Zambia Urges Vedanta to Accelerate Power Investment to Support KCM Copper Expansion

Published: Sep 10, 2026 16:42 (GMT+8)

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Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has urged Vedanta Resources to accelerate plans to invest in power generation to support the expansion of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), following discussions with Vedanta Head of Strategy and Growth Pushpender Singla.

During the meeting, Vedanta provided an update on KCM's progress and expansion plans, including its longer-term ambition to increase copper production to 500,000 tonnes annually. President Hichilema said additional investment in power generation would support the company's mining operations while contributing to Zambia's broader energy objectives.

The 500,000-tonne annual production ambition is not a new target. Vedanta-backed CopperTech Metals previously outlined plans to increase KCM production over time to 500,000 tonnes per year as part of its long-term expansion strategy.

Power availability remains an important consideration for the planned expansion of copper production at KCM. The latest discussions indicate that Zambia is encouraging Vedanta to develop additional generation capacity alongside its mining investments. However, no capacity, investment amount or implementation timetable for the proposed power generation projects was disclosed.

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