In October, Zambian state controlled company ZCCM Investments Holdings (ZCCM-IH), which holds a 20.6% equity stake in Konkola Copper Mines PLC (KCM), reported that it had given its approval in September for KCM’s new Tailings Leach Plant at Nchanga, with KCM then signing a US$498 million engineering, procurement and construction agreement with China NERIN Engineering on 17 September 2026.
The 79.4% controlling shareholder of KCM is CopperTech Metals, a US-domiciled company controlled by Vedanta Resources which was established this year. The plant will be funded by KCM and is outside Vedanta Resources’ initial US$1 billion investment programme for KCM. Importantly, the project will not require any capital contribution from ZCCM-IH, as KCM’s equity contribution will be financed from internally generated resources.
The facility is significant as it is expected to be the largest tailings leach plant in Africa using the latest technology, and will produce approximately 70,000 t a year of LME Grade A copper cathode at full capacity by reprocessing 546 Mt of historical tailings from the TD5 dam at Nchanga grading 0.54% copper using proven SX-EW technology, with no new mining required. The new Tailings Leach Plant (TLP) will operate in addition to KCM’s existing TLP at its Nchanga operations.
Kakenenwa Muyangwa, Chief Executive Officer of ZCCM-IH, said: “Nchanga’s tailings are one of the largest secondary copper resources in Africa. Using the latest technology, this plant turns them into around 70,000 tonnes of LME Grade A cathode a year without mining a single new tonne of ore. It is exactly the growth we want across our portfolio. It means more copper from assets that already exist, in support of Zambia’s path to 3 million tonnes and the Grow Zambia agenda.”
Wu Runhua, Chairman and President, China Nerin Engineering Co Ltd, said: “We are pleased to partner with Konkola Copper Mines on this important project. With our decades of expertise in copper processing and project execution, China NERIN will support KCM in unlocking additional value from its resources and delivering this modern Tailings Leach Plant successfully.”
Satish Kumar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, KCM said: “Konkola Copper Mines is proud to contribute to Zambia’s national vision of producing 3 million tons of copper annually. With Vedanta’s renewed investment and commitment, and the technical expertise of our partner China NERIN, this project marks a major milestone in our growth journey. By deploying advanced technology to recover copper from tailings, we are unlocking new value, strengthening production, and driving sustainable economic development for Zambia.”
Decades of operations at Nchanga have built up a large secondary resource in the TD5 tailings, estimated at 546 Mt grading 0.54% copper. Studies have confirmed a commercial recovery rate of 74 per cent using solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX-EW), producing LME Grade A cathodes. The plant is designed to process 53,500 t of tailings a day, or 17.7 Mt a year.
Under the EPC agreement, China NERIN will deliver the plant on a turnkey basis, building on its prior design work for the project, and will support commissioning, performance testing and training. Implementation is expected to take 24 months, with output rising to full capacity of around 70,000 t a year from the fourth year of operation.
By turning historical tailings into revenue, the TLP adds output from KCM’s existing asset base, improves overall resource recovery and adds to Zambia’s export earnings, supporting the national target of 3 Mt of copper a year by 2031 and KCM’s ambition to reach 300,000 t a year. The approval is consistent with ZCCM-IH’s focus on growing production and value from its existing portfolio.
The post Konkola’s Nchanga Tailings Leach Plant to be largest in Africa appeared first on International Mining.