ZCCM-IH approves USD 498 million Nchanga tailings leach plant

ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc (ZCCM-IH) has approved a USD 498 million Tailings Leach Plant at Konkola Copper Mines' (KCM) Nchanga operation in Chingola.

The approval clears the way for KCM to go ahead with the project. On 17 September 2026, KCM signed a USD 498 million engineering, procurement and construction agreement with China NERIN Engineering Company Limited, which will deliver the plant on a turnkey basis, including commissioning, performance testing and training.

ZCCM-IH Corporate Affairs Manager Loisa Mbatha said KCM will fund the project from its own internally generated resources, with no capital contribution required from ZCCM-IH, which holds a 20.6% stake in the mine. The project also sits outside Vedanta Resources' initial USD 1 billion investment programme for KCM.

The plant will process an estimated 546 million tonnes of historical tailings from the TD5 dam at Nchanga, at an average copper grade of 0.54%. Handling around 53,500 tonnes of tailings a day, it is expected to be the largest tailings leach plant in Africa.

Using solvent extraction and electrowinning technology, with an expected copper recovery rate of about 74%, the facility should produce around 70,000 tonnes of LME Grade A copper cathode a year once fully operational. Construction is expected to take 24 months.

ZCCM-IH Chief Executive Officer Kakenenwa Muyangwa said the project will allow Zambia to recover more copper from existing resources without new mining. He added that it will support Zambia's target of producing three million tonnes of copper a year by 2031, help KCM reach its goal of 300,000 tonnes annually, and boost export earnings.