TSX-listed First Quantum Minerals (FQM) has declared commercial production, as of June 1, at the Enterprise nickel mine, which is 12 km from the company’s Sentinel copper mine in the North-Western province of Zambia.

FQM built and commissioned the project, realising commercial operation in a little more than two years.

The company approved the Enterprise project in 2022, alongside the S3 expansion project at the Kansanshi copper mine, in Zambia, following a commitment made by Zambia’s New Dawn administration to reform the mining sector and establish a platform for more stable, durable and responsible mining in the country.

An indication of Zambia’s improving investment climate was the recognition in the latest yearly mining survey by research firm Fraser Institute, showing that Zambia’s ranking had improved from 58 to 34. The country achieved the third highest placing in Africa and now ranks ahead of other traditional mining jurisdictions in developing countries, such as Chile and Peru.

Enterprise produced 6 147 t of nickel during the second quarter, an increase from the 4 031 t produced in the first quarter. FQM said the first half of the year yielded consistently positive results, meeting expectations and supporting the recommendation to declare commercial production.

The company noted that mining volumes were steadily improving and that the plant performance had been strong. As such, production guidance for the full year had narrowed to between 17 000 t and 20 000 t (contained) of nickel, from the previously guided 10 000 t to 20 000 t.

Further, the Enterprise operation has added an additional 929 jobs, bringing the total number of employees at Zambian subsidiary FQM Trident to 8 505.

“The company’s presence in Zambia extends over 28 years and the rapid commercialisation of Enterprise, alongside the expected delivery of the S3 expansion project at Kansanshi, demonstrates First Quantum’s ongoing and long-term commitment to Zambia.

“The focus is on getting the S3 plant construction completed during the first half of 2025 and commencement of ore processing immediately after,” FQM Zambia director Anthony Mukutuma said on July 24.

He added that, in the longer term, FQM would expand its exploration programme in Zambia, with an initial focus on the areas around existing operations, followed by prospective new sites across the country’s mining regions.