JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Diversified-miner Vedanta Resources had achieved “significant” increases in the yearly output of all its business units, while work on the Konkola Deep Mine Project (KDMP), in Zambia, continued on schedule.

The India-based miner on Thursday reported to shareholders that its attributable copper cathode production, from the Zambian Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) subsidiary, increased by 30% year-on-year to 173 000 t in the year ended March 31, 2010, compared with the 133 000 t produced in the previous financial year.

Attributable copper cathode output for the fourth quarter of the 2010 financial year amounted to 34 000 t, representing a 26% increase on that produced in the fourth quarter of the 2009 financial year, as well as a 15% increase on that produced in the third quarter of the 2010 financial year.

The London-listed Vedanta held a 79,4% stake in KCM, which was developing the KDMP to increase ore production from the Konkola mine to 7,5-million tons a year, up from the initial two-million tons a year output.

The mid shaft loading station at the KDMP had been commissioned in March, while the construction work on the bottom shaft sinking was continuing on schedule for completion by the third quarter of the 2012 financial year, stated the miner.

The project, which would extend the Konkola operation’s life-of-mine by 23 years, involves the sinking of a new shaft to a depth of 1 490 m, the deepest new shaft sinking project on the African continent.

Meanwhile, total copper cathode output from the group’s Indian and Australian operations had increased by 6,7% year-on-year to 334 000 t in the year ended March, compared with 313 000 t in the year ended March 2009.

Detailed engineering and procurement activities were now under way for the commissioning of the 400 000-t/y Tuticorin smelter, in India, by the middle of next year.

Vedanta’s iron-ore output for the full year rose by 34% to 21,4-million tons, compared with the 16-million tons produced the year before, owing to increased throughput from its 51%-owned Sesa Goa subsidiary’s existing operations and a 3,6-million ton contribution from the Dempo operations.

Sesa Goa had acquired the iron-ore assets of the Dempo group last year.

Iron-ore production during the fourth quarter of the year amounted to 7,8-million tons, a 59,2% increase on the 4,9-million tons produced in the fourth quarter of the 2009 financial year.

During the year, 20,5-million tons of iron-ore was shipped, representing a 36% increase on the 15,1-million tons of iron-ore sold the year before.

Vedanta stated that the expansion of its iron-ore capacity to 50-million tons a year by the 2013 financial year was on track, with mining and logistics capacity enhancements under way.

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The group’s aluminium output, meanwhile, increased by 15% year-on-year to 533 000 t for the twelve months ended March, mainly owing to the 264 000 t that the new Jharsuguda smelter contributed.

The 1,25-million ton a year Jharsuguda II smelter was still expected to reach first metal tapping by the first quarter of the 2011 financial year and full commissioning by the second quarter of the 2013 financial year.

Further, the group’s total refined zinc output amounted to 578 000 t for the 2010 financial year, while lead output increased to 72 000 t for the full year.

The 210 000-t/y zinc smelter at Rajpura Dariba and the one-million ton a year concentrator at Rampura Agucha had been commissioned during the fourth quarter of the financial year and three months ahead of schedule.

Meanwhile, silver production increased by 34% for the full year to 5,7-million ounces.

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