LUSAKA- Zambia expects to triple power output to 6,000 megawatts (MW) in 2 years through expansion of solar energy by foreign investors, the head of its investment agency said. Erratic electricity supplies have hit mining in the continent’s second biggest copper producer, where the bulk of its generation capacity of …

An express freight train that will link Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia in less than ten days may commence operations in September 2015. The train will cover an approximate distance of 1,000 kilometres through this corridor,” the chairman of Mozambican state port and railway company, CFM, said in Beira earlier this …

MOPANI Copper Mines has informed the Mineworkers Union of Zambia that it will lay off over 4,000 workers. Speaking at a joint press briefing by four unions that had a meeting with Mopani management yesterday, MUZ president Nkole Chishimba said the unions had been informed that the decision was due …

The mining sector’s growing need to reduce costs without hindering operational efficiencies or reliability has led to a marked trend towards the use of submersible pumps as opposed to vertical spindle pumps, says pumps supplier Integrated Pump Technology (IPT). The company notes that submersible dewatering pumps offer major advantages over …

Glencore’s move to cut 400,000 tonnes of cathode production in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo has transformed the outlook for the copper market over the coming year, just as market participants start limbering up for annual contractual negotiations. Following on from significant cuts announced by BHP Billiton, Freeport …

China’s CNMC Luanshya Copper Mines followed Zambian law when it closed the Baluba mine and sent more than 1 600 workers on forced leave due to plunging prices and energy shortages, the company said on Monday. Zambia Government had threatened to revoke Luanshya’s mining licence if the company did not …

Glencore’s Zambian subsidiary Mopani Copper Mines will retain most of its workers even after copper production is suspended following a drop on the metal’s price, a source close to the company said on Friday. An electricity shortage in the southern African nation and weaker copper prices have put pressure on …

As Zambia’s energy-starved mines struggle with the shortfall between the country’s stalled power-generation capacity and its consistent economic growth, climate change appears to be “dealing a further blow to energy output”, states multidisciplinary consulting engineers and scientists SRK Consulting South Africa. SRK Consulting principal mining engineer Boniface Mwila highlights the …

Zambia-based copper miner Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has affirmed that it has not made a decision to close its Nchanga underground mine or scale down operations at the Nkana refinery, following media reports alleging closures. KCM, a subsidiary of London-listed global diversified natural resources company Vedanta Resources, is one of …

Copper prices soared on Tuesday to their biggest daily percentage gain in 2½ years, as Glencore PLC’s decision to shut mines and an increase in Chinese imports prompted investors and analysts to ratchet back estimates for global supplies. The rally forced many investors to scramble to close out bearish bets, which amplified the …