Zambia

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Mining in Zambia - Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development

Zambia govt. issues exploration warning (Source: Miningmx)

Cobalt

In the DRC and in Zambia, cobalt is a significant co-product of stratiform, sediment-hosted copper-cobalt ores. The largest single source of cobalt lies within the stratiform copper deposits of the Central African Copperbelt in Zambia and the DRC. This mineralized belt of numerous deposits combining approximately 5,4 billion tons, is approximately 480 km long and between 32 and 48 km wide.

• Chambishi Metals plc (a joint venture of International Metals Resources and the Beni Stein Group Resources) is he largest cobalt producer in Zambia with a forecasted production of 4 000 t of cobalt for 2007. It produced about 3 400 t in 2006. Chambishi expects to raise output to 5 000 t/y in 2010 from 3 000 t/y now by buying extra raw material, a senior company official said in September, 2007. The company would raise cobalt output to 4 000 t/y after Zambia's new Mulyashi copper mine comes on stream in the first quarter of 2008.

• Caledonia Mining Corporation has signed a cobalt offtake agreement with a Chinese refiner, for cobalt produced at the company's Nama project, in northern Zambia.
  Caledonia will supply a minimum of 21 000 t of cobalt metal equivalent, in the form of cobalt hydroxide, from the Nama projecty over a six-year period.
  The company is planning to start producing from the openpit mine earlyin 2009, and expects output to average 10 000 t/y of cobalt metal.
  The offtake deal announced in January, 2008, specifies that the price will be based on the published monthly average for 99,3% cobalt from the London Metal Exchange, and contains a guaranteed 'take or pay' minimum cobalt price of $12/lb of cobalt metal. The spot price for cobalt at that stage was $44/lb.
  

Copper

Click HERE for an overview

Zambia produced about 500 000 tonnes of copper in 2006, but with the revival of the industry and new discoveries it is expected that production will double by 2011.

• Konkola Copper Mines plc (KCM) is the largest mining and metals company in Zambia with annual capacity of 200,000 metric tonnes of copper. KCM is a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources plc, a London listed metals and mining group.
  It operates the following mines:
  Nchanga Open Pit
  Nchanga Underground
  Konkola Underground
  Nampundwe Pyrite Mine
  

• Equinox Minerals Ltd owns the Lumwana copper mine in north-western Zambia. Measured and Indicated Reserves presently total 321 million tonnes averaging 0,73% copper (5,97 billion pounds of contained copper) with additional Inferred Resources totalling 417 million tonnes averaging 0,6% copper (over 7,8 billion pounds of contained copper).The Lumwana mine will produce an average of 169,000 tonnes of cathode copper per year for the first six years of its 37-year mine life and construction was on schedule for commissioning in the second quarter of 2008. Potential by-products include gold, cobalt, uranium and sulphuric acid. China's Chambishi copper smelter in Zambia has agreed to process 230,000 tonnes of copper concentrate per year (55% 0f planned output) from Lumwana Copper Mines under a new five-year deal. The Chambishi smelter is a new Zambian partnership between China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co. Ltd. (CNMC), which owns 60 percent of the shares, and Yunnan Copper Industry (Group) Co. Ltd (YNCIG), which holds the remainder. Construction of the Chambishi smelter commenced in December 2006. The smelter is expected to begin production in late 2008 and will be producing 150,000 tonnes of copper cathode per year.

• Glencore International AG (73,1%), with shareholders First Quantum Minerals (16,9%) and ZCCM (10%), operates the underground Mopani Copper Mines at Mufulira and Kitwe. Copper output was 180,0000 t in 2005 and the estimated mine life is 20 years. Mopani Copper Mines also operates the Nkana mine and Mufulira smelter, which has capacity to produce 850,000 tonnes of copper per year.

• First Quantum Minerals Ltd (Canadian, FM.TO) operates the Kansanshi Cu-Au mine, 15 kilometres north of Solwezi, North Western Province with an estimated resource of 433 million tonnes grading 1.16% copper and 0.16 g/t gold (0.5% Cu cut-off); the Lonshi open pit mine at Ndola with a resource of 3.5 million tonnes grading 5.77% acid soluble copper or 199,837 tonnes copper and has a 16,9% interest in Mopani Copper Mines. First Quantum Minerals also owns 17% of Perth-based Equinox Minerals.
  

• The Industrial Development Corporation (South African), together with Metorex (35%) owns and operates the Chibuluma South mine. Metorex produces 13,000 tonnes/year of contained copper from the Chibuluma plant in Zambia. It is also building a processing complex in central Zambia that will produce 100,000 tonnes/month of A-grade copper cathode from third parties and its Ruashi mine in the Congo. A zinc SX/EW plant is also being developed at Sable.

• China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Company Ltd (CNMC) operates the Chambishi Copper Mine. Total investment in the the project is USD 150 million and CNMC holds 85%. In 1998 the company was granted 85 square kilometers of mining rights and surface usage rights of 41 square kilometers. Reserves and resources are 5 million tonnes with an average copper grade of 2.2%. Contained cobalt metal has been estimated at 150,000 tonnes.
  
  
• Zambezi Resources Limited and Glencore International AG have completed a joint venture agreement for the exploration and development of the Cheowa and Chongwe copper projects in southern Zambia. Glencore can earn 51% by spending US$10 million on exploration, with a minimum commitment of US$4 million. An Inferred Resource estimate of 1,7 million t at 1, 5% copper and 0,5 g/t gold reported above a 0.5% copper cut-off on one of 23 VTEM geophysical targets identified within the Cheowa Project area, has been reported. The mineralization is associated with a shear-hosted breccia zone, dominated by chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite-pyrite. Zambezi Resources announced a 68 % increase in the resource tonnes for its Cheowa Copper-Gold Project based on initial results from its 2007 exploration program. Zambezi said that a revised JORC compliant Indicated Resource had been completed for the Project comprising 2.9 million tonnes at 1.05% copper and 0.22g/t gold for 31,000 tonnes of contained copper metal and 20,000 ounces of contained gold. Zambezi Resources announced on January 21, 2008, encouraging progress on its Kangaluwi Copper Project in southern Zambia. Reverse Circulation drilling at Kangaluwi has returned excellent results including 7m at 2.14% copper from 59m, 7m at 1.45% copper from 143m, 15m at 0.96% copper from 88m, 21m at 0.96% copper from 9m, 13m at 0.92% copper from 118m, 15m at 0.86% copper from 39m, and 11m at 0.74% copper from 7m. The 2007 drilling program was designed to extend and infill significant results from limited RC drilling carried out in 2006 and to produce a preliminary resource figure for Kangaluwi. Strike continuity of the mineralisation has been demonstrated over a distance of 3 kms based on received assays and visual indications from both RC and diamond drilling.
  

• African Eagle Resources plc is exploring and developing the Mkushi project in joint venture with CGA Mining Limited. The inferred resource to date is 7,1 million t at a grade of 0,90% Cu. In February, 2008, drilling was still under way, but the then interim resource estimate of 10,7-million tons at 1,11% copper was used for the prefeasibility study. The Ndola Project covers 428 square kilometres in the southern part of the Central African Copperbelt. African Eagle's licence surrounds the historic Bwana Mkubwa Mine and lies midway between First Quantum Minerals' Frontier and Lonshi Mines. Past explorers reported a deposit in the northwest of the licence, estimated to contain 40 million t at 0,75% copper (not JORC compliant). Phelps Dodge, through a subsidiary, holds an option to earn-in to the Ndola project and is financing African Eagle's current £1 million exploration program. At the Eagle Eye Project in southeast Zambia, African Eagle has discovered a iron-oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) mineralized system, with a strike extent of 25km or more. Drilling has revealed potentially economic grades and thicknesses in several places and exploration is continuing. African Eagle has also regained sole rights to the Lunga Project in central Zambia by agreement with its former exploration partner, MinEx Projects (Pty) Ltd. The Lunga licence area is composed of rocks of the Katangan System which are similar in age to those of the Copperbelt. African Eagle and its former partners have completed geochemical and airborne geophysical surveys which have identified two main copper-gold prospects within the licence: the historic Buffalo mine in the north and the Karenda Dome in the south. There is also potential for calcrete-hosted uranium near the centre of the project area. African Eagle Resources was awarded the Mokambo South Prospecting Licence with an indicated deposit of about 6 million tonnes with some 140,000 tonnes of contained metal, in September, 2007. African Eagle also said it had entered into an agreement with Copperbelt Minerals that would see the companies jointly explore and develop the two prospecting licences at Mokambo. These licences cover both Mokambo North and South - which in all make up a narrow strip of 25.9 square kilometres of land. Based on drilling conducted in the 1960s and 1970s, Mokambo South was estimated to contain about six-million tons at 2,3% copper and Mokambo North was estimated to contain at least 3,8-millon tons at 1,69% copper in two separate lenses. African Eagle said that these unclassified historical estimates referred to sulphide mineralisation only, as oxide copper mineralisation was of little interest at that time.
  

• TEAL Exploration & Mining Incorporated is conducting a feasibility study at its wholly-owned Konkola North copper project in Zambia. The company expects that the Konkola North Copper Project final feasibility study will be completed by early 2008 and, following discussions with TEAL's partner in theproject, ZCCM Investment Holdings plc, it will be prepared for a decision by the Company's Board of Directors during the first quarter of 2008. Teal Exploration & Mining said in February, 2008, it may go forward with a copper mine project at Konkola in Zambia in the next few weeks. It plans to establish a $160 million 25,000-ton-a-year mine.
  Teal aims to increase annual copper output to 65,000 metric tons by 2012 from an estimated 8,500 tons in 2008. That includes a possible expansion at its Lupoto mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at a cost of about $240 million.
  

• Caledonia Mining Corporation holds 5 contiguous licences covering an area of 806 square kilometres on the northern extension of the Zambian Copperbelt which host low grade cobalt / copper mineralization.
  The Konkola West licence covers the southern and western portions of the Konkola Dome and the presence of the ore shale horizon which hosts the Konkola Deep and Musoshi (Democratic Republic of Congo) deposits on the northern and eastern sides of the Dome, has been identified within the licence area.
  It also holds three exploration licences at Kadola covering an area of 5,665 square kilometres of the southern extension of the Zambian Copperbelt. Caledonia is holding discussions with potential joint venture partners for the exploration of the copper/cobalt potential of Konkola and Kadola.

• ICS Copper Systems Ltd is exploring the Mokambo property with a historical resource of 24 million tonnes grading between 1,47% and 1,72% Cu. ICS holds an option agreement to acquire up to 80% of the Mokambo Property which is situated 14 km from the city of Mufulira. Plant construction at Mokambo could start by May, 2008, with first production anticipated by the end of 2008.

• Aim Resources (LSE:AIMR.L) is exploring the Mumbwa Copper-Gold project located in south-central Zambia. More information under Gold, below.
  

Diamond

Click HERE for an overview

• Caledonia Mining Corporation has a joint venture agreement with Motapa Diamonds Inc (‘Motapa’) and BHP Billiton World Exploration Inc., together as the ‘BHP Entity’ on the Mulonga Plain and Kashiji Plain licenses in Western Zambia. Motapa is the project operator on behalf of the joint venture and has a 60% participating interest in the project, with Caledonia holding a 40% interest. BHP Billiton holds no interest in the project but retains a back in right on Motapa’s interest. In terms of the joint venture agreement, Caledonia’s interest will drop to 25% in the event that Motapa and BHP Billiton continue to sole fund the project to completion of a feasibility study.

Gold in Zambia

Gold Home

History

Gold mining in the Mumbwa region started in 1927 and continued through until 1941. Mining focused on an iron-oxide gossan at Dunrobin, which was developed initially by shallow open cut methods, and then by underground mining on a quartz vein, to a depth of 75 m below the surface.

The total production recorded from this period of operation was 32,000 oz at an average grade of approximately 10 g/t Au. Mining at Matala began in 1928, with a reported grade from initial mining of 49,5 oz of gold per tonne ore from underground operations.

• Dunrobin mine re-opened in 1997 with a planned output of 65 kg of gold by the end of that year.

• Aim Resources (LSE:AIMR.L) is exploring the Mumbwa Copper-Gold project located in south-central Zambia. AIM is earning a 70% interest in the project from BHP Billiton. Billiton explored the Mumbwa licence area during the mid to late 1990's. The Kitumba region contains a large, and in the areas tested so far, low-grade copper or copper-gold bearing, breccia system. The mineralization at Mumbwa is associated with large–scale highly variable magmatic-hydrothermal iron oxide breccia complexes that display evidence of multiple brecciation and Aim reported significant mineralization from drilling in May, 2007.
  

• Luiri Gold Ltd (Canadian) Luiri Hills Project area is adjacent to the ground held by BHP Billiton in joint venture with other parties. Prospecting has been focussed on the the Dunrobin and Matala mines and immediate surrounding areas. The new mineral resource estimate for Luiri Gold is 108,000 oz of gold in 1,62 million tonnes grading 2,1 g/t in the indicated category, and 173,000 oz of gold in 1,3 million tonnes grading 4,1 g/t in the inferred category and complies with the Australan JORC Code. On December 11, 2007, Luiri Gold announced a C$3 million private placement to support its exploration program at Luiri Hill project in Zambia, and to pursue acquisitions.
  

• Zambezi Resources Limited is exploring the gold occurrences at Chakwenga, Moiya and Kangaluwi in the Chakwenga region, southern Zambia, which resulted in 5 gold projects.

Nickel

• Albidon Ltd has been exploring the Munali Nickel Project, located 60 kilometres south of Lusaka , the capital of Zambia. The Enterprise nickel deposit at Munali contains resources (as announced on 31 May 2006) of 8,0 million t at 1,4% Ni and 0,9 g/t PGM containing 109,000t of Ni and 223,000 oz of PGM (at a 0,7% Ni cutoff) of which 6,9 million t t at 1,4% Ni is classified as Indicated Mineral Resource.The project is designed to produce approximately 8,500 tonnes per annum of nickel in concentrate from a 900,000 t per annum underground mining operation. In addition to the resource drilling at Enterprise , a systematic approach to drilling of the Munali Intrusion has been adopted. This had success with the discovery of the Voyager prospect approximately 750m north of Enterprise. The geological setting of the mineralization intersected along the southwestern side of the Munali Intrusion is consistent, with the same controls on nickel sulphides over the entire length of the intrusion (over 2,5km). On 8 December 2006, Jinchuan , China's largest nickel refiner, said it had agreed to invest about $100m in the Munali Nickel project and has signed an off-take agreement for the nickel produced from Munali.

• Zambezi Nickel Ltd is exploring the Mitaba Hill, Mitaba Hill East, Mitaba West and Paulwi prospects, previously explored, trenched and drilled by Zamanglo in the 1960’s. The Mitaba project occupies a total strike length of 11 kilometres, within which occur at least two main complexes of successive ultramafic komatiite lava flows, 3,3 kilometres apart. The pear-shaped Paulwi intrusion is interpreted to have been gravity-differentiate into a gabbroic upper portion of 3,000 metres depth and basal serpentinised dunite portion of 2,000 metres depth. Zambezi Nickel has changed its name to Lithic Metals & Energy, the firm said on 26 September, 2007. The Aim stock exchange trading code will change from ZNI to LMY effective immediately. “The change of name reflects the diversification of Lithic Metals & Energy into the mineral energy sector and underscores the aspirations of the board of directors and myself to develop the company into a major mining house,” MD Jim Kerr said in a statement.

Oil and Natural Gas

Zambia announced in October, 2006, that samples from 12 sites have proved positive for oil and gas in tests conducted in Germany. The discoveries were made in western Zambia, near the border with Angola in the two districts of Chavuma and Zambezi.

Source: BBC

Tin

• Allied Energy Corporation on October 31, 2007, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to acquire Starfield Minerals Ltd or its assets. Starfield Minerals Ltd. owns a tin and tantalite deposit (the "Starfield Mine") in the vicinity of Choma, Republic of Zambia. Production at the Starfield Mine is currently conducted by artisanal workers using hand-labour.
  

Uranium

Click HERE for an overview (MBendi)

"Zambia a hotbed for uranium exploration"

History

The Kariba valley prospects were originally identified in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s by AGIP SA following first-pass drill testing of uranium anomalies defined through radiometric surveying.

• OmegaCorp Ltd (Australian) is being taken over by Canadian outfit Denison Mines in a $170 million deal. Uranium projects include the Mavuzi Project in Mozambique, the Kariba Uranium Project in Zambia, the Mkuju Power Project in Tanzania and the Zambezi Valley Project in Zimbabwe with geological extension into Mozambique. The Kariba Uranium Project comprises a single prospecting licence covering 2,521 km² and is situated in the Southern Province of Zambia about 200 km south of Lusaka and immediately north of Lake Kariba in Zambia . It has an 11 million pound (5000 t) JORC compliant resource estimate which includes only two of the five known prospects in the project (Mutanga and Dibwe).

• Energy Ventures Ltd (Australian) announced that its 79%-owned African Energy Resources had completed a program of airborne radiometric surveys on portions of its uranium projects in Zambia, which identified 15 uranium anomalies requiring further evaluation. The surveying was done around its Njame prospect. The Njame North prospect and the projects at Chirundu, in the Kariba Valley and Luano Valley areas, were subject to the option and farm-in agreement between Energy Ventures and nickel exploration company Albidon, under which African Energy had the right to earn up to a 70% equity interest in these projects.

• Equinox Minerals Limited (TSX and ASX symbol: EQN) commenced a bankable feasibility study in March, 2007, on the uranium resources which occur within, and adjacent to, the Lumwana Copper Project orebodies that are being developed in the North Western province of Zambia. Uranium within the Malundwe and Chimiwungo copper deposits occurs as discrete uranium-enriched zones that will be separately mined during the copper mining operation. Lumwana Uranium Mineral Resources have been estimated at 9.5 million tonnes grading 0.093% U3O8 Indicated, and 2.6 million tonnes of 0.042% U3O8 Inferred, for a combined total of 21.4 million pounds of contained U3O8. The Lumwana uranium resource has been estimated using a 0.01% uranium cut-off grade and is consistent with JORC/NI43-101 requirements.

• Albidon Ltd reported that soil sampling and surveys have confirmed the presence of uranium anomalies at the Gwabe prospect in the Chirundu joint venture adding that drilling at the prospect is scheduled to start in May 2007. The company said the Gwabe uranium anomaly was identified by an airborne radiometric survey completed in December 2006 and Albidon's joint venture partner African Energy Resources has completed a program of hand-held scintillometer and geochemical soil sampling across the anomaly. Albidon completed drilling at the Njame prospect in the Chirundu joint venture (JV), in Zambia, the company said in October, 2007. Albidon, which formed a JV with African Eagle, said that an infill-drilling programme as part of the prefeasiblity study had started. The drilling programme had been designed to increase confidence in the mineral resource to JORC inferred resource status. On completion of the Njame infill programmes, both the RC and the diamond drill rigs would be mobilised to the Gwabe prospect, to undertake infill drilling for resource upgrade and to provide samples for metallurgical test work. Thereafter, the rigs would return to Njame to continue exploration drilling to test for extensions to the prospect. Albidon confirmed in January, 2008, the presence of a new zone of sandstone-hosted uranium mineralisation at its Njame East uranium project in Zambia. Results were said to include the highest-grade drill intersections recorded at the project to date. The company added that additional drilling would also take place at Njame East to define the extent of potentially economic mineralisation.
  

• African Energy Resources has spent $8 million on its exploration projects with Albidon Mining in southern Zambia over the past three years.
  

• Zambezi Resources Limited announced in May, 2007, that it had entered into an agreement with Zambezi Nickel Ltd to embark on a joint venture (JV) on its Oryx uranium prospect, in Zambia, in terms of which Zambezi Nickel could acquire the project’s uranium rights. Zambezi Nickel could also earn equity interest in the uranium rights of Zambezi Resources’ Mpande, Rufunasa, Mulungushi, and Chumbwe licences, and had a commitment to spend $3-million on exploration. It could raise its equity to a controlling 51% if it spent $5-million. The JV would allow Zambezi Resources to keep its focus on copper and gold projects. Zambezi Resources announced in September, 2007, that it had signed a letter of intent with Rio Tinto which allows Rio Tinto to earn in to certain uranium mineral rights at Mulofwe Dome. Under the terms agreed, Rio Tinto will commit to spend US$ 1 million minimum to assess the uranium mineralisation over approximately 1,250 square kilometres of the Mulofwe prospect in Zambia. However, the Bermuda-registered company also said Rio Tinto may elect to spend an additional US$ 5 million to earn 51 pct of the project's rights, in which case the parties have agreed to incorporate a joint venture.
  'Rio Tinto will be the manager of the exploration program and any joint venture entered into,' a release from Zambezi said.
  Once Rio Tinto has earned a 51 pct stake in the project, Zambezi may elect to dilute its stake to 20 pct in which case Rio Tinto may hold up to 80 pct in the project by completing a bank feasibility study.
  Zambezi also said it may elect to convert its interest to a 2.5 pct net smelter royalty 'at any time after Rio Tinto has earned its 51 pct share of the project.'

• Lithic Metals and Energy Ltd (AIM: LMY) (previously Zambezi Nickel Ltd) is exploring the Mvula uranium prospect located within the Mpande Project under a Joint Venture arrangement with Zambezi Resources Limited.
  

• African Eagle Resources plc said in September, 2007, it is in discussions with mid-tier uranium companies to explore and develop its portfolio of uranium properties in Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique. African Eagle has six projects in Zambia and Tanzania and a further two projects across eight licences under application in Mozambique and Tanzania.The company set out to develop its uranium portfolio in order to make its potential attractive to established uranium explorers.
  Most of the company's uranium deposits have had some previous exploration - ranging from airborne to geological surveys and the initial results were positive. Several identified uranium anomalies are ready for further exploration.

Zinc

• Alberg Mining and Exploration, a South African company, has been selected to re-open the Kabwe zinc and lead mine, Reuters reported on January 7, 2008, citing a senior industry official. Joseph Chikolwa, the head of state-run ZCCM Investments Holdings, said unlisted Alberg would have the task of restarting Kabwe, one of the oldest mines in Zambia, which was abruptly shut in 1994 due to poor management and a lack of capital.