine will be closely watched by investors and the mining industry. Beyond adding new copper supply, the project will serve as an early indicator of Zambia's ability to unlock value from legacy mining assets while advancing long-term redevelopment projects. Successful execution could strengthen confidence in similar brownfield investments across the Copperbelt and reinforce Zambia's long-term copper growth strategy.