Kamoa Copper S.A. produced 333,497 tonnes of copper in concentrate in 2022, achieving the upper-end of the original 2022 production guidance range of 290,000 to 340,000 tonnes. Kamoa Copper also milled approximately 7.1 million tonnes of ore at an average feed grade of 5.5% copper last year.
On 27 December 2022, a total of 27,424 dry tonnes of ore were milled through the Phase 1 and 2 concentrators ̶ a daily record for both facilities. This is equivalent to a milling rate of 9.1 million tonnes per annum (after accounting for availability).
In line with the upper end of Kamoa Copper’s production guidance, 338,087 tonnes of contained copper were floated in 2022. This includes the contained copper still in the circuit that was floated, but that has not yet been filtered to produce a final concentrate. Copper flotation recoveries from the Phase 1 and 2 concentrators averaged 86% during the year.
The floated copper is temporarily stored as a slurry in a fully-lined pond, which will be reclaimed into the concentrate thickener and filter press once the fourth Larox filter press is installed as part of the debottlenecking program.
The debottlenecking program is now over 90% complete and progressing ahead of schedule, with cold commissioning targeted in April.
Copper production for 2023 is targeted at between 390,000 and 430,000 tonnes of copper in concentrate, following the anticipated completion of the debottlenecking program early in the second quarter of 2023.
The program will increase the combined processing capacity of Phase 1 and Phase 2 concentrator plants to approximately 9.2 million tonnes per annum and increase the rate of annualized production to 450,000 tonnes of copper in concentrate once completed.
Watch the video showcasing Kamoa Copper’s 2022 operational highlights: