Swiss Tower Mills (STM) Minerals Ltd has, together with its technology partner Outotec, won an order to provide a HIG1600 regrind mill for the Mutanda mine (Mumi) plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo. STM’s scope of supply for the project includes the HIGmill^TM, complete with its control and drive system. The duty of the HIGmill is to grind 118 t/h copper concentrate with a F80 of 212 µm to a P80 of 35 µm. STM says “the HIGmill provides several unique advantages such as a low specific grinding energy (SGE) value combined with high power intensity, simple flow sheet with no recirculating loads, true flexibility in process variables and long maintenance intervals. Deliveries are scheduled for the first quarter of 2014; start-up is planned for autumn 2014.

Mutanda is a high grade copper and cobalt producer, with its operations located in the province of Katanga in the DRC and is operated by Glencore Xstrata, which owns 54.5%. As of June 2013, Mutanda copper production was at an annualised production rate of 120,000 t.