Zambia - Lumwana Copper Mining Project

The project, located in the Northwestern Province of Zambia, involves the development of an opencast mine, the construction of a copper concentrate processing plant, a transmission line from Solwezi to Lumwana, water dam and tailings storage facilities, and associated the mining of two distinct copper deposits. The infrastructure in the Northwestern Province, where the project is located, is poor and Government-supported facilities are limited and need significant upgrade. The development of the Lumwana Project is likely to engender positive socio-cultural and economic impacts in the area, which has so far received little meaningful investment. The project represents substantial foreign direct investment in the country and thus will have a positive impact both in terms of employment creation and in terms of contribution to Gross Domestic Product. About 20 million tons of copper ore will be mined each year to produce an average 450,000 tons of copper concentrate per annum.