18 April 2011
KONKOLA Copper Mines (KCM) has submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment report on its proposal to develop a plant worth US$172 million to process copper ore that is difficult to treat using ordinary treatment methods.
The ore known as Chingola Refractory Ore (CRO) is about 156 million tonnes and has been stockpiled at various places at Nchanga Mine.
According to the EIA report submitted to the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) published on February 11, KCM had proposed to develop an agitated leach plant at Nchanga Mine to process the CROs that had collected over the years.
The report said the said ores were difficult to treat using conventional or ordinary copper ore treatment methods because of theirstubbornness.
The ores would be processed using a method known as agitated leaching which uses acidic solutions, and the project once started was expected to produce 50, 000 tonnes per annum of finished copper.
About $172 million would be spent on the project with a lifespan of 13 years.
During construction, 300 direct jobs would be created apart from 1, 000 indirect jobs.
The project was expected to contribute to poverty reduction because of the jobs that would be created.
The plant would involve crushing, milling and washing of the ores and the waste would be neutralised with lime using a dedicated pipelineto Muntimpa Dam.
The EIA report said a natural stream drains across the area proposed for the agitated leach plant and it had scanty indigenous shrubsand grass.
The report said the plant would not increase air pollution as modern equipment would be installed to capture gas and dust, to reduce noise and to detect dust leaks.
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KCM Submits EIA Report for Proposed $172m Plant