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First Quantum Minerals Limited, owners of Kansanshi mine and leading copper and gold producer in Zambia seeks speedy approval of some regulatory requirements it seeks Government to endorse to accelerate the construction of more projects in the country.
During the just ended 88th Agricultural Commercial show of Zambia in Lusaka, the miner-the Australian listed and diversified company sought the Government’s intervention into earlier requests it made towards construction of the ‘Greenfield’ and US$2 billion Kalumbila mine and a multi-million Kwacha town development at Kalumbila as part of the housing empowerment scheme for workers.
Reports by the Times of Zambia say, the appeal made by Kansanshi Copper Mines spokesperson Godfrey Msiska to Vice President Guy Scott was in relation to the Government for the company to proceed with regulatory requirements that include seeing it construct houses and other infrastructure at Kalumbila mine-lying 120kilometres from Solwezi where the gold and copper miner this year seeks to commission the $2 billion Sentinel Mine.
“Your honour, there are plenty of social and economic benefits in the cupboard to augment the existing ones, and we need your assistance to unlock these for the greater benefit of Zambia,” Msiska is cited as having told the Vice president in his quest to have the regulatory requests attended to by Government and allow the miner to proceed with the projects adding:
“With reference to this year’s theme of ‘Breaking New Ground’, fact-based evidence of significant and sustainable benefits in areas where we operate vividly captures how FQM is living the theme,”
In response, Scott, who officiated at the event, is cited as having regrettably stated: “There is a bit of bureaucracy that needs to be sorted out.”
Established in 1996 to develop the Bwana Mkubwa project in Zambia, FQM has grown steadily to become an international leader in mineral exploration, development and mining. Following acquisition of Inmet Mining Corporation in March 2013, the mining company is set to become a leading global producer of copper, with a diversified portfolio of operations and projects on four continents.
In Zambia, FQM operates Kansanshi Mine in Solwezi, a flagship operation it co-owns with the government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ).
It holds a stake of 80 per cent in the mine while the remaining 20 per cent is held by GRZ. In 2011, FQM was granted a large-scale mining licence at Kalumbila where it is set to commission the US$2 billion Sentinel Mine, a copper mine expected to produce 300,000mtpa of copper.
Sentinel is the first of the three potential mines under FQM’s Trident project. The second is Enterprise, a nickel deposit while the mineral resource of the third, Intrepid, is yet to be determined.
