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MODERN MINING
August 2015
MINING News
In its report for the three months ended
June 30, First QuantumMinerals (FQM) says
that its new smelter at the Kansanshi cop-
per mine in Zambia reached commercial
production status ahead of expectation.
During the six-month commission-
ing and ramp-up period, approximately
First Quantum reports on progress of Zambian projects
157 600 tonnes of copper concentrate
was processed consisting of a mixture
of stockpiled and fresh concentrate from
FQM’s Kansanshi mine and fresh con-
centrate from its new Sentinel mine in
north-west Zambia. Production totalled
46 700 tonnes of copper anode and
The Kansanshi smelter, which has now achieved commercial production (photo: FQM).
The Sentinel mine showing the stockpile area. Sentinel will have the capacity to produce up to 300 000 t/a of copper over a 15-year mine life (photo: FQM).
201 300 tonnes of sulphuric acid.
The smelter recorded throughput of
over 80 000 tonnes during the month of
June, representing 76 % of design capac-
ity, and smelter recovery rates were above
design rates in the same period.
Commissioning progress continued at