KCM Restarts Chingola B Mine, Targets Over 200,000 mt/month of Ore Productio
Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has restarted mining operations at its Chingola B Mine in Zambia, bringing the previously dormant operation back into production as part of the company's wider expansion programme across its Nchanga and Konkola operations.
Chingola B, which forms part of the Nchanga mining complex, is projected to produce more than 200,000 mt of ore per month, compared with around 60,000 mt/month before its closure. The additional mine output is expected to increase ore feed available to KCM's processing operations.
KCM Group Chief Executive Officer Deshnee Naidoo said the restart forms part of the company's broader programme to increase production across its operations and will add production at Nchanga underground. According to Naidoo, Chingola B is expected to contribute another 200,000 mt/month of ore as the company rebuilds its mining operations.
The restart comes as KCM targets annual copper production of 300,000 mt by 2030. The company said its expansion programme is supported by more than US$1 billion of investment from Vedanta Resources across its operations.
The development also comes amid Zambia's broader target of increasing national copper production to 3 million mt/year by 2031. KCM said the reactivation of dormant assets such as Chingola B is expected to contribute to efforts to increase domestic mine supply.
The restart of Chingola B could strengthen ore availability across KCM's Nchanga operations, with planned output of more than 200,000 mt/month representing a substantial increase from the approximately 60,000 mt/month reported before closure. The additional mine feed is particularly relevant following KCM's recent rehabilitation and restart of the Nchanga Smelter. However, the 200,000 mt/month figure refers to ore production rather than contained or refined copper output, meaning the ultimate contribution to KCM's copper production will depend on ore grades, recoveries and processing performance. Progress at Chingola B will therefore be an important component of KCM's wider target of reaching 300,000 mt/year of copper production by 2030.