In the International Mining March issue Great Mines article, John Chadwick will describe one of the world’s great new copper/cobalt operations, which is now expanding into its Phase 2 operations for 195,000 t/y of copper cathode and 15,000 t/y of cobalt. Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM) has invested more than $2 billion in its copper and cobalt operations in the DRC’s Katanga province. We welcome editorial input to the article if your company is involved in the project. It was always destined to be a truly great mine and today TFM’s (57.75% Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold [FCX], 24.75% Lundin Mining and 17.5% Gecamines) concessions encompass over 1,500 km2 located some 175 km northwest of Lubumbashi. Lundin says the concessions “remain extensively under-explored.”
The project entails an open pit mining operation and an initial 40-year mine plan has been developed based on current proven/probable reserves in just the Kwatebala, Tenke (also known as Goma) and Kavifwafwaulu (Fwaulu) orebodies. The deposits are made up of oxide, mixed oxide/sulphide and sulphide zones.
The Phase 2 Expansion is expected to increase copper production by 50% to approximately 195,000 t of copper cathode and 15,000 t of cobalt in hydroxide, targeted for completion in 2013. The approximately $850 million expansion includes additional mining equipment, mill upgrades, acid plant expansion and a doubling of existing tankhouse capacity that will result in excess SX-EW capacity of copper cathode production. This excess capacity is a cost effective addition to the Phase 2 project that will be used as Tenke Fungurume continues to expand in the future through potential heap leaching of low grade ore combined with future mixed/sulphide ore expansions, which are currently being advanced with metallurgical test work and conceptual level studies.
The Phase 2 mine plan contemplates average feed grades of about 4.0 % total Cu and 0.40 % total Co and average recoveries of 89% copper and 74% cobalt over the next five years. The strip ratio in the open pits over this period is approximately 3.3:1. Test scale on/off heap leach test pads are under construction at site to evaluate the potential of commencing heap leaching of the low grade material, which is currently being mined and stockpiled.
