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MODERN MINING
April 2015
feature
COUNTRY FOCUS –
ZAMBIA
M
ajority owned by global gi-
ant Glencore, which is the
world’s third biggest cop-
per producer, MCM was
last year named as Zambia’s
Mining Company of the Year for 2013, in part
because of its impressive investment in Zam-
bia’s copper mining industry. Commenting on
the award at the time, MCM’s CEO, Danny Cal-
low, said: “We are aware that in order for us to
continue operating in a more efficient and cost-
effective manner, it is imperative that we invest
in new technology and infrastructure. We an-
ticipate a 30 per cent decline in ore production
by 2018, therefore, we have invested almost
US$900 million in sinking three new shafts;
this includes the Synclinorium Shaft at Nkana,
the Mindola and the Mufulira Deeps to extend
mine life by over 25 years and increase annual
copper production at a reduced unit cost.”
The Synclinorium project, which will access
115 Mt of ore at a grade of 1,9 % copper and
0,09 % cobalt, accounts for US$323 million
of the US$900 million referred to by Callow
and involves construction of both a main
shaft and a ventilation shaft. Murray & Roberts
Cementation is responsible for the main shaft
(including a bulk air cooler level, two electrical
cubbies and two stations). The shaft is 7 m in
diameter and has been blind sunk to a depth of
1 280 m. Equipment used has included a stage
and kibble winder, a five-boom jumbo shaft
rig, a five-deck working stage with a cactus
grab, two mini-excavators and an automated
batch plant. A separate shaft-sinking contrac-
tor, Redpath, is undertaking the vent shaft
(using a raise borer) although Murray & Roberts
Cementation handled the initial 50 m section
of presinking.
Also included in Murray & Roberts
Cementation’s scope of work is the erection of
the permanent 64 m high steel headgear which
has been fabricated by Steel Services in South
Africa and which was already largely on site
and awaiting assembly when
Modern Mining
Synclinorium Shaft project
Centre:
View of 3 960
station vent cross cut.
Additional support being
installed at bull nose before
wetcrete application.
Below:
Photo taken in
March this year showing the
completed shaft ‘barrel’ with
all cables installed (photo:
Arthur Tassell).
The dip in the copper price plus disputes over the level of
royalties have left Zambia’s copper mining industry reeling.
Nevertheless, some Copperbelt players are pressing ahead
with major capital projects designed to either expand
production or extend mine life (or both), among them
Mopani Copper Mines plc (MCM), owner of the venerable
Nkana and Mufulira underground copper mines. At Nkana,
one of the projects underway is the new Synclinorium Shaft,
which is due to start commissioning by the end of this year.
Playing a key role on delivering the new shaft is Murray &
Roberts Cementation Zambia, which has completed the
shaft sinking and is now busy with the equipping.