Mineral exploration and mine expansion pro-jects in Zambia continue to intensify amidst the surge in commodity prices and copper demand, consulting engineering group SRK Consulting principal consultant Alan Naismith tells Mining Weekly.

The Copperbelt, which runs across north-western Zambia and into the Democratic Republic of Congo, has attracted many junior miners in the wake of the demand and the upswing in the copper price.

Naismith says that leading mining companies such as metals and mining company Vedanta Resources’ Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) operations in Zambia have undertaken signifi-cant expansion projects in order to increase production.

“Zambia also has many brown- field projects under way as mining companies are increasingly expanding their operations to meet global demand for copper,” states Naismith.

He mentions that several junior miners have undertaken exploration projects on the Copperbelt to exploit the booming conditions of the market.

“We have seen a lot of junior miners coming in and accessing and redeveloping the copper belt. In the central and southern parts of Zambia, we also see activity in gold exploration, as well as copper and nickel,” says Naismith.

He says that KCM has shown its commitment to the Zambian mining industry and its operations on the Copperbelt, through its capital expenditure and current expansion projects.

“There is a new desire to develop the Copperbelt. Mining companies are certainly showing a renewed willingness to develop their operations,” he says.

Project Involvement
SRK Consulting is currently involved in the Konkola mine expansion project, which will see the production capacity of the mine increasing from 2-million tons to 7,5-million tons of copper ore a year.

The Konkola mine expansion project, valued at about $675-million, involves the sinking of the shaft to 1 490 m, and expanding and improving the dewatering and ventilation systems at the operation.

“We are currently responsible for the mining geotechnical design for Konkola’s No 4 shaft. “This involves the sinking of a surface shaft, a ventilation shaft and the deepening of the No 1 shaft together with all ancillary rock and water handling infrastructure,” states Naismith.

The expansion project seeks to gain access to the orebody that lies below the current production levels, and will see the deepening of the No 1 shaft to a depth of 1 490 m, to operate in conjunction with No 4 shaft, reports KCM.

“Konkola currently pumps around 270 000 m3 of water daily to dewater stoping operations and is reputed to be one of the wettest mines in operation. “Design and operation of an effective water-handling system is a key factor in the success of the mine,” reports Naismith.

He says that the construction of an ultramodern concentrator, which will have the capacity to handle six-million tons a year of ore, is also under way alongside the shaft sinking project.

“We are working closely with engineering group Grinaker-LTA [which is] carrying out civil and mining construction on the project,” says Naismith.

He mentions that SRK is also involved with other aspects of KCM operations at the Nchanga openpit and underground sections.

Infrastructure and Skills Challenges
Naismith says that there has been decay in the mining infrastructure on the Copperbelt, during the 1980s and 1990s, which has created a number of challenges in the expansion and development of the existing mines.

“There has certainly been a decay in infrastructure, which has created challenges. There is a challenge to maintain production from existing operations, while also developing and expanding infrastructure,” states Nai-smith.

He says that there is a skills shortage in the mining industry across the globe, adding that SRK’s project involvement in Zambia is assisting to fill the skills gap in that country.

SRK environment business unit principal consultant Donald Gibson says that the environmental components of the Zambian mining industry are faced with a shortage of skills and capital.

He says, however, that the environmental-impact assess-ment (EIA) decision-making process, relative to other African countries, is conducted efficiently by the Environmental Council of Zambia.

He says that this is partly owing to a lower workload for environmental officials and in some cases lower standards required by legislation, as well as less bureaucracy and a desire for development.

“When mining does well in Zambia, the economy does well,” comments Gibson.

Environmental Projects
SRK Consulting has completed numerous due diligence exercises in Zambia in support of project finance facilities and equity transactions for various international exchanges, including the mining assets of mining company First Quantum Minerals.

SRK is also involved in the development of mining and exploration company Teal Exploration & Mining’s Konkola North copper project, which is located in the Konkola area of the Zambia Copperbelt.

Teal’s Konkola North copper project consists of a single large-scale mining licence, and covers an area of about 44 km2.

“The Environmental Council of Zambia has provided environmental approval for the project” states Gibson.

Operational History
Naismith says that SRK has been involved in the Zambian mining industry for more than 30 years and, as a result, has developed a wealth of experience and knowledge regarding the mining and geotechnical environment.

Gibson says that SRK’s environ- mental and development spe-cialists have been involved on the Copperbelt since the early 1990s, adding that most of the initial mining EIA work conducted in Zambia has been done by the company.

“SRK has played a big role in building the capacity of local communities, Zambian specialists and the Zambian government. We provide a holistic environmental service, and we believe that sustainable develop- ment is dependent on using resources more responsibly,” concludes Gibson.

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