Maintenance halt for Konkola copper smelter

Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources, said on June 3rd that it had begun a planned 60-day maintenance shutdown of its Nchanga smelter in Zambia. KCM said that the routine maintenance is aimed at improving operational efficiency, equipment reliability, and long-term production performance, and forms part of the company’s broader modernisation strategy, aimed at increasing its capacity toward a target of 300,000 t/a of copper by 2030. KCM produced 80,000 t/a of copper in 2025 according to government figures.

The Nchanga smelter shutdown means that from June to mid-September, Zambia’s three major processing plants — the Mopani, Chambishi and Nchanga smelters — will take extended maintenance shutdowns, tightening copper and sulphuric acid output at a time when acid is at a premium because of the conflict in Iran. KCM says that, during the shutdown, sulphuric acid supply for the Nchanga tailings leach plant will be secured through external procurement and its own acid plant with a daily capacity of 500 t/d.