ZCCM-IH approves new KCM tailings leach plant in Chingola

ZCCM-Investments Holdings Plc (ZCCM-IH) has officially granted shareholder approval for the construction of a massive 498 million United States Dollar Tailings Leach Plant at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM)’s Nchanga operation in Chingola. This strategic endorsement paves the way for KCM to forge ahead with one of the most ambitious secondary resource recovery initiatives on the continent. Under an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) agreement finalized with China NERIN Engineering Company Limited, the monumental project aims to transform legacy environmental liabilities into high-value economic output. According to corporate disclosures, the facility is designed to reprocess an estimated 546 million tonnes of historical tailings accumulated over decades at the TD5 dam in Nchanga. These tailings maintain an average copper grade of 0.54 percent. Utilizing advanced solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX-EW) technology, studies have confirmed a commercial copper recovery rate of roughly 74 percent. Once operational, the plant is projected to process approximately 53,500 tonnes of tailings daily—equating to roughly 17.7 million tonnes annually—yielding around 70,000 tonnes of London Metal Exchange (LME) Grade A copper cathodes per year. Crucially, ZCCM-IH, which maintains a 20.6 percent equity stake in KCM, announced that the multi-million-dollar undertaking will be entirely funded by KCM through internally generated resources. This structure ensures that ZCCM-IH will be exempt from making any direct capital injections. Furthermore, corporate leadership has clarified that this specific project operates independently outside Vedanta Resources' initial one-billion-dollar investment framework for KCM, showcasing additional financial dynamism within the mining asset. Construction of the facility is slated to span a 24-month period, with China NERIN delivering the installation on a turnkey basis, inclusive of comprehensive commissioning, performance testing, a