Chingola
Zambia

KCM is a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Plc, a London listed FTSE 100 metals and mining group.

1970 Prior - Anglo American Corporation and Roan Selection Trust owned the mines. After negotiations between the Zambian Government and the two mining groups, the mines were reorganised into Nchanga Consolidated Copper Mines Limited (NCCM) and Roan Consolidated Mines Limited (RCM). Through Mining and Industrial Development Corporation Limited (MINDECO), the Government acquired a 51 per cent interest and Zambia Copper Investments (ZCI) acquired the remaining 49 per cent in NCCM.
1974 - Mindeco's 51 per cent shareholding in NCCM was transferred to ZIMCO.  The Government acquired 51 % shares in RCM. The Roan Selection Trust, ZCI and the general public held the rest.
1981 - RCM and NCCM were merged to form a conglomerate called Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM).
1991 - Zambia became a multi-party state when the Movement of Multi-party Democracy (MMD) was elected. The government embarked on an exercise to privatise parastatal companies, including the mining industry.
2000 - The privatising programme was completed when ZCCM assets were bought by Mopani Copper Mines plc and Konkola Copper Mines plc. Anglo American plc acquired a 51% shares in KCM.
2002 - Anglo America, IFC and CDC withdrew as shareholders of KCM, leaving a restructured company whose main shareholders were ZCCM IH and ZCI.
2004 - Vedanta Resources became the major shareholders in KCM with a 51 per cent share in the Company.

Venanta Resources: 51%
Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM): 20.6%
Zambia Copper Investments Limited: 28.4%

Nchanga Smelter

Copper
Flash Smelter

The plant supplies sulphuric acid to the Tailings Leach Plant. Importation of sulphuric acid into Zambia has significantly reduced as a result of the commissioning of this new plant.  

The main acid plant of KCM at Nchanga produces sulphuric acid from off-gases produced by the Nchanga smelter. The TLP uses sulphuric acid as the leaching agent, which is entirely sourced from KCM's acid plant at Nchanga. Furthermore, upon completion of the Chingola Refractory Ore (CRO) Project, sulphuric acid from the main acid plant will be used to extract copper from stockpiled CRO.

In addition to its main acid plant, KCM has a sulphur burning plant at Nchanga, which is currently inactive, but could be recommissioned as required. 

The investment in the sulphur burning plant is reported to be $12 million.

Konkola Copper Mines Plc (KCM) is the largest mining and metals company in Zambia with annual capacity of 200,000 metric tonnes of copper.

In October 2008, KCM commissioned a new smelter at Nchanga with a cobalt recovery furnace. Operations at the Nchanga smelter are currently increasing towards full capacity and the smelter has already achieved rated capability in capacity and recovery. The Company believes that the Nchanga smelter is the only facility of its kind in Africa that is capable of recovering cobalt from copper concentrates. This cobalt, which is produced in the form of a copper-alloy, is marketed to cobalt processing plants. Captured sulphur dioxide gas is recycled back into sulphuric acid, which is then utilised in the tailings leach operations at the TLP. Some of the excess acid is sold to domestic and foreign customers.

The Nchanga smelter is designed to process copper concentrate mined at KCM's mines, but the smelter also can process certain amounts of third-party copper concentrate mixed with KCM's concentrate. As such, the smelter's operating capacity at a given time depends on the amount of copper concentrate produced by KCM's mines and the level of third-party concentrate which can be safely fed to the smelter mixed with KCM's own concentrate.