Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1 issue

FIRST QUARTER 2019

VOLUME 9 |1

See Directory pp21-23

Visit us at World Copper Conference 8–10 April 2019, Santiago Chile

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n Key Words: Will it be a WCC to remember? n News: Roland Harings MKM and KME Latest figures Majors news n Smelting/Refining: Mackey on why Chagres Smelter has lasted over 100 years n Spotlight: Discover your digital twin n Rod Tube Wire: Barnes on Taiwan Latest stories n Melting/Casting: La Farga inaugurates new line n CESCO Week: Programme news n Integration: ABB optimises mine activities n Events: IERC 2019 32nd ICC What is coming n Contracts: CRMs on the move New orders placed Expansions n Supplier Directory Get what you need right here ISSN 2046-9438

www.copperworldwide.com

August 18-21, 2019 Vancouver Convention Centre 1055 Canada Pl, Vancouver, BC V6C 0C3 com.metsoc.org

Cu

IN VANCOUVER IN 2019

PLAN TO ATTEND!

COM 2019 HOSTING THE 10TH EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COPPER CONFERENCE AUGUST 18-21, VANCOUVER, CANADA Join over 1,000 delegates at this vibrant conference full of learning thanks to the poster session, industrial tours, and the Historical Metallurgy Luncheon. Networking opportunities abound at the industry-focused trade show and the opulent MetSoc Awards Banquet.

TOPICS INCLUDE: Cu: Plenary Lectures Cu: Downstream Fabrication and Applications Cu: Electrowinning and Electrorefining Cu: Health and Safety in Operations Cu: Hydrometallurgy Cu: Mineral Processing

Cu: Process Control, Optimization, and Instrumentation Cu: Pyrometallurgy (The Phillip Mackey Symposium) Cu: Sustainable Development, Environment and Recycling COM 2019 China-Canada Nonferrous Metallurgy Forum

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES: Modern Comminution - An Introduction To Best Practices for Decision Makers Copper Smelter Gas Handling: Technologies and Best Practices Copper Pyrometallurgy in China Copper Hydrometallurgy Copper electrowinning/refining: Theory and Practice

LINE UP OF PLENARY SPEAKERS: Steve Amos Vice President, DRC Projects at Ivanhoe Mines Thomas Bünger Chief Operating Officer, Executive Board, Aurubis AG Steven Higgins Vice President Sales and Marketing, Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Donald R. Lindsay President and CEO, Teck Resources Limited Jia Mingxing President, Nonferrous Metals Society of China Pat Mohr Vice-President, Economics & Commodity Market Specialist, The Scotiabank Group Carlos R. Risopatron Director of Economics and Environment, International Copper Study Group ... and more to come!

Co-organized by

REGISTRATION OPENS IN APRIL!

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CONTENTS | 1

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Key Words

3

What will be discussed at the World Copper Conference?

News

4

Harings set to run Aurubis; MKM acquisition cleared by EC; Progress for FCX – Indonesia partnership; KME divests part of its operations to Hailiang; World and China market statistics; ICSG Yearbook; Majors report on 2018

Spotlight

8

Benefitting from a digital twin of your plant

AFRICA UPDATE

9

Question: What is happening in the African Copperbelt at the moment? Answer: Read on

Contracts & People

18,19

Danieli relocates CRM in China; Los Pelambres expansion; Metso goes holistic; Indonesian copper smelter; Rapid CRM startup for Zhejiang Huayuan; KGHM updates; New orders for Outotec; Changes at Anglo

ABB is helping extend the life of the Boliden Aitik copper mine. Photo: ABB (see Page 15)

Inside this issue SMELTING AND REFINING

10,11

Phillip Mackey on Chagres Smelter’s enduring success

COPPER ROD TUBE AND WIRE

The US$ 1.3 billion Los Pelambres expansion will add an average 60,000 tpy of low-cost copper production (primarily sulphides at an average 0.51% grade). The project includes a US$ 500 million desalination plant and water pipeline. Photo: Antofagasta Minerals S.A. (see Page 18)

EVENTS

17,20

IERC 2019 is an expert forum on the circular economy; Fastmarkets MB Events 32nd International Copper Conference overview; Key hydrometallurgy papers from Ottawa; Interwire, GIFA-GMTN, and EMC all on the way in 2019

Supplier Directory

21-23

Always get what you want

12 13

Jonathan Barnes looks at Taiwan today Rod and tube news stories and products

MELTING AND CASTING

14

La Farga unveils its new production line

CESCO WEEK PREVIEW

24

The programme of events not to be missed and topical stories

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

PLANT INTEGRATION AND CONTROL

15

The ABB AbilityTM MineOptimize suite

PRODUCT INFORMATION

21

ABB distributed control systems

Front Cover

Having worked with the mining and minerals industry for over 60 years and at every stage of the mining cycle, ABB has now introduced digital portfolio ABB Ability™ MineOptimize to make the world’s most efficient mines a reality. ABB Ability™ MineOptimize connects all electrification, automation and digital offerings to optimise all stages in the lifecycle - from design and build to operation and service - of any open pit or underground mine and minerals processing plant. Comprising a suite of digitally connected products, services and solutions, which include state of the art digital technologies for remote services, predictive maintenance tools as well as solutions for upgrades and retrofits, ABB Ability™ MineOptimize enables mine operators to maximise reliability, safety, productivity and energy efficiency while optimising planning as well as visibility and from anywhere. www.abb.com

2 | COPPER WORLDWIDE A-Z

www. c op p e r wor l d w i de. co m

Companies COMPANY NAME

Volume No: 9 Date:

Issue No: 01 First Quarter 2019

Publisher: Chris K Holding BSc BEng Publishing Consultant: John Clarke Contributing Editors: Phillip Mackey Jonathan Barnes IT/www Contact: webmaster@copperworldwide.com Managing Director: Chris K Holding copper@atrium5.plus.com Published by Metallic Media Ltd 5 Dennis Road Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3NF United Kingdom Tel: +44(0)7731 784798 e-mail: office@copperworldwide.com www.copperworldwide.com Distribution: free to managers involved in the various stages of the copper industry: Production of primary or secondary copper and associated refining; recycling, melting and casting operations; processing of copper by extrusion, rolling and tube/wire drawing for the manufacture of semi-finished products or fabrications; or involved in the manufacture of components and structures from copper alloys; and who are involved in the buying process for equipment and materials.

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PAGE NO

COMPANY NAME

PAGE NO

COMPANY NAME

PAGE NO

ABB...........................................Cover 1, 1, 15, 21

ENAMI............................................................... 10

La Farga............................................................. 14

Anglo American............................ 3, 4, 11, 19, 24

European Commission................................... 4, 5

LME............................................................... 6, 11

Antofagasta............................................ 1, 3, 6, 18

Extraction 2018................................................. 17

Metso.................................................................. 18

ASARCO............................................................ 11

Fastmarkets MB Events................................... 16

Minmetals.......................................................... 18

First Quantum........................................... 7, 9, 18

MKM.......................................................... 4, 5, 13

Freeport McMoRan (FCX)............................ 4, 5

JX Nippon Mining & metals........................... 18

GE......................................................................... 8

Outotec................................................. 4, 9, 18, 19

GIFA-GMTN..................................................... 20

P. J. Mackey................................................. 10, 11

Glencore........................................................... 4, 6

Polymet Solutions............................................. 20

Grupo Mexico...................................................... 5

PT Amman Mineral Industri........................... 18

International Copper Association..................... 3

Roskill.......................................................... 12, 13

32nd International Copper Conference

Shanghai Metal Markets.................................... 5

Aurubis............................................................. 4, 5 Bechtel................................................................ 24 Beijing Antaike Information Development....... ............................................................. 4, 5, 6, 13 BHP ..................................................................... 6 Boliden........................................................... 3, 15 CESCO........................................................... 3, 24 Chagres Smelter.......................................... 10, 11 Chinalco............................................................. 18

(MB Events)................................................... 17

Siemens................................................................ 8

ICMM................................................................... 3

SMS group......................................... 7, 13, 19, 20

IERC 2019.......................................................... 17

Southwire Company............................... 3, 12, 20

International Copper Study Group................... 7

Tsumeb smelter................................................... 9

Interwire 2019............................................. 13, 20

Vedanta Resources.............................................. 6

Danieli (Fröhling) Germany........................... 18

Jacobs................................................................. 24

Wieland Group.................................................... 5

Dundee Precious Metals.................................... 9

J. Barnes....................................................... 12, 13

World Bureau of Metal Statistics...................... 5

Dynapower......................................................... 11

KGHM.......................................................... 18, 19

18th World Copper Conference (CRU Events).....3

EMC 2019.......................................................... 20

KME........................................................... 4, 5, 13

Zijin Mining.................................................... 6, 9

China Nonferrous Mining................................. 9 CME Group....................................................... 17 Codelco................................................................. 3 Collahuasi.......................................................... 24 CRU Events......................................................... 3

Advertisers COMPANY NAME

PAGE NO

COMPANY NAME

PAGE NO

COMPANY NAME

PAGE NO

ABB................................................................Cover 1

Heath & Sherwood (1964) ....................................23

PolyMet Solutions..................................................22

Alex Stewart International....................................23

Holton Crest...........................................................21

Primetals Technologies.........................................23

Andritz Maerz.................................. Cover 1, 22, 23

hpl-Neugnadenfelder.............................................22

RHI Magnesita.......................................................22

Combilift.................................................................22 Copper 2019...................................................Cover 2 CRU 18th World Copper Conference........Cover 3 Danieli Froehling............................................22, 23

Kopar.......................................................................21 Kumera Corporation.................................21, 22, 23 Küttner GmbH...........................................10, 22, 23

Roskill.....................................................................12 Saint Gobain...........................................................22 Schenck Process...............................................22, 23 SMS group (PolyMet)............................................22

Fastmarkets MB International Copper Conf......16

Metalex..............................................................21, 23

TSK..........................................................................21

GIFA-GMTN 2019...................................................7

Mettop...............................................................21, 22

UrbanGold........................................................21, 22

HarbisonWalker International.............................22

MINO.......................................................Cover 4, 23

Weir Minerals.........................................................22

Another interesting year in prospect – Discover the ISSUES affecting copper now!

The next Vol 9 No 2 issue of Copper Worldwide is published in May 2019. Scheduled features include Primary Smelting, 21st Century Smelting, Electrorefining / Electrowinning, Materials Handling, Managerial Review, World Copper Conference Report, GIFA-GMTN 2019 Showcase, Profiles and Reviews, and more.

Supporting website www.copperworldwide.com features more up-to-date content and event details in 2019. Thank you to all advertisers once again. All correspondence welcome.

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

KEY WORDS | 3

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Best meet up for copper markets The 18th CRU World Copper Conference will take place at the Sheraton Hotel and Convention Centre, Santiago, Chile on 8-10 April 2019.

The World Copper Conference will once again be hosted in Santiago, Chile. Photo: CRU

The World Copper Conference will once again be hosted in Santiago, Chile and will reinforce its position as the premier copper event in Latin America. The conference is renowned for its calibre of attendees, attracting CEOs and senior executives from leading miners, smelters, service providers, financiers, as well as government delegations. It is also a major networking event for key stakeholders from across the international copper supply chain. The conference regularly attracts 500 attendees from more than 40 countries, representing the key producers, consumers, traders, distributors, and end-users.

Dominic Halahan, CRU’s Portfolio Director for Metals Events, looks forward to this premier industry event: “The CRU World Copper Conference is the the ideal place for the world’s leading copper executives to come together at the perfect time. The conference will help attendees understand how different scenarios may impact the price of copper in the short to medium-term and also what opportunities exist for copper producers.” ≠Attendees at the World Copper Conference also gain access to the one-day Exploration Forum on 8 April and the Sulphuric Acid Seminar on 10 April. The three-day agenda includes key presentations from mining CEOs well as an opening presentation from the Ministry of Mines, Chile.

Additionally, the conference will include sessions on creating shareholder value; developments that may impact Chinese demand; managing project risk and costs; sustainable copper; global supply and demand trends; market updates; the latest technologies; and a dedicated session on how

the price of copper may change under different market scenarios. Key speakers confirmed include: • Robert Friedland, Founder, Executive Co-Chairman, Ivanhoe Mines • Nelson Pizzaro, Chief Executive Officer, Codelco • Ruben Fernandes, Chief Executive Officer Base Metals, Anglo American • Don Lindsay, Chief Executive Officer, Teck Resources • Alvaro Ossio, VP Senior Commercial, Finance and Business Support, MMG Limited • Ivan Arriagada. Group CEO, Antofagasta • C harlie Murrah, President, Power Systems & Solutions Group, Southwire Company • C harles O’Donnell, Group Head of Supply Chain and Business Planning, Anglo American • Ian Linnell, President, Fitch Ratings • Christophe Koenig, Senior Vice President, Commercial, Aurubis • Jagdish Chandra Laddha, CEO - Birla Copper, Hindalco Industries Ltd • Stefan Romedahl, President, Boliden Mines.

Running alongside the conference is an exhibition showcasing the latest technologies, products and solutions. For exhibition enquiries, please contact Paul Terry. CRU is delighted to have Bechtel, ABB, Collahausi, Jacobs, AngloAmerican, SNC Lavalin, Fitch Ratings, BHP, Fluor, London Metal Exchange and the International Copper Association as key sponsors, as well as industry support from CESCO www.worldcopperconference.com

Food for thought…

ICMM releases global member tax survey

The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) published its first tax survey results in December, which show the amount of corporate income tax and royalties members paid between 2013 and 2017.

The report, prepared by PwC, shows that despite volatile commodity prices over the last five years, the 20 members of ICMM which completed the survey reported corporate income tax payments of US$ 72.5 bn and royalty payments of US$ 36.3 bn, making a total contribution of over US$ 100 billion to public finances in the 50 countries they operate in.

Over the last five years, the ratio of tax and royalty charge to profits before impairments was 43.4%. Impairments arise in the industry when a fall in commodity prices results in the market value for a mine being lower than the current valuation in the company’s financial statements. For every US$ 100 of profit before impairments, US$ 43.40 was charged in corporate income tax and royalties. This ratio reached 65% in 2016. It has not dropped below 39% over the last five years.

An international standard for tailings dams

At the end of February 2019, the International Council on Mining and Metals announced its governing Council of 27 member CEOs will establish an independent panel of experts to develop an international standard for tailings facilities for its member companies.

The standard will be informed by a review of current global best practices in the mining industry and beyond. The standard is expected to create a step change for the industry in the safety and security of these facilities. The details of the standard will be defined through the review process, but are expected to include: • A global and transparent consequence-based tailings facility classification system with appropriate requirements for each level of classification • A system for credible, independent reviews of tailings facilities • Requirements for emergency planning and preparedness.

Once its detailed scope is determined, the review will be carried out by a team of experts from diverse disciplines, led by an independent chair, and is expected to be complete by the end of 2019. www.icmm.com

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

4 | NEWS In brief…

Glencore own-sourced copper production of 1,453,700 tonnes was 144,000 t (11%) higher than in 2017, mainly reflecting the restart of Katanga’s processing operations in late 2017, partly offset by the completion of openpit mining at Alumbrera. Own sourced copper sales during 2018 were some 22,000 t lower than production, due to timing of shipments.

www. c op p e r wor l d w i de. co m

Harings set to become new Aurubis CEO

www.glencore.com

Outotec announced in August 2018 an order for the delivery of EUR 25 million in minerals processing technology to a new copper concentrator to be built in South America. Contract scope includes engineering and the delivery of its energy-efficient flotation cells and proven filter technology. The deliveries will take place by the end of 2019. www.outotec.com

Anglo American reported overall 2018 production of 668,000 tonnes in January. Copper production for Q4 2018 increased by 23% y-o-y to 183,500 t, the highest since Q4 2013. First production from Quellaveco mine in Peru is due in 2022. Quellaveco will produce 300,000 t Cu equivalent per year, at 105 c/lb Cu, on average over the first ten years. www.angloamerican.com

Outotec was included in the Global 100 Index of most sustainable companies in the world for the seventh consecutive year at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. This year’s ranking is 12th. Around 90 per cent of Outotec order intake has consistently been classified as Environmental Goods and Services using OECD criteria in recent years. www.outotec.com

Yunnan Copper Chifeng’s 400 ktpy copper cathode project first phase completion was around the end of November, so the commissioning time is likely to be postponed until March 2019 instead of the original September 2018 target, according to Antaike.

The second phase was originally expected to be put into operation in the second quarter of 2019. www.antaike.com

Antofagasta plc Non-Executive Director William Hayes will not offer himself for re-election as a Director at the annual general meeting on 22 May 2019. Mr. Hayes will continue to serve as a director and chairman of its joint venture with Barrick Gold Corporation, Tethyan Copper Company Pty Limited. www.antofagasta.co.uk www.tethyan.com

Roland Harings is set to run Aurubis from 1 July 2019

At an extraordinary meeting on 30 January, the Supervisory Board of Aurubis AG unanimously appointed Mr. Roland Harings as the new CEO of the Aurubis Group. Mr. Harings will assume his new position on 1 July 2019 and will initially be appointed for the customary term of three years. Harings will directly succeed Jürgen Schachler, who it was

announced will leave the Group when his contract expires on 30 June 2019.

Mr. Harings has been CEO of MKM Mansfelder Kupfer und Messing GmbH since 2014. In 2018, MKM processed more than 280,000 tonnes of copper and generated revenues of approximately EUR 1.3 billion. It employs a staff of about 1,200 people. Harings played a key

role in the in-progress merger of MKM and KME. Prior to this, he headed the European automotive supply business of Novelis Inc. while also serving as Vice President of Novelis Inc., Atlanta (USA), a global leader in manufacturing rolled aluminium products, where he oversaw the expansion of their automotive division in China and the USA. “ With Harings, Aurubis has gained an exceptionally successful manager with over 25 years of international experience in the raw materials industry - aluminium, copper, and brass,” Aurubis AG Supervisory Board Chairman Prof.

Dr. Fritz Vahrenholt expressed, “ H e (H a ring s) h a s the right profile to purposefully continue Aurubis’ strategic development into a multi-metal company and to successfully implement it on an operational level.” www.aurubis.com

European Commission clears MKM acquisition O n 11 D e c e m b e r, K M E AG announced it had received unconditional clearance from the European Commission for its proposed acquisition of 100% indirect interest in MKM Mansfelder Kupfer und Messing GmbH. The aim of the transaction is to strengthen the performances of both companies through the implementation of synergies. The future strategy will be focused on differentiating and specialising each of the relevant plants based on its specific production strengths. After completion of the transaction, the new entity will combine a turnover of around EUR 3 billion, with around 4,900 employees. The closing of the transaction will take place in the first months of 2019, as soon as the other condition precedents have been fulfilled.

The Europe an Commis sion approved the proposed acquisition of MKM by KME under the EU Merger Regulation, concluding that the acquisition raises no competition concerns in the European Economic Area or any substantial part of it.

Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “Copper products are a key input for many European companies.

We have looked carefully at the proposed merger between KME and MKM and found that there are enough credible alternatives and relatively low barriers to entry in the markets where the two companies

compete with each other. We can copper, also a declining segment. therefore approve this merger For sanitary copper tubes, the without conditions.” investigation also found that the merged entity would not be able to raise prices, because there is a large The Commission’s investigation number of credible competitors in KME and MKM mainly sell copper the EEA and in various Member and copper alloy products, and S t a t e s w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t fr e e compete with each other only manufacturing capacity. These in some market segments and competitors would also be able to geographical areas, in particular enter and expand across national with regards to (i) pure copper borders into other national markets. rolled products in the European T h e re fo re , th e Co m m i s s io n Economic Area (EEA), and (ii) concluded that the transaction would sanitary copper tubes in some EU not raise competition concerns in Member States. The Commission the EEA or any substantial part of it opened an in-depth investigation and cleared the case unconditionally. to assess whether the overlaps in www.europa.eu these two areas might result in price www.kme.com increase for customers.

For rolled products made of New partnership for copper and copper alloys the investigation showed that the Freeport in Indonesia merged entity would not be able The Government of Indonesia has to increase prices because KME and granted PT-FI a new special mining MKM would have only a relatively license (IUPK) to replace PT-FI’s low combined market share and Contract of Work, enabling PT-FI to will not be market leaders. Also, conduct operations in the Grasberg KME and MKM compete with minerals district through 2041, it each other essentially only in was announced on 21 December. certain lower-end segments of the PT-FI has committed to construct market, where a number of other a new smelter in Indonesia within vertically integrated competitors five years of the closing of the are also active and where barriers transaction. The key fiscal terms to compete for existing rolled in the IUPK include a 25 percent products producers are relatively corporate income tax rate, a 10 low. As regards the segments in percent profits tax on net income question, the merging companies’ and royalties of 4 percent for copper competitors have substantial excess and 3.75 percent for gold. capacity, particularly in roofing ww.fcx.com

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

NEWS | 5

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When two mergers collide The acquisition of MKM by KME is one of two active mergers in the rolled copper and copper alloys products sectors. The European Commission examines each case on its own merits. In line with its case practice, the Commission assesses parallel transactions according to the so-called ‘priority rule’ - first come, first served. Pursuant to the priority rule based on the date of notification, the Commission assessed the KME / MKM transaction, notified on 4 June 2018, on the basis of the market situation existing before the notification of the parallel Wieland / ARP / Schwermetall transaction, which was notified on 13 June 2018.

From the moment a transaction is notified, the Commission generally has 25 working days to decide whether to grant approval (Phase I)

In brief…

or to start an in-depth investigation (Phase II). Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 applies.

On preliminary examination, the Commission found that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation, so the Commission’s investigation of the latter merger is ongoing. Wieland Werke AG aimed to acquire the whole of Aurubis Flat Rolled Products business (ARP) and of the whole of Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk GmbH & Co. KG, the 50/50 joint venture between Wieland and Aurubis AG, by way of purchase of shares and assets.

The European Commission decided on 6 February 2019 to veto the sale of Aurubis AG’s Segment Flat Rolled Products (FRP) to Wieland-Werke AG, prompting Aurubis to further review other strategic options for

its FRP Segment, including options to fulfil the due diligence obligation.

In October 2018, Aurubis announced that the Commission had expressed concerns about approving the transaction during discussions.

Within the Aurubis Group, the segment has undergone an intensive program to improve efficiency, which has yielded very good results.

Jürgen Schachler, CEO of Aurubis AG, thanked employees for their work to date, saying “Regardless of the possible strategic options for FRP, we will continue to pursue the program unchanged and with the same intensity. Our primary goal is still to find a prospect for this segment where the business can develop well in the long term.” www.aurubis.com www.europa.eu

Hailiang acquiring European KME rod and tube On 28 January, KME AG announced it had reached an agreement with Zhejiang Hailiang Co., Ltd. for the sale of its brass rods business in Germany and Italy, as well as its tubes business in Germany and Spain. Hailiang is a leading Chinese player in the copper tubes and brass rods market with an international footprint in the US and wider Asia, but no presence in Europe until now.

Zhejiang Hailiang is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

The strategic objective of KME Group is to refocus its portfolio on copper and copper alloy rolled products and special products.

After the acquisition of MKM, expected to close within the first quarter 2019, the present

transaction with Hailiang pursues the reduction of portfolio and industrial complexity of KME Group by decreasing the number of products and plants.

The Group companies involved in the transaction are KME Brass Germany GmbH, KME Brass Italy S.p.A., Kabelmetal Messing Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbh, KME Ibertubos S.A.U. and assets and liabilities related to the German tubes business owned by KME Germany GmbH and Co.KG. Hailiang has also made a binding offer for the acquisition of KME Brass France SAS, which pertains to the French brass rods business and has granted to KME a put option in this regard. KME was to

immediately start the consultation procedure with the relevant employee representative bodies following receipt of the offer.

The overall transaction perimeter employs a total of around 1,100 workers and has recorded in 2017 a turnover of around EUR 540 million and an EBITDA of around EUR 15 million.

The agreed price consideration for the transaction is EUR 119 million plus Working Capital and reimbursement of intercompany payables outstanding at closing.

The closing of the transaction is subject to conditions precedent and is expected to be executed within the first quarter of 2019.

World mine production in Jan-Dec 2018 was 20.71 million tonnes, 2.1 per cent higher y-o-y. Global refined production for 2018 was 23.66 Mt, up 1.1 per cent y-o-y, with a significant increase recorded in Zambia (up 97 kt), in Chile (up 31 kt) and in Iran (up 71 kt).

Global consumption for JanDec 2018 was 23.17 Mt compared with 23.26 Mt for the same months of 2017. Chinese trade data for December 2018 is now

available following a six-month delay for technical reasons.

Chinese apparent demand for the period January to December 2018 was 12,482 kt, which was 5.9 per cent higher than the whole of 2017. EU28 production fell by 1.5 per cent and demand was 3,413 kt, being 2.3 per cent above the 2017 total. Lastly, in December 2018, refined copper production was 2,107.4 kt and consumption was 2,088.8 kt respectively.

www.kme.com

Copper market records surplus in 2018 According to the February 2019 WBMS Press Release, the copper market recorded a surplus of 496 kt in 2018, which follows a surplus of 138 kt in 2017. Reported stocks fell during December and closed 201 kt lower than at the end of December 2017. These decreases included net deliveries of 2 kt out of LME warehouses. No allowance is made in the consumption calculation for unreported stock changes, par ticularly in the Chinese government stockpile.

www.world-bureau.com

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

Survey results for November 2018

by Antaike, show the 17 major domestic cathode copper producers (capacity >70% of country total, production >90% of country total) produced a total of 627,200 tonnes of cathode copper. Maintenances in Zijin (Chunhui), Baiyin, Shanghai Xinye and JCCL affected refined copper output partly. www.antaike.com

China’s smelting capacity will rise 730,000 t (+8.6% y-o-y) in 2019, representing 85% of global new smelting capacity, according to SMM November data. Estimated new refining capacity is 930,000 t (+6.8% y-o-y) for 2019, around 90% of new world capacity. Global copper ore output should rise by around 500,000 t (+2.4% y-o-y) in 2019. www.metal.com

Freeport McMoRan capital expenditures for the year 2019 are expected to approximate US$ 2.4 billion, including US$ 1.5 billion for major mining projects primarily associated with underground development activities in the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia and development of the Lone Star oxide project in Arizona. www.fcx.com

FCX Sales volumes for the year 2019 are expected to approximate 3.3 bn lb of copper, 0.8 M ounces of gold and 94 M lb of molybdenum, including 0.8 bn lb of copper in Q1 2019. As PT-FI transitions mining from the open pit to underground, lower output is expected in 2019 and 2020, but this is expected to improve a lot by 2021 following a ramp-up period. www.fcx.com

The US$ 1.25 bn Toquepala Expansion Project in Tacna, Peru includes a new, state of the art copper concentrator that will expand annual copper production to a total 258,000 t in 2019, a 74% increase. As of 30 September 2018, Grupo Mexico completed the expansion at a cost of US$ 1.19 billion. Production commenced in 4Q18 and added 20kt. www.gmexico.com

Grupo Mexico accrued copper production over the first 9 months of 2018 reached 733,895 tonnes, with greater production in the Mexican and Peruvian operations, which compensated for lower volumes from ASARCO, due to the landslide experienced at the Mission mine in Q1.

The completed Toquepala expansion will produce 100,000 tpy from 2019. www.gmexico.com

6 | NEWS In brief…

LME copper stocks increased in January 2019 by 19,000 tonnes to 150,000 t from the end of December. During the same period, SHFE stocks increased by 24,000 t to 143,000 t, and COMEX stocks decreased by 25,000 t to 86,000 t. The inventory of the three cities in January increased by about 19,000 t from the end of December 2018. www.antaike.com

Vedanta was hopeful in January when the Indian Supreme Court upheld the National Green Tribunal’s order dated 15 December, easing the path to reopening of the copper smelter at Tuticorin. On 18 February 2019 however, only a Tamil Nadu state High Court hearing was granted by the SC, with maintainability one of the issues stalling any approval to restart. www.vedantalimited.com

Antofagasta Group’s 2018 copper production of 725,300 tonnes was at the top end of revised guidance and set a record year for the company, with a 3.0% increase compared with 2017 due to higher production at Los Pelambres and Centinela.

Throughput at Centinela Concentrates in Q4 was 6% above design capacity at 111,100 t per day. www.antofagasta.co.uk

Centinela cathode production in Q4 2018 was 26,200 t as a result of higher throughput and grades. New production from Encuentro Oxides contributed to cathodes reaching 92,500 t in 2018 (+43.4% y-o-y). The molybdenum plant commissioned earlier in 2018 was idled in Q4 but is due to operate during the first half of 2019 as higher-grade zones are accessed. www.antofagasta.co.uk

Zijin Mining’s Congo Mussonoy Co. Phase II copper-cobalt recovery project at Kolwezi was put into trial production in December 2018. The processing method is crushing, grinding, solventextraction, electrowinning, and cobalt precipitation, with a design output of 50,000 t of copper and 3,000 t of cobalt. Kolwezi will produce 100,000 tpy copper on completion. www.zijinmining.com

Zijin Mining Group Co., Ltd. completed its investment in RTB Bor Group in Belgrade, Serbia in December, signing closing documents with the Government of the Republic of Serbia. Zijin Mining, which increased its first-half-year profit of 2018 by 2.526 bn RMB (a 68% y-o-y rise) now holds 63% of the equity interests of the RTB Bor Group. www.zijinmining.com

www. c op p e r wor l d w i de. co m

China home market figures for 2018 According to the executive summary in Antaike’s Copper & Copper Fabrication Monthly No.264, in 2018 the Chinese domestic copper-in-concentrate output decreased by 5.0% yearon-year to 1.561 million tonnes, and imported volume increased by 13.1% y-o-y to 4.901 Mt. Consumption increased by 7.6% y-o-y to 6.297 Mt, and the market supply surplus was 165,000 t.

T h e m a in re a so n fo r th e oversupply in the whole year was that new smelting capacity

n e e d s to b e p re p a re d fo r the feeding stock, and the m a r ke t i s ac tu a ll y in tight supply. It is expected that the supply of copper concentrate in the domestic market will remain tight in 2019, and the utilisation rate of copper smelting capacity will be under pressure.

I n 2 018 , d o m e s ti c re f i n e d copper output increased by 5.4% y-o-y to 8.442 Mt, and imports increased by 14.2% y-o-y to 3.704 Mt. Consumption increased by 4.0% y-o-y to

11.17 Mt. The supply surplus was 698,000 t in the whole year compared to a surplus of 172,000 t in the same period of 2017.

It is expected that the output of refined copper will maintain a relatively fast growth in 2019, but the growth rate will be slowed down due to the limited supply of raw materials. The output is expected to be 8.85 Mt, up 4.8% year-on-year. Refined copper consumption is expected to grow 3.0% to 11.5 Mt.

following a fire at the electrowinning plant in September 2018. Spence returned to full capacity during the December 2018 quarter. In the December 2018 quarter, BHP and EMR Capital agreed to terminate their agreement for the sale and purchase of Cerro Colorado after it became clear that the financing conditions of the transaction would not be satisfied by the end of the 2018 calendar year. Production at Cerro Colorado for the 2019 financial year is expected to be between 60 and 70 kt.

Olympic Dam copper production increased by 20 per cent to 65 kt as a result of the major smelter maintenance campaign in the prior period, which was partially offset by an unplanned acid plant

outage in August 2018. Surface operations resumed at the end of October 2018 following completion of acid plant remediation works.

Underground operations continue to progress into the Southern Mine Area, with record development kilometres achieved and the mine’s third decline becoming fully operational in the quarter.

Production guidance for the 2019 financial year remained unchanged at between 170 and 180 kt. Antamina copper production increased by eight per cent to 75 kt due to higher head grades. Production guidance for the 2019 financial year remained unchanged at approximately 135 kt for copper and approximately 85 kt for zinc.

www.antaike.com

All is going to plan at BHP BHP reported for the half year ended 31 December that total copper production decreased by one per cent to 825 kt. Guidance for the 2019 financial year was increased to between 1,645 and 1,740 kt and reflected the retention of Cerro Colorado. Escondida copper production was broadly unchanged at 580 kt, as higher concentrator throughput and improved recoveries offset the impact of expected lower copper grades. Production guidance remained unchanged at between 1,120 and 1,180 kt for the 2019 financial year.

Pampa Norte copper production decreased by 17 per cent to 105 kt and reflected planned maintenance and a production outage at Spence

www.bhp.com

Generally positive 2018 outcomes for Glencore Glencore released its Full Year 2018 Production Report on 1 February.

Own sourced copper production of 1,453,700 tonnes was 144,000 t (11%) higher than in 2017, mainly reflecting the restart of Katanga’s processing operations in late 2017, and partly offset by the completion of open-pit mining at Alumbrera.

Own sourced copper sales during 2018 were some 22,000 tonnes lower than production, due to timing of shipments. Cobalt production of 42,200 tonnes was 14,800 t (54%) higher than in 2017, mainly relating to Katanga. Katanga’s current cobalt production is being temporarily stockpiled on site, pending introduction of a longterm solution to remove excess uranium levels.

In Africa, own sourced copper production of 410,700 t was 172,000 t higher than in 2017, reflecting the recommissioning of Katanga’s processing operations. Cobalt

production of 38,400 t was 14,500 t (61%) higher than in 2017.

At Collahuasi in Chile, attributable copper production of 246,000 t was 15,500 t (7%) higher than in 2017, reflecting improved head grades and recoveries, following commissioning of 24 flotation cells. Antamina’s attributable copper production of 150,600 t was 6% ahead of 2017, and zinc production of 138,100 t was 8% above, in each case reflecting expected variations in head grades at the Peruvian mine.

In the rest of South America, copper production of 298,700 t was down 24,700 t (8%) on 2017, mainly reflecting the cessation of open pit oper ations at A lumbrer a (15,900 t) and disposal of Punitaqui (2,400 tonnes).

Across Australia, own sourced copper production of 210,400 t was 20,100 t (9%) lower than in 2017, reflecting smelter maintenance earlier in 2018 and mining issues

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

which have subsequently been resolved.

The custom metallurgical assets’ copper cathode production of 438,800 t was 88,000 t (17%) lower than in 2017, reflecting reduced production at Pasar following its acid plant failure in early 2018, with subsequent maintenance, and lower feedstock availability in North America. For similar reasons, copper anode production of 479,300 t was 56,400 t (11%) lower than in 2017, in addition to Altonorte’s planned plant turnaround.

Acid truck collision

Glencore has confirmed that on 20 February a logistics company’s truck transporting sulphuric acid to Mutanda Mining (Mumi) collided with two vehicles about 50 km from the site in DR Congo at around 6pm, and that tragically around 20 people lost their lives. www.glencore.com

NEWS | 7

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ICSG 2018 Yearbook details trends The International Copper Study Group released its 2018 Statistical Yearbook covering world copper supply and demand data for the 10-year period 2008-2017 in early December. World copper mine production rose by 29% from 15.5 million tonnes (Mt) in 2008 to 20 Mt in 2017, with concentrate production rising by around 31% and solvent extraction-electrowinning (SX-EW) by 22%. Mine capacity utilisation rate averaged around 84% between 2008 and 2017. Mine production growth averaged 2.9% per year over the 10-year period. However, when excluding 2009-2011, growth was around 4% per year.

Notable changes in annual mine production levels over 2008-2017 included increases of 1.2 Mt in Peru, 600,000 t in China, 790,000 t in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and 495,000 t in Mexico. However, annual production in Chile, by far the largest world copper mine producer, increased by only 175,000 t (Chilean production in 2017 was significantly affected by a strike).

Consequently, the country’s share in world production declined from 34% to 27%, with Peru and China increasing their shares to 12% and 9% from 8% and 7% respectively.

Refinery production

World refined copper production rose by around 29% from 18.2 Mt in 2008 to 23.5 Mt in 2017, with a CAGR of 3%. Primary (electrolytic and SX-EW) and secondary (from scrap) refined production increased by 27% and 43% respectively. The share of secondary production in

25–29 JUNE

2019 DÜSSELDORF/GERMANY

worldwide

www.icsg.org

World market – metallurgy

As of 1 March 2019, Michael R zepczyk takes on the role of Chief Operating Officer of SMS g ro u p G m b H . M r. R ze p c z y k served as Executive Vice President of the Business Unit Metallurgy.

On 28 February 2019, Dr. Guido Kleinschmidt left the Management Board at his own request, taking up a new role outside SMS group GmbH. www.sms-group.com

Cobre Panama start up First Quantum Minerals Ltd. has made the first introduction of ore to the processing plant at Cobre Panama, and on 11 February 2019 ore was introduced through to the first milling circuit. Operation on ore continues, and will move into all other sections of the processing plant including

The Bright World of Metals

total refined production increased gradually from 15% in 2008 to around 18% over 2011-2013 before stabilising at around 17%.

Over the 10-year period, China’s annual refined production more than doubled from 3.8 Mt to 8.9 Mt, while production in Chile (the second ranked refined copper producer) declined by 20% from 3.1 Mt to 2.4 Mt. With the start-up of several SX-EW plants, annual production in the DRC grew from around 60,000 t in 2008 to 720,000 t in 2017. In North America, production fell by 8.5% to 1.8 Mt due to refinery closures in both the United States and Canada.

Refined production in the EU rose by 6.5% to 2.7 Mt per year over the same period.

World apparent refined usage increased by 33% (CAGR of 3%) over the 10-year period from 17.9 Mt in 2008 to 23.8 Mt in 2017. Growth was driven by China where apparent usage over the 10-year period more than doubled, increasing by around 6.5 Mt. China’s share of world usage grew to 50% from 29% in 2008. World usage excluding China decreased by 5.5% during the period, mainly due to a decline in refined usage in three of the major copper using regions, namely the EU (-15%), Japan (-16%), and the United States (-11%). However, usage increased significantly in the MENA region (83%) and in Asia ex-China/ Japan region (25%).

The Statistical Yearbook is available for sale as a separate report in PDF/ Excel (EUR 200 for orders originating from ICSG member countries and EUR 300 for other orders).

SMS group changes Recent changes in the management of SMS group GmbH mean that Prof.

Dr. Hans Ferkel will become Chief Technology Officer, Michael Rzepczyk will become Chief Operating Officer, and Dr. Guido Kleinschmidt will leave the Management Board. Prof. Dr. Hans Ferkel currently serves as Head of Technology and Innovation at thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG. He is to join at the earliest possible date.

tbwom.com

The Bright World of Metals: The international trade fair quartet is the world’s leading meeting place for foundry technology, metal production and processing, as well as thermal process technology.

Metals EFFICIENT PROCESS SOLUTIONS

Networked synergies Four showcases, one goal: Technology forums, covering all topics of the “Bright World of Metals”, offer interfaces for the comprehensive transfer of know-how.

Welcome to Düsseldorf!

producing copper concentrate. During 2019, Cobre Panama mine is expected to produce 140,000 - 175,000 tonnes of contained copper and by year end be running at an annualised rate of 72 Mtpy ore. Limited copper production is expected in the first half of 2019.

Messe Düsseldorf GmbH P.O. Box 10 10 06 40001 Düsseldorf _ Germany Tel. +49 211 4560-01 Fax +49 211 4560-668

www.messe-duesseldorf.de

www.first-quantum.com

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1 gif1902_GMTN_87x265_INT.indd

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8 | SPOTLIGHT - DIGITAL TWINNING

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Meet your digital twin A digital twin is a computer program that takes real-world data about a physical object or system as inputs and produces as outputs predications or simulations of how that physical object or system will be affected by those inputs.

A digital twin is developed from a combination of data records (from asset register and IoT sensors) and 3D models. Once the model is complete, different types of users can use the model for many different purposes. Once the data is linked, everything that you want to do with the real infrastructure can be done within the digital twin. The digital twin of a complex product such as a jet engine or large mining truck, for example, can monitor and evaluate wear and tear as the equipment is used in the field, potentially leading to design changes over time and informing predictive maintenance.

Checklist of available IoT sensors Temperature sensors Thermocouples Resistor temperature detectors (RTD) Thermistors IC (Semiconductor) Infrared sensors Proximity sensors Inductive sensors Capacitive sensors Photoelectric sensors Ultrasonic sensors Pressure sensors

How they work

Generally a digital twin begins its life being built by specialists, often experts in data science or applied mathematics. These developers research the physics that underlie the physical object or system being mimicked and use that data to develop a mathematical model that simulates the real-world original in digital space. The twin is constructed so that it can receive input from sensors gathering data from a real-world counterpart. This allows the twin to simulate the physical object in real time, in the process offering insights into performance and potential problems.

The twin could also be designed based on a prototype of its physical counterpart, in which case the twin can provide feedback as the product is refined. A twin could even serve as a prototype itself before any physical version is built.

Digital processes

To optimise especially long running processes, and to boost flexibility and efficiency, the digital twin can prove very useful for process industries. It is an integrated data model that covers the entire lifecycle of a plant, and it can also be created for brownfield plants.

It is essential for plants to remain stable and operate without interruption for decades, while also maintaining maximum energy efficiency. Product quality must not fluctuate at all throughout the entire plant’s service life.

Simulating, testing, and optimising processes and plants before operation in the real world can help to ensure this. Gathering and evaluating data ‘on the fly’ makes it possible to constantly monitor and refine processes.

Feedback from the production process and the end customers can be incorporated for further improvement. Unnecessary maintenance work and plant downtime can also be avoided thanks to predictive maintenance.

Successful transformation

Siemens customer DuluxGroup, Australia’s largest producer of paints, relied on consistent, end-to-end digitalisation of all processes for its new production plant and can now provide customers exactly those ranges of paint colours they want, when they want it. Siemens has worked with the multinational paint group to

Manufacturing process digital twin model. Source: Deloitte University Press

develop state of the art end-to-end digitalisation that has made production 8 times faster. Dulux Australia can now offer customised colour ranges processing batches 1/50th of their former size.

Virtually eliminating manual interventions enables repeatability and pin-point accuracy of the actual production of highest quality products with minimal raw waste. At Dulux Merrifield plant, this has also led to a 25 percent reduction in energy consumption over what it was designed for. The Merrifield plant is both a blend-andtint (BAT) plant for small batches and a mass production plant for high volume paints.

Comprehensive tests and virtual commissioning of automation applications, and realistic training environments are made possible with the simulation platform Simit, even before startup. This reduced the time from testing to fully automated paint production by greater than 50 percent.

Where to go

Commercial digital-twin offerings are coming from some of the largest companies in the field.

GE is offering its expertise to customers, as is Siemens. IBM is marketing digital twins as part of its IoT push, and Microsoft is offering its own digital-twin platform under the Azure umbrella.

There are also many niche operators and lesserknown software firms in the field. Custom software development company Finoit is active in the Energy and Transportation sectors among others.

Its Rita Sharma has detailed many IoT sensor types (see box). Eniram’s mission is to empower its customers to maximise energy efficiency through digital insights, saving costs and increasing profitability, while cutting emissions that are harmful to the environment. Eniram looks at fleet, voyage and vessel efficiency. With a digital twin of a vessel, performance diagnostics and breakdown or simulation of future voyage configurations can be done without physical testing in specific conditions.

Sources including: www.networkworld.com www.siemens.com www.finoit.com www.eniram.fi

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

Water quality sensors Chlorine residual sensor Total organic carbon sensor Turbidity sensor Conductivity sensor pH sensor Oxygen-reduction potential sensor Chemical sensors Chemical field-effect transistor Chemiresistor Electrochemical gas sensor Fluorescent chloride sensors Hydrogen sulphide sensor Nondispersive infrared sensor pH glass electrode Potentiometric sensor Zinc oxide nanorod sensor Gas sensors Carbon dioxide sensor Breathalyser Carbon monoxide detector Catalytic bead sensor Hydrogen sensor Air pollution sensor Nitrogen oxide sensor Oxygen sensor Ozone monitor Electrochemical gas sensor Gas detector Hygrometer Smoke sensors Optical smoke sensor (photoelectric) Ionization smoke sensor IR sensors Level sensors Point level sensors Continuous level sensor Image sensors CCD (charge-coupled device) imager CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) imager Motion detection sensors Passive Infrared (PIR) Ultrasonic Microwave Accelerometer sensors Hall-effect accelerometers Capacitive accelerometers Piezoelectric accelerometers Gyroscope sensors (mostly with above) Rotary (classical) gyroscopes Vibrating structure gyroscope Optical gyroscopes MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) gyroscopes Humidity sensors Optical sensors Photodetector Fiber Optics Pyrometer Proximity & Infrared

AFRICA INSIGHT | 9

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Tsumeb benefits from owner-led improvements

Tsumeb continues to improve its operational efficiency

Dundee Precious Metals reported in February that complex concentrate smelted at its Tsumeb Smelter in Namibia during the fourth quarter and twelve months of 2018 was 63,061 tonnes (+7% y-o-y) and a record 232,043 t (+6% y-o-y) respectively, primarily due to increased availability of all facilities, including the high-

pressure oxygen plant, the performance of which has been optimised over the course of 2018.

Complex concentrate smelted in 2019 is expected to be between 225,000 and 250,000 t, an increase of up to 8% over 2018 production levels, based on the midpoint of 2019 guidance. Work in 2019 will be targeted at improving the availability

DRC blister copper plant to operate from 2020 China Nonferrous Mining Corp’s (CNMC) Lualaba copper smelter will launch in 2020 and produce 120,000 tonnes of blister copper annually in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Construction of the US$ 440 million smelter officially began on 28 March 2018 in the suburb of Lualaba province. The facility is expected to commence in two years and process over 400,000 tonnes per year of dry copper ore concentrates, according to the CNMC’s 2017 interim report.

To secure access to a power supply, CNMC will build an electricity system at the southern section of Kolwezi, the capital city of Lualaba province, one of the 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project is 60% owned by CNMC and 40% owned by a subsidiary of another state-owned enterprise, Yunnan Copper. This year sees the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Zambia. www.cnmcl.net

Kakula basic engineering contract award DRA Global (DRA) was awarded the contract for Basic Engineering services on the Kakula Mine portion of the greater Kamoa-Kakula Project, located in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kamoa Copper SA, a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines, Zijin Mining Group Co, Ltd. and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, will develop the new copper mine which will yield an estimated 6 Mtpy in its first phase alone. The Kakula resource is estimated at 174 million tonnes at a grade of 5.62% copper.

DRA was contracted to complete the PreFeasibility Study (PFS), for Kamoa Copper SA, in 2017.

In October 2018, DRA was further awarded the contract to deliver a complete Basic Engineering package. The contract scope includes the Basic Engineering and design associated with all underground mining infrastructure, the concentrator plant and all supporting surface infrastructure. Work began in October 2018 and is estimated to conclude by mid-2019. In addition to the Basic Engineering, DRA offers continued support on the early works, which includes equipping the main declines with dewatering and conveyor systems, ventilation shafts and associated surface infrastructure.

www.dundeeprecious.com

Tenke Fungurume update According to China Molybdenum Co., Ltd (CMOC) third quarter 2018 results, during the reporting period, TFM Copper/Cobalt Mine area (Tenke Fungurume Copper/Cobalt Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo) realised a production volume of 126,240 tonnes of copper metal and a production volume of 13,864 tonnes of cobalt metal. The parent company’s research and development investment in the period January to September 2018 also more than doubled y-o-y to 136.4 M Yuan. www.cmocinternational.com

First Quantum reports on 2018

copper and cobalt processing technology delivery to the Mutoshi project Outotec announced in December 2017.

The complete project being executed by Outotec involves engineering, technology and equipment deliveries for a new processing plant with an annual capacity of 20,000 t copper and 16,000 t cobalt. The production complex also integrates Outotec’s modular hydrometallurgical solutions, such as OKTOP® reactors, VSF®X solvent extraction, and electrowinning, as well as the delivery of grinding mills, thickeners, filters, analysers and a process control system.

According to First Quantum’s fourth quarter and Full Year 2018 results released in midFebruary, its operations delivered 158,304 tonnes of copper in Q4, with record Q4 production at Sentinel of 60,840 tonnes. Overall Sentinel increased its output by 17% in 2018.

The annual 2018 total was 605,853 tonnes. The forecast for 2019 was given as 700 - 735 kt at the time of the release.

Kansanshi open pit mine (10 km north of Solwezi) total copper production was 251,522 t for 2018. Its production in 2019 is expected to be approximately 235,000 t of copper and approximately 135,000 ounces of gold.

Kansanshi is now capable of producing 340,000 tonnes of copper and more than 120,000 ounces of gold per year. The current estimated mine life is 17 years. The associated smelter has a nominal capacity of 1.2 Mtpy of concentrate to produce over 300,000 t of copper metal annually and more than 1.0 Mtpy of sulphuric acid as a by-product.

Mining sulphide ore, mixed ore and oxide ore, Kansanshi Mine in the North-Western Province of Zambia is probably one of the oldest mines in Africa, with direct copper smelting dating back to the 4th Century.

www.outotec.com

www.first-quantum.com

www.draglobal.com

Modular sulphuric acid plants for Shalina Resources Outotec was awarded an EUR 33 million contract by Shalina Resources Limited for the delivery of advanced sulphuric acid plant technology to the Mutoshi project near Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of Congo in January 2018. Delivery comprises three skid mounted, modular sulphuric acid plants that will produce the acid and SO2 gas required in the process of the Mutoshi copper-cobalt plant. The innovative plant concept ensures the many benefits of modular prefabricated plant delivery, such as low investment, installation and operation cost, increased availability and maintainability as well as environmentally sound and safe operation.

The order complements EUR 65 million in

and performance of all facilities, and to support the current 18-month Ausmelt operating cycle and the planned move to 24 months in the next campaign, which could significantly increase annual throughput. Volumes of complex concentrate smelted in the second half of 2019 are expected to be lower than the first half due to the maintenance shutdown, which is planned to take place in the fourth quarter at the completion of the 18-month campaign.

The Oxygen Plant was commissioned in February 2014 to increase the efficiency of the furnace and delivers up to 405 tonnes of oxygen per day. This increase allowed operating rates to move from 150,000 tpy of concentrate to 240,000 tpy, with sufficient oxygen for an ultimate capacity of 370,000 tpy subject to additional plant changes.

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

10 | SMELTING AND REFINING

www. c op p e r wor l d w i de. co m

A successful plant and environmental leader Chagres smelter in Chile is a successful plant adapting for over 100 years through different owners and a range of good and poor economic cycles, evolving over time - certainly a tribute to its management and all who have worked there.

Aerial view of the Chagres Smelter

In these pages in the May-June 2018 issue, we made reference to Arie de Geus’ book “The Living Company”, describing successful companies in the context of the long and successful operations of the Miami smelter in the USA. It is considered that the Chagres smelter in Chile also fits into this category and can equally claim to be a successful “Living Operation”.

The Chagres story

The first smelter at Chagres began operations in 1917 run by Compana Minerera du M’Zaita, a French company. Located in an agricultural valley some 100 km north of Santiago near Catemu, the plant consisted of a reverberatory furnace and small converters. The early

Unbenannt-1 1

Chagres plant treated concentrates produced at the nearby El Soldado mines with initial production quite low, probably around 2,000 or 3,000 tonnes of copper per year. Of interest, at this time (1917) Chile’s mined copper production was 103,000 tonnes/year - mostly as smelted copper - and Chile was producing some 10% of world copper with this steadily increasing at the same time. The USA was then dominating copper production, producing some 50% of world copper (back in the mid1800s, Chile led the world in mined copper.

For example, in 1860, Chile was mining some 34,000 t of copper/year, representing about 40% of world mined copper. Much of the ore and/ or partly smelted material such as matte and blister pigs were shipped to Swansea, Wales for

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

refining. However, after about 1870, growth in Chile’s copper output slowed relative to that in the USA, with the latter then dominating world copper output for over 100 years. Chile would regain the No. 1 position in world mined copper in the early 1980s).

With Chilean copper output on the move, prospects for the new Chagres plant must have looked bright. It has been reported that by the 1930s, there were two blast furnaces and now two reverberatory furnaces also in operation, with an annual copper output of about 6,000 tonnes of copper. Some 20 years later in the 1950s, reported copper production remained about the same. At the time total Chilean mined copper output had increased to about 363,000 tonnes. Assuming steady growth, this represents an annual growth rate of a little over 3%.

In 1952, the French company La Societe Miniere et Metallurgique de Penaroya acquired the mines and smelter of the company. This was reverted back to Compania Mineria Disputada de Las Condes (CMD) in 1958. By way of expansion, yet retaining the reverberatory furnace technology for smelting, output was increased and by the 1970s Chagres was producing of the order of 36,000 t of Cu/year with partial sulphur dioxide capture achieved with a small 100 t/d acid plant installed at the smelter.

Early pioneer

Chagres was purchased by ENAMI in 1972, which the state company then later sold CMD to Exxon of Texas in 1978 at a time when oil companies were diversifying into mining. By the early 1990s, now with three 3 m dia. by 6.19 m Peirce-Smith converters treating reverberatory furnace matte and other improvements, the plant was producing about 32,000 t of Cu/year and averaging over 75%

20.07.2017 11:05:21

SMELTING AND REFINING | 11

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Table 1. Main processing units at the Chagres smelter

No of units 1 2 2

4 2 2 1 1 1

Processing unit Concentrate receiving and handling facility Rotary dryers Outotec flash furnace, with hearth 5.7 m wide by 19 m long by 3.3 m high, and reaction shaft 4.2/4.6 m dia. by 5.5 m high.

Peirce-Smith converters, 3 m dia. by 6.6 m Fuel oil rotary slag cleaners, 4 m dia. by 7.9 m long Rotary anode furnaces, 4 m by 7 m long 16 mould anode casting wheel 1,200 t/d Lurgi double contact acid plant Water treatment plant

Another view of the Chagres Smelter

sulphur fixation, with all converter gas treated in the acid plant.

Chagres led the way in Chile for sulphur fixation at a time when sulphur recovery at Chilean smelters in Chile was quite low.

At this time for example, the average overall sulphur fixation at Chilean smelters averaged about 10-15%. The level of sulphur fixation at Chagres was the highest of all six smelters in Chile at the time and would remain the highest for decades, even to today.

Modernisation

In the late 1980s, Exxon evaluated options for modernisation and expansion of the Chagres smelter. This program selected Outotec (formerly Outokumpu) flash smelting, with the new flash furnace commencing operations in January 1995. The modernised plant, which included additional items such as feed preparation facilities, a dryer, oxygen plant and a new acid plant, had a nominal capacity of 118,000 t of Cu/year as anode copper, equal to a smelting rate of approximately 55 t/hr. However, due to a number of reported design issues, notably related to the concentrate burner and the waste heat boiler, the plant had a relatively slow ramp-up.

Nevertheless, with further improvements over the period 1995 to 1998, there were subsequently important increases in copper production, with smelting rate now up to about 60 t/hr. The acid plant was converted to double absorption operation in 1998, thus allowing very low levels of residual SO2 in the tail gas. By about the year 2000, copper output exceeded 140,000 t of Cu/yr. A fourth converter was installed in 2005 to improve the operation, allowing two converters to blow at the same time, and by 2007, the smelting rate had

increased to over 74 t/hr.

In 2002, Anglo American of London, UK purchased the various assets of CMD including the Chagres smelter and has owned the properties since that time.

A water treatment plant for the treatment of weak acid was installed in 2014.

Today and tomorrow

The production capacity of the Chagres smelter is now about 550,000 t of concentrate/ year, producing 138,000 t of anode copper per year and 500,000 t of sulphuric acid per year.

Sulphur fixation is over 97%, well above the requirements of the DS 28/2013 regulations, the highest of the seven smelters in Chile.

A list of the major equipment presently installed at the plant is given in Table 1.

Anglo American has reportedly carried out a number of studies for an expansion of Chagres, however it is understood that no decision on this project has been made so far. Meanwhile, the Chagres smelter remains one of the best run plants in Chile. www.angloamerican.com References (1) Anglo American 2012 Sustainability Report.

(2) Bonifaz, R., and Subiabre, R., Operational strategy at Chagres smelter to maximize installed capacity, paper presented at Copper 2007, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, CIM-IIMCh, 2013.

(3) Díaz, C.M., and Mackey, P.J., The copper-cobre series of conferences: a prime forum for active discussion of copper smelting technology practice and innovation, paper presented at Copper 2007, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, CIM-IIMCh, 2013.

(4) Proceedings of the following Copper Conferences: 1999, 2003 and 2007.

Author: Phillip Mackey Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

Dynapower powers ASARCO Adam Knudsen, Dynapower President, and Abdoul Diallo, International Sales Manager, visited ASARCO in Tucson, Ariz. In October 2018 to discuss future projects. A subsidiary of Groupo Mexico, one of the major copper producers in the world, ASARCO’s copper refinery process is powered by Dynapower’s high power rectifier. Dynapower is the world’s largest independent manufacturer of chopper and thyristor rectifiers for mining and electrowinning applications. Most electrowinning units consist of a tank, pump, and rectifier, making Dyanpower a key piece of the process. Copper ores are placed in the tank and electrolytic solution is pumped in. Dynapower’s rectifier shocks the tank with electrical current, and the ores come together to form large plates ready for market.

One of the world’s most important natural resources, copper appears in a wide range of applications from cookware, to plumbing, to roofs. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that every American born in 2008 will use 1,309 pounds of copper during their lifetime for necessities, lifestyles and health.

Dynapower uses a great amount of copper in its own equipment.

Copper also plays a significant role in sustainable energy innovation, due to its superior electrical and thermal conductivity. Up to 50,000 kW of primary energy is saved over the life cycle of a system for each additional kilogram of copper used.

Furthermore, copper can be 100 percent recycled with no loss in performance. www.dynapower.com

LME copper Recently the LME has received applications for registration under its Grade A Copper Cathode Contract from: Operadora de Minas e Instalaciones Mineras, S.A de C.V ESDE 3 in Sonora, Mexico (10.12.18), which lists its refinery capacity as 124,558 tonnes and cathode dimensions as approx. 1,035 mm x 967 mm x 5.6 mm; and Dongying Lufang Metals Material Co Ltd in Shandong Province, China (9.1.19), which lists its refinery capacity as 500,000 t and cathode dimensions as approx.

1,020 mm x 810 mm x 11 mm. Upon reaching the formal testing stage, Metal Registration liaises with the producer concerning the arrangements to ship three x 200 tonne test parcels of its Grade A production to three nominated testers, and appoints a Listed Sampler and Assayer to undertake random selection of the parcels if required. www.metalreg.com

12 | COPPER ROD, TUBE AND WIRE – TAIWAN

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Remaining a tough competitor in Asia Once an Asian Tiger…

In the mid-1980s and 1990s, at the height of its economic powers, Taiwan and its near neighbour South Korea were dubbed the “Tiger Economies”. Based on their lower labour rates, energy costs and competitive exchange rates, the two countries were a major threat to the Japanese economy - at that time the regional economic superpower. Taiwan and South Korea began by capturing market share in the commodity product end of spectrum in basic electrical and electronic goods (including wire and cable), consumer durables, petrochemicals, iron and steel and even automobiles (in the case of South Korea) where the intense appreciation of Yen progressively robbed the Japanese of their international competitiveness. This forced Japanese corporations to expand overseas in order to compete, but at the cost of shrinking their domestic manufacturing base. However, this loss was to Taiwan’s and South Korea’s gain, with both countries recording rapid economic growth as the Japanese economy ground to a halt in its 1990s “lost decade”.

Now an aging Tiger…

Today’s Taiwan is very different. Its economic ascendancy has been usurped by almost two decades of unchecked Chinese growth.

Mainland China is now the dominant regional and world economic superpower and Taiwan is now facing competition from its neighbour as well as the fast-emerging nearby ASEAN countries. With a stable and aging population of 23.5 million (78% urbanised), and a GDP of nearly US$ 1.2 trillion, Taiwanese GDP per capita was a healthy US$ 50,500 in 2017. The economy has been on an improving trend in recent years with GDP growth of 0.8% in 2015, followed by faster expansions of 1.4% in 2016 and 2.9% in 2017. The Q3 2018 GDP growth was 2.3% and the government is projecting

further healthy growth of 2.5% in 2019.

This growth could be jeopardised by the eventual outcome of the US-China Trade War, as the Taiwanese economy is highly exportorientated, and is therefore frequently buffeted by external events. The country’s main exports

Global structure of Taiwan Copper Foil Co., Ltd. (www.tcf.com.tw)

are electronics, semiconductors, information and communication equipment, machinery and petrochemicals. Among the main challenges that the nation faces are political isolationism from Mainland China (which refuses to give up its sovereign claim on Taiwanese territory), an aging and stagnant population, and heightened economic competition from China and South East Asia. A 5% appreciation in the international value of the New Taiwanese Dollar since 2017 has further eroded its price advantage in overseas markets.

A copper consuming giant

Based on 2017 data, Taiwan was the world’s seventh largest refined copper consumer behind China, United States, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Italy. Last year Taiwanese apparent refined copper consumption, adjusted for local LME warehouse stock changes, totalled 500 kt. However, 2018 will prove to be big year of transition as the adverse market development in Taiwan, coupled with growth elsewhere, will likely see the country drop down to eleventh in the world standings. With no copper refinery output, Taiwan is entirely dependent on imports of refined copper to feed its consumers.

In recent years, Japan, Chile, China, Australia and India have been the major cathode suppliers. Kaohsiung was approved as an LME warehouse location for copper in late-2013. The Taiwanese copper fabricating industry is also a significant consumer of copper and copper alloy scrap to make up the balance of its raw material requirements. It is also a large and diverse importer of copper and copper alloy scrap.

A major fabricator

Roskill is producing a Copper Demand forecast to 2035

active export policy. However, this came to an end in 2018 as exports slumped due to tougher volume and price competition across the Asian market, and shipments to the domestic wire and cable industry also fell. Final statistics for last year are not yet available, but the

Official data reveals that the total gross weight of copper and copper alloy semi-manufactures production was 940 kt in 2017. Around half of this output was copper wire rod for both the local market and for export. Shipment volumes had been on a slight downward trend over recent years, supported only by an increasing Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

published data is likely to show a 12-13% decline. Recent capacity additions in China, ASEAN and India have captured market share from Taiwanese mills with their generally older and less efficient capacity.

For this significant producer of Rod, Bar, Wire, Sheet and Strip and increasingly Copper Foil, domestic output of extruded rods, bars and wires has hovered in the 120135 kt range over recent years, exhibiting no clear trend and reacting to a combination of economic drivers and the availability of scrap.

Sheet and strip production has occupied the 160-180 kt level of late. 2015 and 2016 saw output at the lower end of this range, but there has been a significant recovery through 2017 and 2018 back towards the top end. Export shipments have been the primary engine of growth. However, the main success story has been electro-deposited copper foil for the electronics industry. This is a major area of comparative quality and cost advantage for the Taiwan-based foil mills, which includes some Japanese-owned capacity which was relocated from Japan to take advantage of the lower energy costs in Taiwan. Output has surged from 105 kt in 2014 to 159 kt in 2017, although volumes have fallen back a little in 2018.

Exports were the main growth contributor.

Not content with their offshore status, many Taiwanese copper fabricators and wire and cable manufacturers have long since established a sizeable presence in Mainland China. The most prominent investor has been Walsin Lihwa. It established a wire rod mill in Nanjing, China, as long ago as 1981 and renewed and upgraded the capacity of its Southwire production equipment there in 2006. Separately it established another plant Walsin Dongguan in 2000. Another Taiwanese inward investor is Tai-I who established a Southwire wire rod mill in Shenzhen in 1999 in an 85/15 joint venture with Jiangxi Copper. In addition, nearly every Taiwanese wire and cable manufacturer has at least one subsidiary operating on the Mainland.

COPPER ROD, TUBE AND WIRE | 13

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Update on KME acquisition of MKM As from 22 February 2019, KME AG changed its company name to KME SE as a consequence of its conversion to a European company.

On 28 February, KME SE announced it had executed the agreement signed on 6 July 2018

with European Acquisition Midco Limited, after fulfilment of the necessary conditions, and has acquired 100% indirect interest in MKM Mansfelder Kupfer und Messing GmbH (MKM) in the European copper and copper

alloys market. The acquisition price was EUR 80 million, and European Acquisition Midco Limited now owns a 1% shareholding in KME SE. www.kme.com

Chinese copper rod analysis and forecast Over the first half of 2018, Antaike tracked large and medium-sized copper rod production enterprises, including 18 copper rod production enterprises as statistical samples, involving a total of 5.235 million tonnes of production capacity and 24 production lines, accounting for 45% of the total national copper rod production capacity.

It accounts for more than 60% of the total imported copper rod capacity, covering major regions such as East China, South China and

North China. The sample enterprises realised a total output of 2.026 Mt, an increase of 1.67% year-on-year. Comprehensive capacity utilisation rate was 77.42%. The regional utilisation rates in East China, South China and North China were 77.1%, 68.52% and 96.52% respectively.

During the period 2018-2020, China’s imported copper rod production line capacity is expected to increase by 2.69 million tonnes, including 790,000 t of production capacity

in operation, 800,000 t capacity under construction, and planned capacity of 1.1 Mt. It is concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions, and is mainly invested by existing medium and large copper processing enterprises. According to statistics from Antaike, the production capacity of China’s imported copper rod production line reached 10.205 Mt in 2018, an increase of 8.4% over 2017. www.antaike.com

Hailiang’s copper tube project in Thailand On 8 January 2019, Hailiang Otto Copper Tube (Thailand) Co., Ltd. held a groundbreaking ceremony for the second phase production line of 30,000 tonnes of its high-efficiency energysaving and environment-friendly precision copper tube project in Thailand. Yang Muqun, Deputy General Manager of Thailand

Hailiang, and other leaders attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

The second phase project mainly uses Hailiang’s newly developed melting and casting horizontal continuous casting unit and technology, planetary rolling equipment and technology, intelligent continuous

bright annealing furnace and process, online annealing furnace and process and other scientific and technological achievements.

An information production control system (MES) and enterprise resource management system (SAP) are applied to the project. www.antaike.com

Compact ETP rod production solution The new compacROD® plant for ETP copper rod production combines the knowhow of CONTIROD® with the advantages of a small copper rod production plant. The mix of a proven shaft furnace with a cost-efficient wheel/belt casting system and the single driven roll stands of the SMS module system from CONTIROD® leads to an attractive and cost-effective new solution for the production of high-quality copper wire rod in volumes of around 30,000 to 50,000 tonnes per year. Key

performance data are: Production capacity 5 - 7 t/h; Copper wire rod diameter 8 - 16 mm; and Coil weight 3 - 5 tonnes.

The previously charged starting material is melted down to liquid copper in the gasfired, energy-efficient shaft furnace. It is then conducted through launders into the twin wheel casting machine. This is where the cast ingot is produced, while the ingot preparation zone ensures it is perfectly prepared for rolling. In the rolling mill the

A difficult future

foil demand for Lithium ion battery anodes for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) suggests a very optimistic outlook. It seems that Taiwan’s future is not in the high-volume commodity, low margin wire rod and drawn wire market segments that it once used to dominate, but in the high value-added strip and copper foil market segments where its manufacturers still maintain the edge in product quality.

Taiwan looks set to endure a challenging future as a major copper consumer. Its domestic wire rod market is shrinking slowly and it is no longer a match in price competiveness in wire rod or drawn wire exports to the newer lower cost capacity that exists in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and now India. In the wire rod business, the future therefore lies in offshore production on the Chinese Mainland.

Better prospects are to be found in the sheet and strip sector, where Taiwanese mills still possess an advantage in quality in producing sophisticated alloys that the newer Chinese plants have yet to master. Even brighter is the future for electro-deposited copper foil, where Taiwan is the undisputed world leader. Strong demand for electronic goods continues to underpin foil consumption and the prospect of the addition of accelerating growth in copper

cast ingot is hot-formed in several, precisely defined stages until the desired wire rod diameter has been attained. The wire rod, which is still hot, is de-oxidised and cooled in a cooling line. Immediately after this, a wax coating is applied to the surface of the wire rod to preserve it. The coiler winds the wire rod into coils. A paper on compacROD® is being delivered by Thomas Schatz of SMS group at Interwire 2019 in May. www.sms-group.com

www.roskill.com

JB Reports During February 2019, mines in Chile and Peru suffered unseasonal heavy rain, and trucking companies in Lima and northern Peru began an indefinite strike over rising costs, with at least 40,000 drivers taking part.Roskill is running an ‘On the road’ event at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Santiago, Chile on 11 April.

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

Jonathan Barnes

Author: Jonathan Barnes, Associate Consultant, Copper at Roskill.

E-mail: jonathan@roskill.com

14 | MELTING AND CASTING

www. c op p e r wor l d w i de. co m

A unique continuous copper casting line Spain’s La Farga has announced its latest technological breakthrough, a marked commitment to its future and long-term sustainability with a continuous casting production line, after a total investment of 15 million euros.

The inauguration was held on 6 February in company facilities and was attended by the Honourable Mrs. Àngels Chacón, the Minister for Business and Science, and the Honourable Mr. Sergi Vilamala, the Mayor of Les Masies de Voltregà, as well as other representatives of bodies involved in the project.

After several months working on the new line, La Farga held celebrations with all those who have been involved in this major venture, one that has attained a high-quality wire with lower production times, and a product that more than meets client demands.

More efficient

The new, unique continuous copper casting line has been specifically designed and manufactured for the La Farga facilities.

“After 35 years of operation, the time had come to modernise the line, to make a strategic, pioneering change, with investment and the construction of a new one”, stated Oriol Guixà, the President of La Farga and the construction manager of the company’s first line, which was launched in 1983. The new line is more efficient, safer and more technological. It is a decided move forward that aims to expand the company in terms of capacity, reliability and innovation on a worldwide scale.

Its main benefits include an increased productive capacity of 15 t/h to 20 t/h (a significant figure if one considers that when the line was launched 35 years ago, production capacity was 7 t/h, and that today the total annual capacity of La Farga is 320,000 t), increased reliability, a significant advance in terms of safety, and finally the fact that it also follows the company’s ecological and sustainable strategies. According to Inka Guixà, General Manager of La Farga, “the new line means that the company is now the second largest copper casting centre in Europe”.

Process challenge

The process of manufacturing the new line involved several challenges. Working with the Italian company Danieli, the most important aspect was to create a line that had to both significantly increase productive capacity and be built in record time, as there were only 35 days in which to remove the old line and launch the new one with tests. The project began in May 2017, and the line came into service on 6 August 2018. Disassembly took just two days and on 12 September the first casting was already underway. On 21 September, La Farga celebrated the production of its first jumbo.

The new line has been developed using proprietary technology, thanks to the knowhow, the experience and above all, the attitude of

The Honourable Mrs. Àngels Chacón, the Minister for Business and Science, cutting the ribbon

The Honourable Mr. Sergi Vilamala, the Mayor of Les Masies de Voltregà (left), with Inka Guixà, General Manager of La Farga, in their excellent Museo del Cobre

the team involved. Inka Guixà emphasised the essential role of the La Farga team: “the project has been taken on with a great deal of professionalism, involvement, dedication and flexibility, something that has allowed us to meet with our deadlines”. The size of the project involved the participation of 90 people during its initial development, the recruitment of 28 participating contracting companies, as well as the subcontracting of 42 companies and self-employed workers. In total, approximately 325 people worked on the new line. Throughout the process La Farga has sought to work with local suppliers and service providers.

After the explanation of the project, the assisting representatives of several administrative bodies also spoke, among them the Honourable Sergi Vilamala, Mayor of Les Masies de Voltregà, who made clear his willingness to move forward with La Farga, while stressing the relationship between the town and the company, and thanking companies like La Farga for their role in the region, keeping the town alive and creating jobs.

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

The VIP party tours the new facility

Finally, the Honourable Mrs. Àngels Chacón, the Minister for Business and Science stressed the link between the industry that La Farga represents and the strategy of the Catalan Government. The introduction of the new line involves innovation, internationalisation, the region and talent, values that are shared.

Company background

La Farga is a family holding group with over 210 years of history, which manufactures and sells copper products and their alloys for electrical markets, metallic containers, railways, conductors, tubes, pillars and special conductors. In 2017 the company had a turnover of 1,019 million euros - a 32% increase in comparison with the previous year. The company is active worldwide, with a production plant in the United States and two distribution centres for copper tubes in the United Kingdom and France. Thanks to its staff of 342 people and a business philosophy based on constant innovation and investment to improve, La Farga has become a world leader in copper solutions and in copper recycling technology. www.lafarga.es

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PLANT INTEGRATION AND CONTROL | 15

Further optimise your mining processes The innovative ABB Ability™ MineOptimize portfolio connects and optimises all stages in the lifecycle of any mine, mineral processing plant and enterprise, from design and build to operation and service, writes Martin Knabenhans.

Strategic mine planning and optimisation throughout all lifecycle stages are essential for miners’ competitiveness. The mining industry has the task of producing a primary product whose value is decided on international exchanges, and which fluctuates widely depending on global demand: in the past 50 years, the average price of metals has varied by a factor of up to 600%. At times of slumps, it is the mines with the least productive technology that struggle. Another factor that puts a premium on technology is the fact that over the past 10 years the grade of the ore that is mined has declined 40% and the ore bodies themselves have become deeper and more remote. To tackle these issues, operators have to make the most of their suppliers’ R&D departments, and the good news is that significant advances have been achieved on many fronts. This means that when new mines are being planned, and old ones upgraded, the option is there to optimise production in a way that until recently would have been unthinkable.

What makes a difference

One set of advances has occurred in the comminution process. Other areas of progress include the increased efficiency of ventilation and the reliability of hoist systems. For example, the ABB smart ventilation concept wires airflow sensors into the ABB Ability™ System 800xA distributed control system.

This can then optimise air quality throughout the mine and, as a result, halve the electricity needed to run its fans.

On the power supply and electrification side, the mining industry is looking for ways to reduce energy consumption, cut costs and pollution by transitioning from diesel to electricity. Latest versions of sophistication of the automation process have also transformed the way a modern mining facility works.

Finally, digitalisation is creating additional value and visibility from mine to port and from plant to enterprise.

In each of these areas, ABB has been responsible for defining what counts as state of the art. In the comminution process, for example, it has pioneered the gearless design in which the mill cylinder becomes the rotor of the motor, which allows the torque to vary without the need for gears. It has since continually raised the power rating of its drives. This allows a rise in the quantity of ore processed, which offsets the decline in its quality. We also power and control high-pressure grinding rolls with our RollXtend solution so that they can operate without water useful if your mill is 3 km above sea level in the Andes, like the Toquepala mine in Peru, where

An ABB Distributed Control System is in operation at the Boliden Garpenberg underground mine

ABB provided a number of large gearless mill drives. For many decades, ABB has been known as a world-class supplier for turnkey electrification and automation solutions as well as for dedicated mining systems for hoists, gearless or ring-gear mill drives and material handling.

Latest digital developments

Together with our customers and partners ABB started years ago to think about how mining operation and maintenance can be improved and what the next level of mining will look like. These collaborations triggered many innovative development activities for digital applications and services. Today, the ABB Ability™ MineOptimize portfolio is ready to deliver additional value with truly integrated digital mining applications for unmatched operation, maintenance, process and production optimisation. The ABB Ability MineOptimize™ digital applications are based on the ABB Ability automation and information management platforms. They are based on proven standardised building blocks, are horizontally and vertically connected, and ensure the right people have the right information at the right time.

Digital applications include:

Process and Power Control - increases operator effectiveness by unmatched focus on situational awareness in order to avoid operation errors that cause loss of productivity Advanced Process Control - reduces energy consumption and increases productivity while maintaining the desired quality automatically, 24/7 Asset Management and Condition Monitoring minimise unplanned down time and increase equipment availability, while helping to optimise maintenance activities Operation Management Systems - create a new level of visibility in mining operations.

They allow the operator to react in real time to any disturbance and assist planning with automatic scheduling.

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

Surface operations at the Garpenberg underground mine in Sweden

Production Information Management - systems consolidate data on plant and enterprise level and provide insight information as well as KPIs in easy to understand dashboards and reports.

These applications unleash the full potential to deliver sustainable profitability and create full visibility over your integrated mining operations.

Collaborative services connect our specialists with customer teams and equipment on site in real time and include:

Remote Assistance - enables a secure connection between ABB and the customer in order to provide real time guidance through remote access and augmented reality Predictive Maintenance - enables us to deliver a plant where the equipment alerts you through intelligent cloud-based data analytics when it needs to be serviced Performance Optimization - services are designed to increase your productivity and keep it on the highest level through remote monitoring of KPIs to guarantee that process optimisation is running at the target level.

Planning and engineering mine projects with integrated solutions from mine to port and from plant to enterprise brings substantial capital savings through early involvement.

www.new.abb.com/ mining/mineoptimize www.abb.com

Author: Martin Knabenhans, head of Product Management for ABB in mining, Process Industries business unit

International Copper Conference 2019 11 – 13 March 2019 | Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel KEY TOPICS: • Global copper supply, trade & pricing • The challenges facing global mining companies • Investing in growth and harnessing opportunities in consumer markets • The impact of Electric Vehicle market growth on copper • The EU and Brexit – what’s in store for copper?

New for 2019!

170+ 30+ 3 SENIOR EXECUTIVES

EXPERT SPEAKERS

SAVE 15%

use discount code ‘CW15’

Copper Recycling briefing day

DAYS OF CONTENT AND NETWORKING

metalbulletin.com/events/copper

EVENT REVIEWS | 17

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IERC 2019 on E-waste and the Circular Economy January saw the 18th International Electronics Recycling Congress in Salzburg, Austria.

Around 450 industry representatives came to this annual industry meeting. More than 39 different nations were represented. Three keynote speakers opened the congress: Aaron Goldberg, an excellent expert on the Basel Convention; Steven Clayton, Regulatory Affairs Manager at Samsung; and Dr Janez Potočnik, Co-Chair of the UN International Resource Panel and former EU Environment Commissioner. One of the main focus areas was the further development of the circular economy. Among other things, representatives of HP and the Sims Group presented their recycling activities for printers. Further presentations explained measures for the further development of the recycling economy in Norway and Denmark. Parallel to this, recycling experts presented new technological developments for the recycling of E-waste.

The focus was on advanced sorting solutions and smart separation and shredding.

IERC 2019 featured a number of Round Table discussions

Country reports showed that the E- waste markets in individual countries are very different. This year there were presentations on the development of producer responsibility in South Africa and future opportunities for E- waste in India. Other presentations focused on the new electrical and electronic waste recycling plant in Hong Kong. Renowned

experts discussed the impacts and opportunities of China’s Scrap import restrictions in a Round Table. The general feedback was that China restrictions on scrap imports have had a major effect on the market for WEEE recycling.

Integrators and sorting technology specialists alike have seen an upsurge in both enquiries and projects running into 2019, from producers and others keen to capitalise on a wider, higher value range of material fractions than before.

The processing methodology has also shifted towards separation of the plastics early on, to recycle the valuable parts. One of the problems with plastics is fire retardants and the associated EU legislation.

The conference was accompanied by an impressive Exhibitor Forum. A total of 62 exhibitors presented their range of services, processes and products. Plant tours on the third day included a trip to Montanwerke Brixlegg.

The date for the next IERC 2020 has been set for 22 to 24 January 2020. www.icm.ch

International Copper Conference 2019 The 2019 Fastmarkets MB Events International Copper Conference has just taken place in Amsterdam from 11 - 13 March with 150 delegates. The Pre-Conference Briefing Day: Copper Recycling on 11 March commenced with a Discussion Panel: The World Needs More Recycled Copper. This will be covered in Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 2 issue.

The main Conference Day began with Supply and Demand, and a presentation

by Carlos Rispatron of ICSG: Two thirds of the arsenic in copper concentrates is in material from Chile and Peru Around 70,000 tonnes of As is contained in the concentrates smelted in China annually l

l

he SKS process entrains around 82 per cent T of arsenic in the smelter offgas, potentially a great advantage over existing processes.

In the Q&A which followed, Moderator Christian Schirmeister said “Finance from the oil and other sectors is not going into metals projects at the moment.” Boris Eykher, Founder of Open Mineral, thought China would look to increase its overseas mine and integrational investment. l

Longer Season

In the subsequent Procurement Session, Christophe Allain of Nexans said “the mating season for cathode procurement was getting

longer,” whilst Laila Marafi of Dubai Cable Company said that “with rod you have to give flexibility to customers.” Christophe saw increasing competition (with M&A potential) in the cable sector and more so globally.

“It is a low margin sector and there is still manufacturing weakness in many areas.”

During the Q&A there was a discussion of back-to-back contracts. Allain added that while payment terms are achieved, it is more complex with inventory carriage.

The Conference sponsors were Henry Bath, LME and CME Group. www.metalbulletin.com/events/internationalcopper-conference

Extraction 2018 hydrometallurgy papers - P. Mackey Sustainable Development Considerations in Copper Hydrometallurgy Krishna Parameswaran, Chris Mapes, Aaron Ibarra, Justin Landrum and Tracy Morris This paper described how Asarco operations in Arizona, USA are striving towards sustainable development in their mining and metallurgical operations. Noting that mining is sustainable when, “it is conducted in a manner that balances economic, environmental and social considerations”, the paper provided examples of technology improvements that meets these targets, in particular with respect to hydrometallurgical technologies. It was shown that improved water pumping systems could reduce power usage as an example. Asarco operate the Amarillo copper refinery located at Amarillo, Texas. The plant commenced in 1975 and typically operates at a present

throughput of about 150,000 tonnes of copper cathode per year. The authors described sustainability initiatives including a new molecular recognition system for electrolyte purification, a new acid purification unit and the replacement of wood pallets (which had limited re-use life) with reusable plastic pallets.

Hydrometallurgical Processing of Copper-Arsenic Concentrates By: Jan Smit, Kelvin Buban et al.

Sherritt of Canada has worked on the hydrometallurgical treatment of copper and nickel from sulphide feed material since the 1960s. Several of their plants operate today. The present work applied highpressure leaching technology for treatment of copper-arsenic concentrates. Laboratory

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

scale test work was carried out using a 4-Litre autoclave, while pilot plant scale test work was carried out using a 30-Litre autoclave. Two copper concentrate samples were tested, one contained 1.1% As and the other had 5.61% As. It was found that the copper extraction in pressure leaching was reduced as the arsenic content increased. As an example, the copper extraction dropped below 98% at arsenic levels of about 2.5 to 3% As. It was considered that this behaviour was due to the formation of a basic copper arsenate precipitate during leaching. It was proposed to extract precious metals (notably Ag and Au) by cyanidation after a lime boil step. The leach residues passed the TCLP test for As. Sherritt will provide the results of pilot testing later.

Patent applications for the process described in the paper have been filed. www.extractionmeeting.org

18 | CONTRACTS & PEOPLE

Holistic performance solutions service from Metso

Metso has introduced Performance Solutions, a new way to deliver sustained results for the mining industry. Mining companies globally are seeking solutions to help them improve productivity to deal with challenges like increasing processing costs and declining ore grades.

To holistically address these challenges, Metso has set up a new Performance Solutions unit, dedicated to delivering and sustaining performance improvements and measurable business results for the mining industry. The unit creates tailored solutions combining products and services from across the full Metso portfolio, targeted to meet each customer’s individual production and efficiency objectives.

“Per formance Solutions are based on in-depth engineering studies and data analysis, which we utilise to identify our customer’s im p rove m e nt op p or tunitie s.

Agreed enhancements are then implemented at the customer site and sustained long-term, through continuous monitoring and proactive services,” says Mikko Keto, President of Metso’s Minerals Services and Pumps business areas.

www. c op p e r wor l d w i de. co m

20-high Danieli copper rolling at Chinalco Central Danieli reported in December that a Danieli Fröhling highperformance 20-high cold rolling mill, originally supplied in 2011 to Chinalco Shanghai Copper, has been relocated by the Danieli team from Shanghai to Chinalco Central China Copper plant in Huangshi, Hubei province, and quickly commissioned. The mill is designed to produce copper and copperalloy foils 650 mm wide, with thicknesses down to 15 micron.

During the startup ceremony, the first coil with finish thickness of 50 micron was rolled, within contractual thickness and flatness performances.

Mr. Ming Wenliang, president of Chinalco Central China Copper, expressed his satisfaction for the

The first coil with finish thickness of 50 micron from the relocated Danieli Fröhling high-performance 20-high cold rolling mill

close cooperation of the joint teams “proving again the success of a common mindset approach”.

The team involved looked forward to final mill optimisation on the target product mix of finished foils down to 15 micron and the

conclusion of the commissioning in a short time. The cooperation between the Chinese copper producer and Danieli Fröhling started in early 2006 with the supply of a copper milling line. www.danieli.com

Los Pelambres expansion approved

In mid-November, Antofagasta plc announced the approval of the expansion of its subsidiary Minera Los Pelambres, which is 60% owned

by Antofagasta and 40% owned by consortiums led by JX Nippon and Mitsubishi. The expansion will add an average of 60,000 tonnes of copper a year to the mine’s production over www.metso.com the first 15 years of operation.

Construction of the US$ 1.3 billion project will start at the beginning China Minmetals of 2019 and first production is expected in the second half of and KGHM sign 2021. Throughput at the plant will 5-year contract be increased from the current At the International Forum on capacity of 175,000 tonnes of ore International Cooperation of Central per day to an average of 190,000 Enterprises held on 6 November 2018 as part of the First China International Import Expo (CIIE), China Minmetals signed a five-year contract for the procurement of On 7 November 2018, Outotec electrolytic copper worth US$ 4 announced it has signed a contract bn (RMB 27 bn) with KGHM of for the Front-End Engineering Design Poland. According to statistics, China (FEED) of a new copper smelter Minmetals’ imports from KGHM to be located at Benete Bay in account for 40% to 60% of China’s Sumbawa, Indonesia. The contract total imports from Poland. partner is PT Amman Mineral Present with various dignitaries Industri, a subsidiary of copper and at the signing ceremony were gold producer PT Amman Mineral Guo Wenqing, China Minmetals Nusa Tenggara.

President, and Marcin Chludziński, President and CEO of KGHM Polska Miedz SA. China Minmetals is the only state-owned capital investment company in the Chinese First Quantum’s Cobre Las Cruces metal mining industry. The contract open pit operation in Spain saw represents China Minmetals’ copper cathode production of determination to embrace the Belt 70,738 tonnes in 2018, with an and Road Initiative and align with average 4.95% copper grade the national strategy of opening up processed. However on 23 January at a high level.

2019, operations were temporarily www.kghm.com suspended following a land slippage

tonnes of ore per day. The plant expansion includes an additional SAG mill, ball mill and the corresponding flotation circuit with 6 additional cells. Annual copper production will increase from 40,000 tonnes in the first year at the expanded throughput to 70,0 0 0 tonnes towards the end of a 15-year period, as the hardness of the ore increases and the benefit of the higher milling capacity is fully realised. Over the full period production will average approximately 60,000 tonnes.

The capital cost of the project also includes US$ 500 million for a desalination plant and water pipeline.

The desalination plant will supply the

expansion and a potential further growth phase as well as acting as a back-up for the existing operation in case of extreme dry conditions, were these to materialise. A subsequent phase of expansion may follow, dependent on the receipt of the necessary environmental and regulatory approvals. This phase will further increase production and also significantly extend the mine life of Los Pelambres as it accesses the operation’s substantial undeveloped mineral resources, which are currently some five times larger than its ore reserves. www.antofagasta.co.uk www.aminerals.cl

Outotec to design copper smelter in Indonesia The contract is approximately EUR 10 million. The scope of engineering covers the design of the entire copper smelter. The engineering will be based on Outotec® Flash Smelting and Flash Converting technology, and include an electrolytic refinery, s l a g c o n c e n t r a t o r, p r e c i o u s metals refinery, wet gas cleaning and Lurec® sulfuric acid plant as

well as effluent treatment plant and its associated infrastructure.

Outotec’s design work will take place over nine months and is a continuation of a feasibility study conducted in 2017. Once completed, th e n ew s m e l te r i s p l a n n e d to primarily process Indonesian copper concentrate. www.outotec.com

Setback for Cobre Las Cruces after landslip on the slope of the northern zone of the open pit mine. The suspension is currently estimated to result in approximately 25,000 t of lost copper production in 2019, leaving 45,000 t as the expected volume.

Planned production for 2020 has also been reduced by 25,000 t,

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

as certain high-grade ore is no longer expected to be mined as part of the open pit operation. The hydrometallurgical plant resumed copper production on 1 February 2019, processing lower grade ore stockpiles. www.first-quantum.com

CONTRACTS & PEOPLE | 19

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Mill startup by SMS group at record speed On 29 December 2018, a new cold rolling mill for copper strip supplied

by SMS group successfully started operation at the Chinese producer Zhejiang Huayuan Copper Co., Ltd., based in Shandong Province. The realisation of the mill, beginning with order intake and finishing with commissioning, was performed in record speed.

For Zhejiang Huayuan Copper, SMS group realised a cold rolling mill for copper strip within a project duration of only 15 months.

The state of the art mill in sixhigh design featuring CVC®plus technology (Continuously Variable Crown) star ted operation 34 days prior to the contracted due date. After the first strip was rolled to 1.2 mm final thickness at 1,050 mm strip width, further commissioning and the optimisation of plant performance is proceeding eff iciently, enabling Zhejiang Huayuan Copper to produce a complete product range with strip widths of up to 1,350 mm and a minimum final gauge of 0.15 mm before long.

The new cold rolling mill for copper strip by SMS group rolls strips with widths of up to 1,350 mm in premium quality

The Chine se compa ny r a nk s among the leading providers of copper strip worldwide. Looking at the available strip width, it even takes the top position worldwide.

Zhejiang Huayuan was very pleased with the performance of SMS group and regards it a confirmation of the decision to select SMS group as single-source supplier. Beside the engineering, the supply of mechanical components and the X- Pact ® electrical and automation systems,

the scope of supply also includes site services and commissioning. Primarily responsible for order execution is the Chinese SMS Siemag Technology Co., Ltd., a company of SMS group.

Core components for the CVC®plus roll shifting technolog y, being responsible for the quality of the products rolled and for the resource-saving rolling of the valuable copper material, were supplied by SMS group from Germany.

Mexico PGM plant order for Outotec Outotec announced in December it has been awarded a contract for the delivery of a complete minerals processing plant for a precious metals projec t in Mexico. In addition, Outotec will deliver process equipment for upgrades of two other sulphide silver ore processes for the same customer. The total value of the contracts is approximately EUR 30 million. Scope of delivery includes the entire process flowsheet of grinding mills, flotation machines, concentrate and tailings thickeners, as well as concentrate filters, automation, and various spares and supervision services for the new precious metals concentrator. For the upgrade of existing silver processes, Outotec will deliver additional flotation machines and multiple fine grinding equipment for improved recovery. The deliveries will take place in the end of 2019. www.outotec.com

KGHM reports third quarter results

Production of payable copper by the KGHM Group in Q3 2018 was at a similar level to that achieved Q3 2017 (171 kt vs. 170 kt), mainly thanks to higher production of electrolytic copper by KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. after the maintenance shutdown at the Głogów II Copper Smelter and Refinery. The slightly lower production of payable copper in the third quarter by the assets of KGHM International was mainly due to a decrease in ore quality and to a decrease in ore extraction by the Robinson mine. After the first three quarters, production of payable copper by the Robinson mine as well as by all of KGHM International was at a similar level to that of the prior year. The furnace maintenance also had a negative impact on the production of associated metals, mainly metallic Ruben Fernandes becomes Anglo’s CEO of Base Metals from 1 March. Duncan Wanblad is to focus on Strategy and Business Development silver (-20% y-o-y). The drop in Management Committee of Anglo of 1 March 2019, succeeding Ruben copper and molybdenum production American upon taking up his new Fernandes and reporting to Seamus by the Sierra Gorda mine in the first role. Wilfred (Bill) Bruijn is appointed French, CEO of Bulk Commodities. three quarters was due to the lower CEO of Anglo American in Brazil as www.angloamerican.com metals content in extracted ore. www.sms-group.com

Changes at Anglo Base Metals Anglo American plc has announced a number of senior management changes following the decision to divide the management of its global Base Metals business from the Strategy and Business Development activities. Duncan Wanblad will focus solely on his role as Group Director of Strategy and Busin ess Development and Ruben Fernandes, currently CEO of Anglo American in Brazil, will succeed Duncan Wanblad as CEO of Base Metals effective 1 March 2019. Duncan Wanblad has led the Base Metals business since 2013 and took on the Strategy and Business Development portfolio in 2016. As CEO of Base Metals, Ruben Fernandes will work closely with the Copper team in Chile, the Quellaveco project development team and the mineral discovery team. He will join the Group

www.kghm.com

Outotec absorption at Rönnskär

The SMS group safety locator

In June 2018, Outotec agreed with the Sweden-based mining company Boliden on the design and delivery of an absorption section to be built for the sulphuric acid plant at the Rönnskär smelter. An order over EUR 10 million. The Boliden Rönnskär plant is one of the world’s

Improve safety conditions with the SMS group Safety Locator, which provides the right information at the right place and the right time. It is based on micro-sensors installed on the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) of employees, which will help increase the safety of all operators.

most efficient copper smelters. The new absorption section designed by Outotec will be able to process the future gas volume from the upstream smelting process with high energy recovery. Outotec’s deliveries will take place in the second half of 2019. www.outotec.com

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

Relevant signals are sent out permanently without interrupting work processes. Fur ther, the Safety Locator is able to optimise production towards communication with the safety PLC of the machine.

Optimising measures can be taken. www.sms-group.com

20 | EVENT PREVIEWS

www. c op p e r wor l dw i de. co m

Atlanta ready for Interwire 2019 The Wire Association International (WAI), Inc., founded in 1930, is a worldwide technical society for wire and cable industry professionals. Interwire 2019 includes includes WAI’s 89th Annual Convention and its 3rd Global Continuous Casting Forum (GCCF).

The Convention runs from 13-16 May 2019 and the Exhibition and Forum from 14-16 May 2019, with Interwire Conference Sessions from 14-15 May. The scheduled GCCF papers include the following: Operational Advancements in Continuous Rod Systems SCR is intensely focused on maximising quality and reliability while minimising operating costs. This presentation focuses on on-going improvements to the SCR process in copper and aluminum rod production.

Presenter Jeffrey Ainsworth is Furnace Systems and Automation Manager for Southwire Co., Carrollton, Georgia, USA, where he has worked for 33 years.

Casting HCOF From Scrap: Myths and Reality High conductivity oxygen free copper rod is the most ductile of all copper grades, and its utilisation brings important efficiency advantages in high speed multiwire drawing and magnet wire applications.

Speaker Juan Carlos Bodington is technical

GMTN - The bright world of metals

advisor for Upcast Oy, Pori, Finland.

His responsibilities include plant commissioning and technical support.

Continuous Casting of Dilute Copper Alloys for Drawing to Wire in Specialist Applications Many modern industrial applications of copper-based conductor wires call not only for high electrical conductivity, but also for other matching physical properties, including high tensile strength. Sir Michael Nairn is chairman of Rautomead Limited, Dundee, Scotland. He co-founded the company in 1978 to market equipment for the continuous NF metal casting. compacROD® The new compacROD® plant for 5-7 t/h capacity ETP copper rod production combines the knowhow of CONTIROD® with a proven shaft furnace with a cost-efficient wheel/ belt casting system and the single driven roll stands of the SMS module system. This paper delivered by Thomas Schatz of SMS group gives an overview of the system.

Global Copper Market Outlook Although the global copper market has been in a deficit position for a number of years, the price has been falling most recently.

It is widely assumed that the rising dollar,

www.thermprocess-online.com www.gifa.com

Inline and Offline Concepts for FRHC Copper Rod FRHC copper is either cast directly from the fire refining furnace into products using inline solutions or via offline solutions using FRHC ingots or blocks as cathode substitutes. This paper with Timm Lux (SMS group) and Hans-Jorg Krassnig (Polymet) discusses options, and shows a new TBRC fire refining concept with up to 40% less natural gas consumption.

The Effect of Flame Intensity on the Shaft Melting of Copper The intensity of shaft furnace burner flames influences melting performance in many ways. Actual results contrast with handbook predictions of performance in terms of furnace thermal efficiency and product metallurgy.

Speaker John Hugens, principal of Hugens Metallurgy and Combustion, was previously global market manager copper for Fives NA Combustion Inc. The event website details Registration procedures and options. www.interwire19.com

European Metallurgical Conference 2019 Alvear, Gerardo, Dr.; Aurubis AG, Germany: Research, Development and Technology Innovation as Solid Foundations to Secure Aurubis’s Multi Metal Strategy

Every four years, the trade fair quartet GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST (GMTN) takes place in Duesseldorf, Germany.

The GIFA casting technology fair features the GIFA Forum, ecoMetals, and Additive Manufacturing. The GIFA Forum is primarily addressed to foundry suppliers and deals with topics like: • process and product development • digitalisation and information management • efficiency of resources and environmental sustainability • manufacturing technology and automation. ecoMetals supports exhibiting companies that make a contribution to the environment and sustainability, by awarding its logo. The METEC event is the international trade fair for metallurgy, steel casting and steel production, THERMPROCESS uncovers all of the issues surrounding industrial thermoprocessing plants, whilst NEWCAST is an important global platform for custom-made cast products.

coupled with international trade issues, is weighing on prices. This presentation by John E. Gross, President of J.E. Gross & Co., addresses this apparent contradiction.

Nyberg, Jens, Dr.; Boliden, Sweden: Challenges for Non-Ferrous industry – Less waste and recovering more metals

The EMC 2015 event. Photo: Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann

Korpi, Mikko et al.; Outotec, Finland: Plant-wide optimization of a copper smelter: how to do it in practice?

Every second year the European Metallurgical Conference (EMC) is celebrated as an international conference and meeting for metallurgists and engineers from the nonferrous industry and research institutes in Europe. The focus of EMC 2019 is dedicated to the interaction of technology, process chains and sustainability. In former conferences delegates from about 50 countries from five continents join the meeting, presenting papers, posters and discussing the most relevant topics during the conference.

Matsuoka, Hidekazu et al.; Nittetsu Mining Co., Ltd., Japan: Analysis of the flotation behavior of complex copper ore

Dr.-Ing. Peter Weber, President Küttner GmbH & Co. KG is the EMC 2019 Scientific Committee Chair. Scheduled presentations include:

The EMC 2019 Conference takes place concurrently with GIFA-GMTN 2019 at the Messe CCD Süd in Duesseldorf.

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

Smieszek, Zbigniew et al.; Instytut Metali Niezelaznych Gliwice, Poland: Green revolution at KGHM - next stage White, Matthew et al.; Hatch, Australia: Concentrate Burner Development on Copper and Lead Flash Furnaces

www.emc.gdmb.de

21 | PRODUCT INFORMATION

EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS PURCHASING

800xA distributed control system upgraded by ABB A major upgrade of the ABB AbilityTM System 800x A can transform future project engineering. The new release - ABB Distributed Control System (DCS) 800xA 6.1 - brings significant value to capital projects, with more flexible and efficient engineering.

The ABB Ability™ System 800xA 6.1 provides significant innovations to the entire DCS architecture and introduces technologies that shorten timescales for project execution, reduce the impact of late changes and enhance the scalability of the system. This is achieved by the introduction of new Ethernet I/O solutions, additional High Integrity controllers and a series of new engineering tools such as a new Ethernet I/O Field Kit, an Ethernet I/O Wizard for field commissioning and the possibility to engineer with signals in the Control Builder. “Through greater standardisation, tasks can be done in parallel allowing users to make late changes more easily,” says Luis Duran, ABB System 800xA Product Manager.

The Select I/O is an Ethernet based single channel I/O that uses xStream engineering to reduce proje c t d e li ve r y sc he dule s.

Independent teams can work in parallel and then bind together with precision and efficiency later. This reduces the impact of changes during the project, particularly late changes and effectively reduces the commissioning time. Testing efforts and the hardware footprint are considerably reduced as well. Pretested, standardised cabinets can be wired directly to field devices and eliminate the needs for physical marshalling cabinets, reducing drawings, equipment and labour.

Testing efforts and the hardware footprint are considerably reduced as well.

The new version supports IEC 61850 Ed 2, which means that it is ready for new digital solutions, e.g. digital substations. The electrical integration capabilities in System 800xA offer detailed, real-time information on power consumption down to the individual loads and secure a reliable and steady electrical power supply.

The system prevents blackouts and disturbances of operations - while controlling energy costs, enhancing safety and mitigating both environmental and health impacts.

Moreover, it’s easier to configure

www. c op p e r wor l dw i de. co m

BULK MATERIAL HANDLING Kopar Oy

Sepänkatu 2 FI-39700 Parkano Finland Tel: +358 3 440180 E-mail: sales@kopar.fi Web: www.kopar.fi

CONCENTRATE DRYING Tsukishima Kikai Co Ltd

Select I/O is a Modular, single point, late binding, Ethernet I/O solution that can be digitally marshalled into the ABB Ability™ System 800xA architecture

3-5-1, Harumi, Chuo-Ku Tokyo, 104-0053, Japan Tel: 0081 3 5560 6427 Fax: 0081 3 5560 0575 Email: t_hayakawa@tsk-g.co.jp Web: www.tsk-g.co.jp Contact: Tomoki Hayakawa

CONTINUOUS ROTARY EXTRUSION Holton Crest Limited

xStream Engineering - Innovative tools for digital marshalling and late binding remove dependencies and enable multiple workstreams

and integrate IEC 61850 networks within System 800xA’s engineering environment.

System 800x A’s hardware is equally effective for small hybrid systems as it is for large, high availability, integrated automation applications. The modularity of the subsystem results in higher return on assets by providing the flexibility to choose the specific functions necessary to meet actual requirements. The new system also includes support for two new safety controllers; PM857 and PM863.

The ABB AbilityTM System 800xA and its extended automation concept has over 11,000 installations worldwide. It is part of the ABB AbilityTM platform that enables customers to securely integrate and aggregate their data, combine with wider industry data, apply big data and predictive analytics, and generate insights that can help them drive performance and productivity improvements. www.abb.com/800xA

10 Cowley Road, Poole, Dorset BH17 0UJ, UK Tel: +44 1202 681 501 Fax: +44 1202 681 502 Email: info@holtoncrest.com Web: www.holtoncrest.com Contact: Malcolm Ladd

ELECTROLYTIC REFINING Metalex

Hernando de Aguirre 162 Of. 806 Santiago, Chile Tel: 0056 2335 2217 Fax: 0056 2321 8280 E-mail: alillo@metalex.cl Web: www.metalex.cl Contact: Alejandro (Alex) R. Lillo

Mettop GmbH

Peter-Tunner-Strasse 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 81787 Fax: 0043 (0)3842 1787-8 E-mail: cu@mettop.com Web: www.mettop.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

ELECTRONIC SCRAP RECYCLING UrbanGold GmbH

Peter-Tunner-Str. 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)664 88364080 E-mail: www.urbangold.at Web: recycling@urbangold.at Contact: Dr. Stefan Konetschnik

ELECTROWINNING

COOLING SOLUTIONS Mettop GmbH

Metalex

Peter-Tunner-Str. 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 81787 Fax: 0043 (0)3842 1787-8 E-mail: cu@mettop.com Web: www.mettop.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

Hernando de Aguirre 162 Of. 806 Santiago, Chile Tel: 0056 2335 2217 Fax: 0056 2321 8280 E-mail: alillo@metalex.cl Web: www.metalex.cl Contact: Alejandro (Alex) R. Lillo

ELECTROLYTE PURIFICATION

FURNACES Kumera Corporation

Metalex

Hernando de Aguirre 162 Of. 806 Santiago, Chile Tel: 0056 2335 2217 Fax: 0056 2321 8280 E-mail: alillo@metalex.cl Web: www.metalex.cl Contact: Alejandro (Alex) R. Lillo

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

Kumerankatu 2 FI-11100 Riihimäki Finland Tel: 00358 (0)20 755 4200 Fax: 00358 (0)20 755 4320 E-mail: kumera@kumera.com Web: www.kumera.com Contact: Hannu Mansikkaviita

22 | SUPPLIER DIRECTORY FURNACES Contd

www. c op p e r wor l dw i de. co m

MATERIALS HANDLING Contd

Küttner GmbH & Co. KG Kumera Corporation Alfredstr. 28 D-45130 Essen Germany Tel: 0049 201 7293 0 Fax: 0049 201 7293 134 Email: team-knf@kuettner.com Web: www.kuettner.com Contact: Dr. Farzad Salehi

FURNACES, MELTING DROSS AND SCRAP PolyMet Solutions GmbH

Kumerankatu 2 FI-11100 Riihimäki Finland Tel: 00358 (0)20 755 4200 Fax: 00358 (0)20 755 4320 E-mail: kumera@kumera.com Web: www.kumera.com Contact: Hannu Mansikkaviita

MINERAL PROCESSING Weir Minerals Europe Limited Peter-Tunner-Str. 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 817 87 E-mail: andreas.filzwieser@polymetsolutions.com Web: www.polymet-solutions.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

FURNACES, MELTING, TILTING AND ROTARY ANDRITZ Maerz GmbH

Web: andritz.com

HEAT RECOVERY Küttner GmbH & Co. KG

hpl-Neugnadenfelder Maschinenfabrik GmbH

Halifax Road Todmorden Lancashire OL14 5RT United Kingdom Tel: 0044 1706 814251 Fax: 0044 1706 815350 Email: europe.minerals@mail.weir Web: www.minerals.weir Contact: Sales

Unit 3, Alpha Court Capitol Park, Thorne Doncaster DN8 5TZ UK Tel: 0044 (0) 1302 321313 Fax: 0044 (0) 1302 554400 E-mail: enquiries@schenckprocess.co.uk Web: www.schenckprocess.com Contact: Richard Sims

REFRACTORIES AND INSULATION HarbisonWalker International

1305 Cherrington Parkway, Suite 100, Moon Township, PA 15108 USA Tel: 001 905 977 7694 E-mail: anthony.rigby@thinkhwi.com Web: www.thinkhwi.com Contact: Joe Rigby Spangenbergstr. 20 D-49824 Ringe/Neugnadenfeld Germany Tel: 0049 5944 9301 0 Fax: 0049 5944 9301 44 E-mail: info@hpl-group.de Web: www.hpl-group.de Contact: Mr. Hans-Jaochim Biedermann

Küttner GmbH & Co. KG

PNEUMATIC CONVEYING/ INJECTION Schenck Process Corneliusstraße 36 40215 Duesseldorf Germany Tel: 0049 211 38425 0 E-mail: welcome-maerz@andritz.com

PROCESSING LINES Contd

Alfredstr. 28 D-45130 Essen Germany Tel: 0049 201 7293 0 Fax: 0049 201 7293 134 Email: team-knf@kuettner.com Web: www.kuettner.com Contact: Dr. Farzad Salehi

PROJECT ENGINEERING Küttner GmbH & Co. KG

Alfredstr. 28 D-45130 Essen Germany Tel: 0049 201 7293 0 Fax: 0049 201 7293 134 Email: team-knf@kuettner.com Web: www.kuettner.com Contact: Dr. Farzad Salehi

PolyMet Solutions GmbH

Peter-Tunner-Str. 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 817 87 E-mail: andreas.filzwieser@polymetsolutions.com Web: www.polymet-solutions.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

RHI MAGNESITA

Wienerbergstraße 9 A-1100 Vienna Austria Tel: 0043 (0) 50 213 – 6200 Fax: 0043 (0) 50 213 – 6391 E-mail: nfm-marketing@rhi-magnesita.com Web: www.rhi-magnesita.com

Saint-Gobain Industrial Ceramics Limited

Mettop GmbH

PROCESS MODELLING Alfredstr. 28 D-45130 Essen Germany Tel: 0049 201 7293 0 Fax: 0049 201 7293 134 Email: team-knf@kuettner.com Web: www.kuettner.com Contact: Dr. Farzad Salehi

MATERIALS HANDLING Combilift Ltd

UrbanGold GmbH

Peter-Tunner-Str. 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)664 88364080 E-mail: www.urbangold.at Web: recycling@urbangold.at Contact: Dr. Stefan Konetschnik

PROCESSING LINES DANIELI FRÖHLING

Gallinagh Monaghan Town Co. Monaghan Ireland Tel: 00353 (0)47 80500 Fax: 00353 (0)47 80501 E Mail: info@combilift.com Web: www.combilift.com Contact: Sales Office

DANIELI GERMANY GMBH Scherl 12 D - 58540 Meinerzhagen Germany Tel: 0049 2354 7082 0 Fax: 0049 2354 7082 200 Email: sales.germany@danieli.com Web: www.danieli.com Contact: Detlef Neumann

Peter-Tunner-Strasse 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 81787 Fax: 0043 (0)3842 1787-8 E-mail: cu@mettop.com Web: www.mettop.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES & EQUIPMENT

Mill Lane, Rainford St Helens, Merseyside WA11 8LP, UK Tel: 0044 (0)1744 887939 E-mail: craig.d.brennan@saint-gobain.com Web: www.refractories.saint-gobain.com Contact: Craig Brennan

REFRACTORIES ENGINEERING Mettop GmbH

PolyMet Solutions GmbH

Peter-Tunner-Str. 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 817 87 E-mail: andreas.filzwieser@polymetsolutions.com Web: www.polymet-solutions.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

Peter-Tunner-Strasse 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 81787 Fax: 0043 (0)3842 1787-8 E-mail: cu@mettop.com Web: www.mettop.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

SUPPLIER DIRECTORY | 23

www.copperwor ldw ide. co m

ROLLING MILL TECHNOLOGY DANIELI FRÖHLING

DANIELI GERMANY GMBH Scherl 12 D - 58540 Meinerzhagen Germany Tel: 0049 2354 7082 0 Fax: 0049 2354 7082 200 Email: sales.germany@danieli.com Web: www.danieli.com Contact: Detlef Neumann

MINO S.p.A.

SMELTING – PRIMARY ANDRITZ Maerz GmbH

Corneliusstraße 36 40215 Duesseldorf Germany Tel: 0049 211 38425 0 E-mail: welcome-maerz@andritz.com Web: andritz.com

Küttner GmbH & Co. KG

SOLVENT EXTRACTION Metalex

Hernando de Aguirre 162 Of. 806 Santiago Chile Tel: 0056 2335 2217 Fax: 0056 2321 8280 E-mail: alillo@metalex.cl Web: www.metalex.cl Contact: Alejandro (Alex) R. Lillo

TUYERE LINE MANAGEMENT Heath & Sherwood (1964) Limited Via Torino 1 15122 - San Michele (AL) P.O. Box 362 – 15121 Italy Tel: 0039 0131 363636 Fax: 0039 0131 361611 E-mail: sales@mino.it Web: www.mino.it Contact: Geminiano Chiesa

Alfredstr. 28 D-45130 Essen Germany Tel: 0049 201 7293 0 Fax: 0049 201 7293 134 Email: team-knf@kuettner.com Web: www.kuettner.com Contact: Dr. Farzad Salehi

Primetals Technologies USA LLC

SMELTING – SECONDARY ANDRITZ Maerz GmbH

50 Prescott Street Worcester, Massachusetts, USA 01605 Tel: 001 508 755 6111 Fax: 001 508 849 6573 E-mail: contact@primetals.com Web: www.primetals.com Contact: David Gow

SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS Alex Stewart (International) Corporation

WEIGHING AND FEEDING

Corneliusstraße 36

Schenck Process

40215 Duesseldorf Germany Tel: 0049 211 38425 0 E-mail: welcome-maerz@andritz.com Web: andritz.com

Kumera Corporation

Alex Stewart International 2b Sefton Business Park, Netherton Liverpool, Merseyside L30 1RD, UK Tel: 0044 (0)151 525 1499 Fax: 0044 (0) 151 523 3760 E-mail: analysis@alexstewartinternational.com Web: www.alexstewartinternational.com Contact: Stephen Russell

SCREENING Schenck Process

Pallaswiesenstraße 100 64293 Darmstadt Germany Tel: 0049 61 51 15 31 0 Fax: 0049 61 51 15 31 66 E-mail: sales@schenckprocess.com Web: www.schenckprocess.com Contact: Martin Brauer

Kumerankatu 2 FI-11100 Riihimäki Finland Tel: 00358 (0)20 755 4200 Fax: 00358 (0)20 755 4320 E-mail: kumera@kumera.com Web: www.kumera.com Contact: Hannu Mansikkaviita

Küttner GmbH & Co. KG

Alfredstr. 28 Pallaswiesenstraße 100 64293 Darmstadt Germany Tel: 0049 61 51 15 31 0 Fax: 0049 61 51 15 31 66 E-mail: vibrating@schenckprocess.com Web: www.schenckprocess.com Contact: Ingo Fjelsten

512 Government Road West P.O. Box 340 Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada, P2N 3J2 Tel: 001 705 567 5313 Fax: 001 705 568 8545 E-mail: info@heathandsherwood.com Web: www.heathandsherwood.com Contact: Michael Marinigh

D-45130 Essen Germany Tel: 0049 201 7293 0 Fax: 0049 201 7293 134 Email: team-knf@kuettner.com Web: www.kuettner.com

You will find these firms exhibiting at upcoming events

Contact: Dr. Farzad Salehi

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

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24 | CESCO WEEK PREVIEW

www. c op p e r wor l dw i de. co m

Another big week for copper The 23rd CESCO Week 2019 takes place from 8-11 April at the Sheraton Hotel and Convention Center in Santiago, Chile.

CESCO Week 2019 8 April International Forum on Mining Explorations 9-10 April The 18th CRU World Copper Conference (WCC)

The 2018 CESCO Dinner held at the Espacio Riesco. Photo: CESCO

Whilst the price of copper and other commodities is seen as stable in the short term and with good medium-term prospects, worldwide mining is in transition to a next stage, driven by the imperative of productivity and inclusion of new technologies such as automation, scarcity of water and energy, the pressure from the local communities and, inclusion and workforce diversity.

Interviewed internally in December, CESCO Executive Director Alejandra Wood said “We have signs of greater optimism from the market players after this year of transition, where towards the end of the period there were concrete signs of investment reactivation.

We are fully working with our co-organisers in the value proposition of the CESCO Week events. The third version of the Mining and Sustainability seminar will this year focus on tailings.”

10 April CESCO Dinner 2019 This year’s CESCO Dinner Speaker is Riel Miller, an economist and UNESCO’s Future Literacy Leader. For thirty years he has dedicated his work to the world of innovation, leadership and transformation in the public and private sectors throughout the world.

11 April 3rd International Seminar on Mining & Sustainable Development Roskill ‘On the road’ seminar Golf Tournament Mining Cup 2019 12 April Seminar on Mining and Climate Change April 2018’s CESCO Week saw 80 speakers, 40 participating countries, 100 leading companies, 10 seminars and/or panels of experts, 500 participants of the 17th WCC, and 1,600 attendees to the CESCO Dinner. www.cesco.cl

Bastos set to join Anglo American Anglo American plc announced on 1 March 2019 that Marcelo Bastos will join the Board as a non-executive director with effect from 1 April 2019. Mr Bastos brings more than 30 years of experience in the mining industry, most recently as Chief Operating Officer of MMG, the global base metals producer with interests from Australia to Peru. Following an executive career that included senior roles at BHP in Australia and Colombia, Mr Bastos has taken on a number of advisory and non-executive roles with other mining, engineering and logistics organisations.

Marcelo Bastos served as chief operating officer of MMG between 2011 and 2017, responsible for the group’s copper, zinc, silver, lead and gold operations, and sales and marketing. In this role, he also led the planning and development of the Las Bambas copper mine in Peru. www.angloamerican.com

It was announced in January 2019 that Bechtel, a global leader in engineering, procurement and construction, has received approval from Teck to proceed with the expansion of the Quebrada Blanca copper mine in Chile, comprising a143,000 tonnes per day copper concentrator, a high-capacity desalination plant, and a 165 km water supply pipeline. The Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 project (QB2) is located in the northern Chilean Andes, 4,300 meters above sea level and approximately 145 km from the Pacific Ocean. Bechtel will be responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM).

First production is targeted for the second half of 2021 and QB2 is expected to generate 316,000 tonnes of copper-equivalent production per year for the first five full years of mine life.

Bechtel’s global experience includes delivering more than 40 major copper projects, as well as other major projects in the mining and metals industry, and a 60 percent increase in copper production capacity in Latin America over the last three decades.

The QB2 project is owned by Compañía Minera Teck Quebrada Blanca SA (QBSA), which upon closing of the recently announced transaction will be indirectly owned by Teck (60 percent), Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd and Sumitomo Corporation (30 percent), and Enami, the Chilean State agency (10 percent). Bechtel has worked with Teck since 2011, including on development of the studies for the Quebrada Blanca mine expansion, which received approval for its social and environmental impact assessment in August 2018. www.bechtel.com

Jacobs explores hydrogen conversion

investment. The project at Collahuasi, one of the world’s largest copper mines with an estimated 2018 production of 545,000 tonnes, would upgrade operations to improve efficiency and production.

Leveraging its expertise in hydrogen, reformer technology and CO2 capture, Jacobs is providing a feasibility study for Equinor to evaluate the possibilities for building a hydrogen production plant, including CO2 capture, liquefaction and export facilities, at Eemshaven in the Netherlands.

The hydrogen will be supplied as fuel to an existing natural gas-fired power plant that will be converted into a hydrogen-fueled power plant designed to lower the plant’s carbon emissions at a large scale and to a future hydrogen market via a hydrogen pipeline and storage facilities. The liquefied CO2 will be shipped to Norway for offshore storage.

Jacob’s November 2018 ‘H21 North of England (NoE) report’ in the UK set out how 3.7 million homes and 40,000 businesses, currently heated by natural gas, could be converted to hydrogen and made emissionfree by 2034.

www.reuters.com

www.jacobs.com

Marcelo Bastos is joining Anglo American

Collahuasi seeks expansion permit It was reported in December 2018 that Chilean miner Collahuasi, primarily co-owned by Anglo American Plc and Glencore Plc, had applied for an environmental permit to extend the life of its deposit with an estimated US$ 3.2 billion

Bechtel to expand Quebrada Blanca

Copper Worldwide Vol 9 No 1

18th

World Copper Conference 2019 8-10 April 2019 • Santiago, Chile Part of CESCO Week

The definitive copper conference The conference, part of CESCO Week Santiago, constitutes one of the most important gatherings in the mining industry. This CEO-level meeting boasts an impressive delegation of industry decision-makers and is the best opportunity to hear from copper mining and smelting industry leaders.

450

delegates

35+

countries

40%

C-level executives

A focussed forum that attracts the global players, influencers and decision-makers in the copper business Gordon Bogden, Chairman, Black Loon Group

Themes to be covered in 2019 will include:

Previous speakers have included:

• CEO Panel: Mining pioneers – emerging business models

Nelson Pizarro, Chief Executive Officer, Codelco

• Mining costs are once again rising - Which technological advances are having the greatest impact on OPEX?

Harry Conger, President & COO - Americas, Freeport-McMoRan

• Scrap – What impact will Chinese government proposals to ban the import of all forms of imported scrap have on global metals flows and on Chinese consumers? Will this policy stimulate a large and automated scrap recycling sector?

Hennie Faul, Chief Executive Officer, Copper, Anglo American

• Traceability requirements – How will greater traceability and an emphasis on sustainable copper affect prices and market dynamics?

• The economic footprint of the mining industry extends far beyond the mine mouth - How are governments and policy-makers stimulating domestic industries and identifying international export opportunities for the METS sector?

• Chinese demand – China’s growth rates remain robust in-spite of its economic transition. What are the key upside and downside risks?

• From finance, to incentives, to tech metals - exploring the outlook for exploration • Green tech – How are forecasts for electric vehicles evolving?

• Beyond the base case – Copper price under different market scenarios • CFO Panel: Financial innovation – emerging mining finance models

Jorge Gómez, Executive President, Minera Collahuasi

Arnaud Soirat, Chief Executive, Copper & Diamonds, Rio Tinto Vanessa Davidson, Director of Copper Research and Strategy, CRU John MacKenzie, Executive Chairman, Mantos Copper Abraham Chahuan, Chief Executive Officer, Compania Minera Antamina S.A J.C Laddha, Head - Copper Business, Hindalco Industries Daniel Malchuk, President Operations, Minerals Americas, BHP Billiton

Interested in sponsoring or exhibiting?

With such a influential audience, the conference offers a great opportunity to raise your company profile to decision-makers.

To discuss the opportunities available, please contact Paul Terry at paul.terry@crugroup.com or call +44 (0)20 7903 2131

Gold Sponsors:

For more information and to book your place, visit www.worldcopperconference.com

Supporting Publication:

#CRUcopper