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Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has announced a multi-billion-dollar expansion drive to tap into its vast untapped mineral reserves and tackle long-standing energy constraints.
KCM Director of Administration, Ellie Sampa, said dewatering the deep levels of the Konkola mine was the first step to accessing 16 million tonnes of copper and 352,000 tonnes of cobalt.
“Without a means of taking out that water, we cannot get to that 16 million tonnes of copper, as well as the 352,000 tonnes of cobalt,” he said during the Energy Forum for Africa Conference in Lusaka.
Currently producing about 145,000 tonnes of copper annually, KCM aims to double output in the medium term to 300,000 tonnes, and ultimately reach 500,000 tonnes a year.
Achieving this, Sampa said, would require nearly US$2.5 billion in investment.
He said the expansion is expected to cement KCM’s position as Zambia’s largest copper producer and support the global energy transition.
It stated that it also aligned with government’s ambition to scale up production while diversifying energy sources.
“KCM has the potential to be the largest producer of copper in this country. With the right investment and guaranteed power, we can achieve that,” Sampa said.
Power demand is projected to rise from the current 194 megawatts (MW) to 400MW once expansion was complete.
In response, KCM is rolling out energy projects, including a 150MW solar plant in Chililabombwe—scalable to 200MW under a Public-Private Partnership—and a phased 300MW thermal power plant in Southern Province.
“These projects are designed to secure guaranteed baseload power, essential for 24/7 mining operations such as pumping, crushing and smelting,” Sampa said.
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