Konkola Deep Mining Project, (KDMP), Zambia

Konkola Deeps Mining Project (KDMP) is located in Zambia, near the town of Chililabombwe, in the northern part of the Copperbelt near the DRC border. The project consists of a large scale mining licence covering an area of approximately 44 square kilometres. Once completed, the KDMP will deepen the underground mine from 1 000 m to 1 488 m and increase production from two-million tons a year to 7,5 million tons a year of copper, and will extend the life of the mine by at least 22 years. The project also includes the Nchanga smelter which will process copper ore from the KDMP. The smelter will have a total capacity of 300 000 t/y of finished copper. The cost of the project has reportedly reached $1 billion and could escalate further as a result of escalating fuel cost.