KCM signs $498 Million Deal for Major Copper Recovery Plant in Zambia

Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has signed a $498 million agreement with China’s NERIN Engineering to construct a major copper recovery plant at its operations in Chingola, Zambia’s Copperbelt Province.

The project is expected to increase KCM’s annual copper production by 70,000 metric tons by recovering copper from existing mine tailings, turning previously discarded material into an additional source of production.

According to KCM, the facility will use leaching technology to process the mine waste and is expected to become the largest plant of its kind in Africa.

The investment forms part of KCM’s broader expansion programme and comes as Zambia seeks to significantly increase national copper production. The country produced 890,346 metric tons of copper in 2025 and has set an ambition of reaching 3 million metric tons annually by 2031.

Under the agreement, NERIN Engineering will provide engineering, procurement and construction services for the facility. Its responsibilities will also include commissioning support, performance testing and training.

The recovery of copper from existing tailings could provide an additional production stream while making greater use of material already generated through mining operations.

Copper demand is expected to continue increasing as global investment expands in electricity networks, renewable energy infrastructure, data centres and electric vehicles. The metal is an important component in many technologies supporting electrification and the energy transition.

The project also strengthens the growing commercial relationship between Zambia’s mining sector and Chinese engineering and technology companies. Chinese firms have become important participants in Africa’s mining supply chain, providing equipment, engineering services, processing technology and project development expertise.

Zambia is Africa’s second-largest copper producer after the Democratic Republic of Congo, making the Copperbelt a strategically important mining region for the continent and global copper supply.

KCM’s investment comes as producers across the region look for ways to expand output and improve recovery rates from existing mining assets. Recovering copper from tailings can provide an opportunity to extract additional value from previously processed material while supporting production growth.

The Chingola plant is therefore expected to play a role in KCM’s expansion plans and Zambia’s wider efforts to increase copper production and strengthen its position in the global copper market.

With copper demand being driven by electrification, renewable energy and digital infrastructure, investments that increase production from existing resources are becoming increasingly significant for major copper-producing countries such as Zam