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Acid Plant Database June 28, 2022
Owner | Konkola Copper Mines PLC (KCM) | |
Location |
Chingola |
|
Background |
KCM is a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Plc, a London listed FTSE 100
metals and mining group.
1970 Prior - Anglo American Corporation and
Roan Selection Trust owned the mines. After negotiations between the Zambian
Government and the two mining groups, the mines were reorganised into
Nchanga Consolidated Copper Mines Limited (NCCM) and Roan Consolidated Mines
Limited (RCM). Through Mining and Industrial Development Corporation Limited
(MINDECO), the Government acquired a 51 per cent interest and Zambia Copper
Investments (ZCI) acquired the remaining 49 per cent in NCCM. Venanta Resources: 51% |
|
Website | www.kcm.co.zm | |
Plant | Nchanga Smelter |
|
Coordinates* | 12° 31' 52" S, 27° 51' 12" E | 12° 31' 46" S, 27° 51' 1" E |
Type of Plant | Metallurgical | Sulphur Burning |
Gas Source |
Copper |
Elemental Sulphur |
Plant Capacity | 1850 MTPD | 500 MTPD |
SA/DA | 2/2 DA | 3/1 DA |
Emissions | 370 ppm | 1.85 kg SO2/t acid |
Status | Operating | Operating |
Year Built | 2008 | 2006 |
Technology | Chemetics | Outotec |
Contractor | Furnace Fabrica | Furnace Fabrica |
Remarks | The plant supplies sulphuric acid to the Tailings Leach Plant. Importation of sulphuric acid into Zambia has significantly reduced as a result of the commissioning of this new plant. The main acid plant of KCM at Nchanga produces sulphuric acid from off-gases produced by the Nchanga smelter. The TLP uses sulphuric acid as the leaching agent, which is entirely sourced from KCM's acid plant at Nchanga. Furthermore, upon completion of the Chingola Refractory Ore (CRO) Project, sulphuric acid from the main acid plant will be used to extract copper from stockpiled CRO. In addition to its main acid plant, KCM has a sulphur burning plant at Nchanga, which is currently inactive, but could be recommissioned as required. The investment in the sulphur burning plant is reported to be $12 million. |
|
Pictures | ||
General |
Konkola Copper Mines Plc (KCM) is the largest mining and metals company in
Zambia with annual capacity of 200,000 metric tonnes of copper. In October 2008, KCM commissioned a new smelter at Nchanga with a cobalt recovery furnace. Operations at the Nchanga smelter are currently increasing towards full capacity and the smelter has already achieved rated capability in capacity and recovery. The Company believes that the Nchanga smelter is the only facility of its kind in Africa that is capable of recovering cobalt from copper concentrates. This cobalt, which is produced in the form of a copper-alloy, is marketed to cobalt processing plants. Captured sulphur dioxide gas is recycled back into sulphuric acid, which is then utilised in the tailings leach operations at the TLP. Some of the excess acid is sold to domestic and foreign customers. The Nchanga smelter is designed to process copper concentrate mined at KCM's mines, but the smelter also can process certain amounts of third-party copper concentrate mixed with KCM's concentrate. As such, the smelter's operating capacity at a given time depends on the amount of copper concentrate produced by KCM's mines and the level of third-party concentrate which can be safely fed to the smelter mixed with KCM's own concentrate. |
|
References | - | |
News |
June 28, 2022 - Zambia should
halt the search for a new investor in Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) until
litigation with Vedanta Resources is settled, the Indian mining company said
on Tuesday. Zambia’s previous government put KCM in the hands of a
liquidator in May 2019, triggering the ongoing legal dispute with
Vedanta Resources, KCM’s parent company. The government accused
Vedanta of failing to honour licence conditions, including promised
investment. Vedanta has repeatedly denied it broke the terms of its licence.
KCM provisional liquidator Celine Nair said on June 7 that the company would
appoint an adviser to help it to find an equity investor willing to fund the
mine’s expansion. But Vedanta Resource spokesperson Masuzyo
Ndhlovu told Reuters on Tuesday that no investor could buy the mine and
smelter complex without the consent of Vedanta. “Significant efforts
to sell KCM to other companies were made previously, but these efforts
failed,” Ndhlovu said in a written response to Reuters questions.
Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe declined to comment on the matter. Vedanta
would not participate in KCM’s eventual open tender to select a new
investor, Ndhlovu said, calling it “illegal”. An arbitration hearing
in London is due to take place in January 2023. Vedanta had hoped
discussions with the government and its mining investment arm, ZCCM-IH,
could culminate in an amicable settlement, Ndhlovu said. “Continuation
of further legal proceedings will cost a lot to Zambia and also KCM assets
continue to deteriorate with no funding available,” Ndhlovu said.
Vedanta has offered to step up investment in KCM if it resumes control of
the business. November 22, 2019 - Mines minister Richard Musukwa says operations at the Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) plant have been suspended until investigations into the sulphuric acid spillage are completed. And Musukwa says 269 people, among them 232 pupils were affected by the toxic gas. Rendering a ministerial statement to Parliament, Thursday, Musukwa said the plant would be recommissioned after all leakages were sealed and repairs completed. “In order to avoid the reoccurrence of a similar incidence, my ministry has instituted the following intervention measures; operations at the plant have been suspended with immediate effect and plant units switched off until full investigations by all concerned stakeholders are complete and remedial measures are put in place. KCM has been instructed to provide a stable supply of power during the starting period on order to prevent the disruptions. KCM has been instructed to improve the convertor efficiency in order to reduce the time required for the stability operations during the plant starting period,” Musukwa said. November 17, 2019 - Zambian government says it will penalize Konkola Copper Mine (KCM) depending on the outcome of the investigations that have been launched to establish the cause of gassing of close to 300 people which also included KCM employees, a senior government official has said. Richard Musukwa, Minister of Mines and Mineral Development said the government in conjunction with local environmental regulators have launched investigations into the incidence which left over 53 KCM employees and 232 pupils from Nchanga Trust School hospitalized on Friday. The Vedanta-owned mining firm has had its Acid plant shut by ZEMA to pave way for investigations into what caused the incident. "If found wanting KCM will be penalized. There is need to conduct operations with care especially when handling such operations involving gas," he said. Nchanga Member of Parliament Chali Chilombo called on stakeholders to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident. In a press release, KCM corporate general manager Eugene Chungu regretted the incident which he said was caused by an electrical surge. Chungu said the incident that occurred at the Nchanga 500 TPD Sulphur Burning Plant was gas emission, which affected the plant area and surrounding community resulting in some members of the community being hospitalized. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-11/18/c_138562444.htm November 15, 2019 - Zambia's environmental regulator said on Friday that an acid plant belonging to Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has been shut following a report of an abnormal discharge of sulphur dioxide which has affected residents living around the mining area in Chingola district on the Copperbelt Province. The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) said the mining firm has shut the acid plant and that a team of inspectors has been dispatched to investigate the incident. Ireen Chipili, corporate affairs manager at the regulator said in a statement that preliminary information availed by the mining firm indicate that a number of people living around the mining area have been affected by the emissions. Some people have since been hospitalized, she added. She further said further regulatory action will be undertaken in line with the provisions of the country's environmental laws once investigations have been concluded. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-11/16/c_138558675.htm November 15, 2019 - Konkola Copper
Mines Plc (KCM) announces that an incident occurred at the Nchanga 500
tonnes per day (TPD) Sulphur Burning Plant where some gas emission affected
the plant area and surrounding community resulting in some members of the
community being hospitalized for precautionary observation. Last
evening at around 18:30hrs, the 500 TPD Sulphur Burning Plant experienced an
electrical power supply surge which tripped and disturbed the Plant. During
the early hours of this morning, 15 November 2019, while in the process of
stabilizing the plant some gases escaped into the atmosphere and the
surrounding areas including the New East Mill Crusher Plant where 53
employees experienced irritation and inhalation difficulties. They were
taken to the hospital for mandatory observation before being pronounced
medically fit and discharged. Related to this incident, this morning
at around 07:30hrs the Company received a report that Nchanga Trust
Secondary School was not conducive for the pupils to sit for Grade 12
examinations and Nchanga Trust Secondary School Management referred 232
pupils to the Hospital for observation. KCM working with various Government
Departments in the District immediately formed a joint team to assess the
suitability of the school to continue being an Examination Centre for the
scheduled Grade 12 Examination. The team has since determined the school to
be safe for normal occupation. The Nchanga South Hospital Medical staff
certified the 37 grade 12 pupils fit to write the examinations and all the
pupils returned to school where they sat for the examinations. KCM has
launched investigations into the matter to prevent a recurrence of this
regrettable incident. The investigations are being done jointly with Mine
Safety Department, Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) and others.
The 500 TPD Sulphur Burning Plant is not located within the Smelter
facilities and the incident does not have any impact on the scheduled start
up of the Smelter. KCM Management would like to extend sincere
gratitude to the civic authorities, Nchanga Trust School Management, the
parents as well as the members of the community for the support extended
during this incident. February 21, 2018 - Zambia’s largest integrated copper producer Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), subsidiary of LSE-listed diversified miner Vedanta Resourcesrecently hosted a tour of its operations in Chingola for a delegation of Finnish companies conducting business in the mining industry. The tour was led by Finnish Ambassador to Zambia Timo Olkkonen as a means for the two countries to collaborate on business opportunities.Olkkonen has hailed KCM’s plans to expand its operations and increase production to 500 000 tpa, stating that the expansion of operations was not only good for the company but also a cause for optimism for the country’s mining sector.“It’s been a very interesting and valuable visit. KCM’s plan to invest more and expand operations is definitely a cause for optimism for the mining industry and Zambia as a whole. I can see that KCM clearly has a bright future in Zambia.”Olkkonen also commended KCM for investing in clean technology at the smelter as this was good for the environment.“The Nchanga Smelter speaks for itself. It’s one of the cleanest in the world. I think it’s good for KCM and other mining companies to use efficient and clean technology in their operations,” he said.The Nchanga smelter employs technology from Finland and captures 99.7% of sulphur dioxide to make it as one of the best processing plants.KCM CEO Steven Din said the company had set in motion plans to ramp up production and reach the target of 500 000 tpa.“Reaching this tagert will not only be beneficial to KCM but will also help Zambia to regain its top position as a copper producer in Africa which was lost to the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Din said.The Finnish delegation includes Geological Survey of Finland, Robit, A- insinoorit, Business Finland, Ima Engineering, Sleipner and Normet.The delegation is in the country to explore business opportunities and strengthen existing business relationships with firms like KCM, which has procured a lot of technology and some equipment from Finland. October 16, 2017 - Zambian villagers have won the right to sue mining giant Vedanta in the United Kingdom (UK) over pollution of their water sources — in a landmark judgement that paves the way for other London-based multinationals to be held liable in English courts for their subsidiaries in developing countries. On October 13, London’s Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by the British-Indian mining company against a May 2016 High Court judgement that allowed Zambian villagers to have their case heard in the UK. A total of 1,826 Zambians from four villages in the mineral-rich Copperbelt region are pursuing claims for damages against Vedanta Resources and its Zambian subsidiary Konkola Copper Mines (KCM). The villagers are seeking damages for continual pollution of their water sources from the KCM operated Nchanga Copper Mine since 2004, when Vedanta took over KCM, has led to diseases and devastation of their crops, causing widespread loss of health and livelihoods. Vedanta, well-known for its environmental and human rights violations worldwide, had appealed that the damages claim could be brought only within the jurisdiction of Zambia. The affected communities first took KCM to court in Zambia in 2006 over severe poisoning of the Kafue river, on which the villagers depend for all purposes from drinking to irrigation. The Zambian High Court in 2011 had awarded them a compensation of $2 million, but after KCM appealed, the Zambian Supreme Court in 2015 overruled the compensation even as it held the company guilty. After that, the villagers turned to the UK to seek justice. They are being represented in the UK by London law firm Leigh Day. After the verdict, Vedanta issued a statement that it was looking to appeal against the judgement in the Supreme Court. The company also said that the verdict only related to the question of jurisdiction and “was not a ruling or a determination on the merits of the claims”. Two years ago, a leaked internal report commissioned from Canadian pollution control experts had shown that Vedanta Resources’ 12-square-mile mine in the Copperbelt region had been discharging sulphuric acid and other toxic chemicals into the water bodies and underground aquifers near the mining town of Chingola. Besides, a leaked letter from a KCM doctor stated that the water collected for testing in 2011 was not fit for human consumption. The Guardian quotes from the letter: “The water is acidic and the copper and iron levels exceed permitted levels… The impurities […] can cause cancer in the bloodstream and unhealthy conditions in internal organs. The people in that village should be advised to stop using the same water.” Vedanta has been accused of massive human rights and environmental violations in India as well as other countries, including Sri Lanka, Zambia, Liberia and South Africa. So infamous are Vedanta’s violations that it was put on the exclusion list of the world’s largest sovereign wealth or state-owned investment fund, the Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) of Norway. In India, the indigenous communities of Odisha in 2014 won a 19-year-old battle against the company mining their sacred Niyamgiri hills for bauxite. Human rights watchdog Amnesty International had also indicted Vedanta of violating the human rights of Odisha tribals. In Goa, Vedanta was indicted by the Shah Commission in 2012 for illegal mining of iron ore. August 3, 2017 - Zambian villagers await a landmark judgement that could help hold British companies to account for their actions abroad. Over 1,800 people from farming and fishing communities near Chingola, Zambia are waiting to hear if they can make a claim for damages in the English courts against UK mining company Vedanta Resources and its subsidiary Konkola Copper Mines (KCM). A decision from London’s Court of Appeal is expected by the end of the summer. If the villagers are successful, it could become easier in future for multinational companies based in the UK to be held to account for alleged human rights and environmental abuses in other countries. Hundreds of people living near Chingola were hospitalised due to water contamination from sulphuric acid and other chemicals from a KCM-owned mine in 2006. “We have no water source apart from the river and it’s totally polluted,” villager Leo Chikopela told campaign group Foil Vedanta. “Most of us are very weak and have constant stomach pains. When we bathe using this water our skin itches.” Local people have also reported deaths after their relatives drank from a local river. The villagers were previously awarded compensation in the Zambian High Court, but KCM appealed. In 2015 the Supreme Court upheld the guilty verdict but removed the compensation. Vedanta argues that it does not have a duty of care to claimants potentially polluted by the activity of its subsidiary, KCM. Lawyers for the villagers argue that taking the case to the UK is the only way the villagers will get justice. Vedanta's track record on the environment and human rights is questionable. It was excluded from Norwegian Pension Fund investments due to an “unacceptable risk” that the company will “cause or contribute to severe environmental damage and serious or systematic human rights violations.” Mining companies control key mineral resources across the world, and have impacted on land based communities and indigenous peoples through associated forced evictions, pollution, and violence in or near mine areas. Often local people see little of the profits, despite the exploitation of their mineral rich land and the environmental and health consequences.
December 19, 2013 - The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) says last week’s accidental release of Sulphur Dioxide by Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) in Chingola did not have serious implications on the environment. ZEMA Spokesperson Irene Chipili says this is because the accidental release of the hazardous gas was only for a short period of time when the mine experienced a power outage. Ms. Chipili has told Qfm News in a telephone interview that within the same three hours the mine encountered a power outage, it shut down part of its operations leaving only essential facilities and further managed to source back up power from Copperbelt Energy to carry on with its operations. Ms. Chipili explains that this is also according to ZEMA and KCM’s reports over what transpired the day that there was the accidental release of Sulphur dioxide in the air in Chingola after a national wide power outage. And Ms. Chipili has reaffirmed ZEMA’s resolve to continue monitoring industries and facilities in line with the recently introduced Statutory Instrument (SI) 112 aimed at licensing operations of all industries for different kinds of operations which include emissions and hazardous waste disposal. November 11, 2013 |
MTPD - Metric Tonne per Day
STPD - Short Ton per Day
MTPA - Metric Tonne per Annum STPA - Short Ton per
Annum
SA - Single Absorption
DA - Double Absorption
* Coordinates can be used to
locate plant on Google Earth