TWO United Kingdom (UK) based mining firms joined hands establishing a tailings retreatment plant which will be processing mineral materials from tailings dams in Kitwe.
Copper Tree Minerals and Jubilee Metals Group will be processing materials from the tailing dam behind Kitwe High Court, Nkana East and another place West of Mopani Copper Mines in Kitwe.
The companies will also be involved in remediation of the land beneath the tailings dams to make them suitable for public and commercial use.
Speaking in an interview in Kitwe yesterday, Copper Tree Minerals spokesperson Charlie Chase-Gardener said the jubilee brings on board its in-house expertise which will significantly accelerate the project development cycle.
Several job opportunities are expected to be created by the two companies whose initial investment into the project is although he could not disclose the exact value of the project investment.
“Jubilee will also benefit from the detailed resource analyses and vast process test programmes previously performed by Copper Tree,” he said.
Mr Chase-Gardener said the partnership will create significant employment opportunities in both construction and operations phases.
He said Copper Tree has always employed Zambian companies and workers for drill campaigns, laboratory test work, transportation and logistics.
Mr Chase-Gardener said the two companies remain committed to working with Zambian companies and workers for its construction and operations.
“ Once the process of removing the tails from the dams is complete, about 314 hectares of land will be freed for use, “ he disclosed.
Mr Chase-Gardener said Copper Tree and Jubilee will work closely with the Zambian Government to ensure an appropriate regeneration plan is implemented in the future.
What are tails?
These are the companies to work in Zambia, not ba mwenye and jerabos.
They might be owned by Zambians but registered in the UK. I hope they won’t touch the tailings at Chandamali and the whole expanse of that slime dump behind the High Court because it might disturb the ecology of that area. Kitwe City Council must consider to put up a modern bus terminus at the area to de-congest the CBD. All spaces have been taken over by buses and taxis. They park and load from anywhere. Mwaiche Christopher Kang’ombe please do something. This isn’t the way you manage a City! Get a loan from NAPSA and put up that station it will a money spinner. Designate Oxford Station for taxis and move all buses and vendors to the slime dump. You can even put up a lodge for travelers. I know you can do it, your Minister is sleeping. Think out of the box
Tails are the waste from the processing of copper in concentrator. The old tails had copper content which today can be recovered economically. This is why this company is now going to treat the tails.
Okay, I will read it later, still scratching my head on how Eurobonds will be repaid