Name and Location
Konkola Deep mine project (KDMP), Zambia.

Project Description
The project will increase the production capacity of the Konkola copper mine from two-million tons a year to 7,5-million tons a year of copper. The project seeks to gain access to the rich orebody that lies below the current production levels. The project will include a new production shaft, No 4 shaft, which will be sunk to a depth of 1 490 m. This new shaft will be only about 125 m from the No 1 shaft, which is to be deepened to the same 1 490-m depth to become the service shaft for KDMP. To speed up this shaft development, midshaft loading will be employed once the No 4 shaft has reached the same depth as the current bottom of the No 1 shaft. A new ore pass, new tips and a new underground crushing facility will all be installed. Once all this has been achieved, Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) will be able to commission one hoist in the new shaft, giving production capacity of between 3,5-million tons a year and four-million tons a year. At this stage, the other half compartment of the No 4 shaft will be used to continue sinking to the bottom. New production levels will be established at 1 050 m, 1 150 m, 1 250 m and 1 350 m.

The KDMP will make use of existing infrastructure as much as possible to optimise capital investment. The project also includes the construction of the Nchanga smelter, which will process copper ore from the KDMP. The smelter will have a total capacity of 300 000 t/y of finished copper.

Value
The cost of the project has reportedly reached $1-billion and could escalate further, as a result of escalating fuel costs and other costs for the KDMP and the Nchanga smelter. Both projects were initially forecast to cost about $800-million.

Duration
The KDMP is scheduled for completion in 2010 and will extend the life of the Konkola mine by at least 22 years.

Client
Vedanta Resources and KCM.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
TWP (design of headgear, shaft steelwork, underground pumping, underground crush-ing and ore handling, surface substation and electrical reticulation); Grinaker-LTA (shaft sinking); DRA (hoist engineering); Mpelempe Drilling and AAC Mining (underground mining development); and Atlas Copco (equipment fleet).

Latest Developments
Construction works at the Nchanga smelter are at an advanced stage, with some parts such as the oxygen plant and acid plant, already commissioned. It is expected that the commissioning of the entire plant will start in a month or two, with full operations starting later, depending on the smoothness of the commissioning phase. The sinking of No 4 shaft is at about 450m, while the head-gear is at 60 m of the ultimate height of 81 m.

On Budget and on Time?
The project is on schedule.

Contact Details for Project Information
KCM, Sam Equamo, tel +260 212 350 026
or email samuel.equamo@kcm.co.zm.
Vedanta Resources, tel +44 20 7629 6070 or fax +44 20 7629 7426.