Copper miner First Quantum Minerals’ (FQM’s) S3 expansion project at its Kansanshi mine is running on time and according to budget, says CEO Tristan Pascall.

Situated in Solwezi, Zambia, the S3 project – which will extend the life of the mine to well into the 2040s – includes a new processing plant that will nearly double Kansanshi’s ore-milling capacity and expand smelter throughput by about 25%. A new pit for mining will also be opened.

In the first quarter of 2025, commissioning activities included energising substations, lining and starting of the semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill and activating water infrastructure.

Operational readiness increased to 75%, signalling significant progress in preparing the plant for full operation.

In the second quarter of this year, notable milestones were achieved, with construction reaching 91% completion while 50% of the systems were commissioned and handed over.

This was followed by the first ore being successfully fed through the primary crusher, SAG mill and rougher flotation circuit ahead of schedule.

During the first quarter, plant control configuration reached 92% and operational readiness was at 93%, as operational teams took over plant operations and controlled plant runs started.

Production Lift

On completion of the project, Kansanshi will produce, on average, 250 000 t/y of copper until 2044, an increase from the 171 000 t/y of copper the plant produced in 2024.

The S3 expansion will bolster Zambia’s mining industry as government aims to more than triple national copper output to 3-million tonnes by the early 2030s.

At the official commissioning of the project last month, Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema said “. . . nobody puts $1.25-billion in a project located in a country and an environment you have no trust in . . . This project symbolises private-sector confidence in this economy”.

Pascall says the project is “a bold $1.25-billion investment in Zambia’s mining future” and reflects FQM’s “unwavering confidence in Zambia’s future, its leadership, its policies and, above all, in the talent and capability of its people”.

The S3 project provides much-needed production growth for FQM, following the 2023 closure of its $10-billion Cobre mine, in Panama, which was, prior to its closure, one of the biggest copper mines globally.

Consequently, Zambia now accounts for more than 90% of FQM’s output through Kansanshi and its nearby Sentinel mine. These operations contribute more than half of the country’s total copper production, reinforcing its reliance on the red metal for over 70% of export earnings.

The strategic investment to expand the mine created 1 800 jobs during the construction phase and is anticipated to create about 800 additional permanent jobs.

FQM, says Pascall, is dedicated to local skills development, environmental stewardship, community investment and education, which has resulted in learners from the schools that the company supports progressing to university.