Zambia KCM to Catch Up On Lost Output At Nchanga Smelter

Jan 27, 2011 (Dow Jones Commodities News via Comtex) -- Zambia's largest copper miner, Konkola Copper Mines, expects to restart operations at its 300,000 metric tons-a-year Nchanga Copper Smelter in the country very soon and catch up on any lost output in the coming weeks, the company announced Thursday.

Jacqueline Kabeta, the company spokeswoman, said the faults experienced at the smelter early Wednesday are minor and wouldn't affect the company's 2011 first quarter copper production.

KCM closed down its Nchanga smelter Wednesday following faults at the flash furnace of the plant.

"Our team is doing the necessary actions to bring the operations back to normal. We expect to catch-up on any missed production in the coming weeks," she said in an emailed statement.

KCM is a unit of London-listed Vedanta Resources PLC (VED.LN).

Nchanga is one of KCM's expansion projects aimed at raising annual copper output to 400,000 metric tons next year from around 173,000 tons produced in 2009. The others include a deep mine project, and a concentrator at the mine.

In addition to treating copper concentrates from KCM's mines, Nchanga also treats concentrates from other mines in Zambia, including concentrates produced by Equinox Minerals Ltd.'s (EQN.T) Lumwana Copper Mines in the North Western province.

Since taking over KCM in 2004, Vedanta has invested at least $1.5 billion in various expansion projects.