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Zambia’s ambitious plan to more than triple its annual copper production to three million tonnes by 2031 is setting off an exploration rush, drawing global engineering firms keen to manage the technical and environmental risks of massive new operations.
The expansion strategy is supported by an aggressive regulatory and infrastructure push from the Zambian government. This includes a new transparent online mining cadastre and a nationwide geophysical mapping campaign covering over half the country to reveal untouched deposits of transitional metals like cobalt, lithium, nickel, and rare earths. The country is also positioning itself as a central export hub, linked to major planned transit infrastructure like the upgraded Lobito Corridor to Angola and a new eastern rail corridor.
The growth potential has prompted South Africa’s SRK Consulting to establish a new local practice in Kitwe, the heart of Zambia’s historic Copperbelt. Operating under an employee-owned model, the hub will deploy local engineers and scientists to meet tightening global compliance frameworks, such as the Copper Mark and the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM).
“With a revised mining cadastre in place and more than half of the country’s surface remaining unexplored, Zambia is an attractive investment destination,” Des Mossop, partner at SRK Consulting, said ahead of the Zambia International Mining and Energy Conference (ZIMEC).
However, the path to tripling production faces structural headwinds, primarily an unreliable national power grid. The government has pledged to secure stable energy for industrial users by 2032 through solar projects, power imports, and grid extensions, while urging large-scale operators to build out independent renewable generation.
Scaling up production also introduces steeper physical and environmental complexities. As miners transition to “super open pits” and deeper underground extractions, they face elevated geotechnical risks particularly in regions where unstable dolomite rock is present. Mining houses must also navigate heavy seasonal weather to protect critical infrastructure.
“Water is both a danger and a necessity for mining operations,” said Paul Aucamp, partner at SRK Consulting, highlighting the risk of heavy storms and floods destabilizing tailings dams or contaminating local aquifers. Managing these complex hydrological and environmental hazards will remain paramount if Zambia is to secure its social license to operate while courting new capital from the Middle East and India.
