Kansanshi
The Kansanshi copper-gold mine near Solwezi, in the North Western Province of Zambia, has been in operation since 2005.
Overview
From its two open pits, the Kansanshi copper-gold mine near Solwezi, in the North Western Province of Zambia, produces more copper than any other mine in Africa.
Kansanshi employs more than 13,000 people, primarily Zambians, and utilizes state-of-the-art technology to extract copper and gold from three different ore types, with world-class efficiency.
The Kansanshi mine is owned and operated by Kansanshi Mining PLC, which is 80 per cent owned by First Quantum.
Mining and Processing
Kansanshi is a vein deposit, with economic copper and gold mineralization occurring in three ore-types: primary sulphide, mixed supergene and oxide.
Mining is carried out in two open pits, Main and Northwest, using conventional open pit methods employing hydraulic excavators and a fleet of haul trucks with electric trolley assist on the waste haul. Ore treatment is flexible to allow for variation in ore type either through an oxide leach circuit, a sulphide flotation circuit and or a transitional ore “mixed float” circuit.
Sulphide ore is treated via crushing, milling and flotation to produce copper in concentrate. Mixed ore is treated through a similar circuit with the option to treat the flotation concentrate via the high pressure leach circuit.
Oxide ore is treated via crushing, milling, flotation, leaching and the SX/EW process to produce a sulphidic and gold bearing flotation concentrate as well as electro-won cathode copper.
Gold is recovered from all ore types by six gravity concentrators. Gemini tables treat the gravity concentrates and produce a high-grade concentrate for direct smelting to gold bullion.
A portion of the copper concentrate produced from the sulphide and mixed ore circuits is treated in a High Pressure Leach facility. Copper is recovered by oxidation and leaching in autoclaves, and gold is recovered from HPL residues via an acid-resistant gravity concentrator.
Smelter
The Kansanshi copper smelter, commissioned in the first half of 2015, has enabled First Quantum to optimize the value of the copper it produces in Zambia, and created a further 700 specialist jobs.
It has a nominal capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum of concentrate to produce more than 300,000 tonnes of blister copper annually. The smelter efficiently traps 100% of sulphur dioxide by-product and converts it into sulphuric acid. This recycling produces more than 1 million tonnes per annum of sulphuric acid, reducing reliance on imported acid for use in the treatment of oxide copper ores. Acid produced by the smelter is neutralised in the leaching circuit.
Technical Report
Kansanshi’s most recent NI 43-101 Technical Report.
Careers
To find out more about working at Kansanshi and the lifestyle enjoyed by our employees visit the careers page.