Chinese build smelter in Zambia

LUSAKA – Chinese investors will build a US$200 million (N$1,5 billion) smelter in Zambia with a capacity to produce 150 000 tonnes of finished copper per year, a senior industry official said yesterday.

Xu Ruiyong, company secretary of NFC Africa, a subsidiary of China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co. Ltd., which operates Zambia’s Chambishi Copper Mine, said work on the Chambishi smelter would start in November.Xu said the smelter would initially produce copper anode and then begin to produce 150 000 tonnes of finished copper per year, but he gave no indication when the smelter would begin to produce finished copper.Most of the copper would be destined for resource-hungry China.”The main destination of the copper to be produced at the smelter will be China,” he told Reuters.”We expect construction of the Chambishi smelter to be completed by 2008 and the money for the construction will come from Chinese investors.It is estimated that over US$200 million will be spent on the project,” Xu said but gave no further details except that the smelter would employ up to 1 500 people.China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co.Ltd. has mined copper from its majority-owned Chambishi mine in Zambia since 2003, and produces 25 000 to 30 000 tonnes of copper in ore a year at the mine, where miners rioted in June over delayed pay.The company said in September that it had started producing refined copper from the Chambishi mine and would soon start building a smelter.China is becoming increasingly active in Africa with an eye to the commodities it needs to feed its ravenous economy.Nampa-ReutersLtd., which operates Zambia’s Chambishi Copper Mine, said work on the Chambishi smelter would start in November.Xu said the smelter would initially produce copper anode and then begin to produce 150 000 tonnes of finished copper per year, but he gave no indication when the smelter would begin to produce finished copper.Most of the copper would be destined for resource-hungry China.”The main destination of the copper to be produced at the smelter will be China,” he told Reuters.”We expect construction of the Chambishi smelter to be completed by 2008 and the money for the construction will come from Chinese investors.It is estimated that over US$200 million will be spent on the project,” Xu said but gave no further details except that the smelter would employ up to 1 500 people.China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co.Ltd. has mined copper from its majority-owned Chambishi mine in Zambia since 2003, and produces 25 000 to 30 000 tonnes of copper in ore a year at the mine, where miners rioted in June over delayed pay.The company said in September that it had started producing refined copper from the Chambishi mine and would soon start building a smelter.China is becoming increasingly active in Africa with an eye to the commodities it needs to feed its ravenous economy.Nampa-Reuters