Name and Location
Trident project, including the Sentinel copper mine and Enterprise nickel mine, North West province, Zambia.

Client
Kalumbila Minerals, a subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals (FQM).

FQM acquired the project in February 2010 through its acquisition of Zambia-focused explorer Kiwara for an estimated $279-million.

Project Description
The Trident project is situated about 140 km west of the town of Solwezi and 150 km from the Kansanshi copper mine, in northern Zambia. It comprises five large-scale mining licences that cover two declared resource deposits – Sentinel and Enterprise – and numerous exploration targets, including Intrepid.

The Sentinel copper mine is being commisoned and it is expected that the Enterprise nickel mine will start operations later this year or in 2016, depending on nickel market conditions. Each area is regarded as a significant mine development, with mine lives of 15 years and eight years for Sentinel and Enterprise respectively.

The Sentinel deposit has a total measured and indicated resource of 1.03-billion tonnes, grading 0.51% copper, and proven and probable reserves of 774.2-million tonnes, grading 0.50% copper. The mine will target sulphide ores that will be processed on site to produce an estimated 26% copper concentrate, which will be transported to smelters in Zambia for the extraction and refining of copper.

Sentinel’s processing facility will have a target throughput rate of 55-million tonnes a year of ore at an average grade of 0.5% copper. Higher grades are expected in the first six years of the mine life, which will provide yearly production rates ranging from between 260 000 t and 280 000 t and up to 300 000 t of copper. The plant will comprise three in-pit crushers delivering to a crushed-ore stockpile and providing capacity of 80 000 t.

Two milling trains, each comprising a 28 MW semiautogenous (SAG) mill and a 22 MW ball mill, will produce a final grind of 80%, passing 212 µ for flotation. Four banks of rougher-scavenger flotation cells, each using seven cells of 300 m3 capacity, followed by three stages of cleaning, will provide a recovery of more than 90% for a concentrate of about 26% copper. Tailings will be thickened in thickeners of 3 m × 50 m in diameter before being discharged to the tailings storage facility.

A secondary crushing circuit will be installed to maintain the mill throughput to offset a harder ore in the deeper areas of the pit. This circuit will initially comprise two large cone crushers, with the possibility of adding further crushers at a later date. The crushers will treat a portion of the ore feeding the stockpile, crushing the top size to below 40 mm. A pebble crusher will also be installed to crush pebbles ejected from the SAG mills to below 10 mm to minimise critical size build-up in the milling circuit.

The Enterprise deposit has a total measured and indicated resource of 40.1-million tonnes, grading 1.07% nickel, and proven and probable reserves of 32.7-million tonnes, grading 1.10% nickel. The planned four-million-tonne-a-year Enterprise operation has capacity to produce on average 38 000 t of nickel a year, with scope to increase to 60 000 t/y of nickel.

Environmental approval was granted for Enterprise in September 2014 and preparatory works for future mining have started.

The Enterprise plant is under construction and concrete works are more than 95% complete. The plant can be commissioned on Sentinel copper ore,before the decision is made to proceed with commercial mining at the Enterprise pit.

The proposed 55-million-ton-a-year copper sulphide concentrator and associated plant infrastructure will consist of maintenance workshops, mining facilities, a tailings storage facility and associated administration offices.

Additional amenities required include roads, power and water supply, as well as employee housing.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Value
The capital cost to develop the Sentinel and Enterprise mines is estimated at $2.1-billion, including all infrastructure development associated with the mines.

Duration
Following a two-year design and board approval for construction in June 2012, the Sentinel mine was commissioned in June 2014, with first concentrate produced at the end of that year.

The current mine life is estimated at more than 15 years or until about 2029. The Enterpise mine is planned to be brought on line in parallel with the Sentinel operations, depending on nickel prices, as the Enterpise plant can be commissioned on Sentinel copper ore.

This timeframe will potentially increase further, as it is possible that additional geological resources will be identified in the Trident project area.

Latest Developments
First Quantum has launched production at its Sentinel mine which has been under construction since June 2012.

Ramp up to commercial production levels at Sentinel is expected to begin after state power utility Zesco connects electricity to the mine this month.

Although this year and next will be challenging for many mines in Zambia and globally owing to low commodity prices, First Quantum hopes to overcome that by improving efficiency, it has said.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Not stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
FQM, tel +1 416 361 6400 or email info@fqml.com.