Jubilee Metals wants to expand its Zambian operations to reach an initial goal of 25 000 tonnes of copper per year.
It said the strategy includes both the expansion of Jubilee’s copper resource base and processing capacity.
“As part of this strategy, Jubilee is expanding its processing facilities at its Roan Concentrator and Sable Refinery following the successful securing of both significant virgin waste rock licences and overlooked copper reef opportunities,” said Jubilee.
It said manufacturing and testing of the new 50 000 tonnes per month copper processing module are now complete, with the final components being prepared for transit to Roan for commissioning.
At Sable, engineering designs for a new copper concentrate line are underway.
With construction on track to commence in the second quarter of 2024, this should see processing capacity increase to 16 000 tonnes per year of copper contained in copper cathode and copper concentrates.
Company chief executive Leon Coetzer said significant progress was made across their copper portfolio in Zambia, including the discovery of a new large-scale, one-kilometre-long copper anomaly at the Munkoyo project.
“At Munkoyo, early test work of approximately 80 000 tonnes has revealed excellent copper grades of 1.5% to 3% for what was believed to be an uneconomic source of copper by previous owners,” said Coetzer.
“The discovery of this new copper anomaly has the potential to become a long-term source of supply for our Sable Refinery in the region. Munkoyo is a great example of Jubilee’s ability to convert abandoned surface projects into viable opportunities through processing excellence.”
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
