Modern Mining May 2016

MINING News

Sentinel boosts First Quantum’s first quarter production

was completed in September 2015, and is partially energised from Lusaka West to Mumbwa substations. ZESCO, Zambia’s state-run power company, has advised that full energisation of the power lines has been delayed to the second quarter of 2016. Although Sentinel has been able to reach design capacity at times with the current 120 MW allocation, the full power requirement is progressively increasing with harder ore from the mine. Sentinel is expected to reach commercial produc- tion levels in the second quarter of 2016. A declaration of commercial production will be made when the operation attains a sus- tained level of operating performance. 

Q4 2015 and 1 003 tonnes for Q1 2015. “It was a strong start to the year for every aspect of the company. The momentum generated in 2015 with the excellent per- formance of the Kansanshi copper smelter and successful cost savings and expendi- ture programmes, continued into 2016. For four successive quarters, our mines have delivered progressively higher copper output and lower unit cost of production,” noted Philip Pascall, Chairman and CEO. Both Train 1 and Train 2 milling circuits at Sentinel are now in continuous opera- tion with periods of above nameplate throughput being achieved separately, and in combined operation. Construction of the power lines project

First Quantum Minerals (FQM), listed on the TSX and LSE, achieved its highest ever quarterly copper production and sales from continuing operations of 119 287 tonnes and 131 267 tonnes, respectively, in the quarter ended 31 March 2016. Copper production was 15 % higher than in Q1 2015 largely as a result of the continuing ramp-up of the new Sentinel mine in Zambia. FQM’s other assets in Zambia include the Kansanshi mine, the largest copper mine in Africa, and the new Kansanshi smelter. First filtered concentrate was produced at Sentinel in January 2015. Production at the mine totalled 20 902 tonnes for Q1 2016 compared to 15 190 tonnes for

The Sentinel processing plant. Both Train 1 and Train 2 milling circuits are now in continuous operation (photo: First Quantum).

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14  MODERN MINING  May 2016