Largest copper project ever undertaken in Africa

Located in the North Western Province of Zambia, 220km west of the Copperbelt and 65km west of the town of Solwezi, the Lumwana Copper Concentrate Project (Lumwana Project) is set to be the largest copper project of its kind in Africa with inferred resources to be mined over a 37 year life-of-mine (LOM) on the basis of processing 20 Mtpa of ore to produce copper concentrates. Construction commenced at the Lumwana Project in early 2006 and practical completion and handover for the Project was completed to Equinox Mineral Limited (Equinox) in November 2008.

The Minerals & Metals scope included the design, supply, construction and commissioning of the 20 Mtpa copper concentrator including associated on-site and off-site infrastructure, water and waste management system, dams, diversion channels, and associated facilities.

Project Highlights

• Outstanding Safety record including over five million man hours LTI free from a total of approximately seven million man hours worked
• Completed on budget and within a revised schedule for handover
• Logistics and freight successfully executed without delay and procurement networks successfully established in South Africa
• Peak construction workforce of 2,300 personnel with 90% local Zambian labour utilised. This achievement not only highlights the success of the safety milestones but is also complemented by an excellent industrial relations and regional recruitment record
• The largest copper project ever undertaken on the African continent
• The largest single financing project in Zambian history
• The first new town in Zambia since independence and largest Zambian mine development for a generation.

Read about the impact the project had on the local community.