CWDigital 2021 Issue 4 (incl. 2&3) July

CWD 2021 ISSUE 4 (incl. 2&3) JULY

CWDigital 2

2020 Managerial Review

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Key news stories from the Global Copper Supply Chain

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News - Featuring African and Russian projects and

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further corporate reporting

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A Clean Green Revolution - Case Study, pledges,

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objectives and findings

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Event Reviews - Sustainability and Super Cycles Event

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Previews - A diamond life, events schedule

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Copper for the EV age - Supply chain overview and

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market development stories

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Contracts and People - Udokan, Jiangxi Copper,

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Nornickel, Almalyk, Mantoverde and more

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Event Previews

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SUSTAINABILITY IS THE CAPACITY TO ENDURE

A Copper Worldwide Magazine Publication ISSN 2634-7040

INTRODUCTION

www.copperwor ldw ide. co m

Herein fourth Edition of CWDigital online magazine, a sister publication to Copper Worldwide magazine, which has just passed its tenth Anniversary Year.

My fascination with copper and its alloys production and processing technologies began during my time in the early 2000s as an international Technical Sales Engineer, supplying induction billet heating systems to the ferrous and non-ferrous sector. I then worked for a time with a continuous rotary extrusion manufacturer, and (as they say) the rest is history!

As key technology trends and market issues develop globally, this regular update will both increase awareness of and build upon the established Editorial range of Co p per Worldwide print magazine.

The ongoing global pandemic and vaccination rollout continues to challenge supply chains in new ways.

Enjoy reading this latest publication.

“Over the last 10 years Copper Worldwide has become a valuable source of news, insights and information about the international copper industry - in particular for the copper processing industry.

At the IWCC we have been delighted to regularly contribute to Copper Worldwide magazine, and continue to see the publication as an important way to promote our work and events to the wider copper industry. I expect that under the leadership of Editor Chris Holding, Copper Worldwide will continue to go from strength to strength in the next 10 years as well.”

Mark Loveitt, IWCC President

“The SMS group team would like to congratulate to Chris Holding and Copper Worldwide for a decade’s work by the magazine in support of the Copper Industry. The accompanying good reporting of innovations and technologies by the magazine was always important for us and we appreciate the good cooperation. Wecontinue to wish you all the best for the future.”

SMS group

“This year Copper Worldwide magazine is celebrating their 10th anniversary and ContinuusProperzi is happy to share in this joyous occasion.

This publication has been our gateway to the world allowing us to promote our engineering and technology which is the result of our most treasured asset, our Research and Development Department. This is simply a tribute to the friendship that has evolved between Continuus-Properzi and Mr. Chris Holding, a man who turned his passion into a successful business. We wish him the best of luck for the next 10 years!”

Continuus-Properzi Team

Chris K. Holding Editor (2011 -) Publisher: Chris K Holding BSc BEng Contributing Editors: Phillip Mackey Jonathan Barnes Published by Wimborne, UK Tel: +44(0)7731 784798 www.copperworldwide.com The articles within Copper Worldwide and CWDigital are copyright and are the property of the publisher Metallic Media Limited and cannot be reproduced in any media form without permission of the publisher.

“Copper Worldwide Magazine is a complete, reliable, comprehensive and continuously updated source of information regarding not only the worldwide copper and copper alloys market but also the latest technologies of copper alloys processing and copper products manufacturing. The accurate preparation of each issue of the Magazine and the variety of contents of the articles make Copper Worldwide Magazine an indispensable reference for all the industries, engineering companies, equipment suppliers and research organisations.”

Geminiano Chiesa, Business Area Manager, MINO S.p.A.

“The International Copper Association (ICA) works to develop and defend copper markets. For almost a decade we have valued the support received from Copper Worldwide magazine and Chris Holding, its editor. Copper World0wide gives ICA the opportunity to bring important industry issues to a larger audience, and we look forward to working with this essential resource for many years to come.”

International Copper Association (ICA)

“Copper Worldwide is the only periodical magazine that focuses solely on all aspects of the copper business. It is much more than the collection of press releases, as it looks also behind the information of companies. As Chris Holding – the Editor – himself is an expert of copper, he is active to get information also by own research – like visiting important copper events and doing interviews.

The magazine touches the copper business as a whole: Products, Technologies, Events, Companies, People News.

It has a readable layout and the articles are not too long but always informative, so it is a must for every leading manager in the Copper Industry to stay up-to-date in an ‘info-taining’ way.”

Bernd E. Langner, Author, Understanding Copper - Technologies, Business, Markets

“Copper Worldwide gives a great and still compact overview of all activities happening in our industry all over the world. For me personally, Copper Worldwide is the magazine where my number of read articles is by far the highest regarding the offered articles. Another very special highlight is the annually updated wall map of all copper smelters and refineries in the world.”

Dr. Andreas Filzwieser, Managing Director, Mettop GmbH

“Copper Worldwide offers a valuable service to the copper sector with its magazine focusing on copper production and processing which provides a convenient way to keep up with current news and developments in the industry. ALTA has worked with Copper Worldwide since 2015 for advertising and publishing and they have co-sponsored the annual ALTA conference since 2015. We look forward to continuing this important partnership for years to come.”

Allison Taylor, Conference & Exhibition Manager, ALTA Metallurgical Services

“With the quarterly journal Copper Worldwide, Chris Holding has created an essential support service for both copper industry executives and professionals. It is informative, engaging in both content and style.

Having collaborated closely with Chris for many years now, I find him very capable, knowledgeable, well-informed and thorough in his work. Not only has he a sound, wide editing experience, but also a good head for business, which reflects in his professionalism.

I look forward to further productive co-operation with him in the future.”

Phillip Mackey, P. Eng, PhD, FCIM, FAIME Honoured by the Phillip Mackey Copper Pyrometallurgy Symposium held in 2019 The 2020 EPD (USA) Distinguished Lecturer Award The 2021 John Elliott Lectureship Award

CWDigital 2021 e4 (incl. 2&3)

Los Bronces boost for Anglo American APR 22 - Anglo American copper production increased by 9% to 160,300 tonnes, due to strong operational performance at both Los Bronces and Collahuasi. Production from Los Bronces increased by 15% y-o-y to 78,800 t, with higher water availability resulting in a 63% increase in plant throughput, partially offset by planned lower grade (0.72% vs 0.98%). At Collahuasi, attributable production increased by 8% y-o-y to 71,600 t, due to a sustained increase in plant performance resulting in higher throughput and recoveries as well as planned higher ore grade (1.26% vs 1.20%).

Chilean challenge for BHP units

CIGO is a room where operators remotely manage some of the mining processes, like drilling and crushing. Photo: Anglo American

Full year production guidance is unchanged at 640,000-680,000 t. www.angloamerican.com

FCX restarts Chino operations APR 22 - According to Freeport-McMoRan FirstQuarter 2021 Results, capital expenditures totalled US$ 0.4 billion (including approximately US$ 0.3 bn for major projects) in Q1 2021. Capital expenditures for 2021, excluding Indonesia smelter expenditures, are expected to approximate US$ 2.3 bn, including US$ 1.4 bn for major projects primarily associated with underground development activities in the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia. First-quarter 2021 copper sales were 825 M lb (Q1 2020: 729 M lb) of copper, primarily reflecting continued progress of the ramp-up of underground mining at PT Freeport Indonesia (PT-FI), partly offset by timing of shipments.

During first-quarter 2021, mining activities at the Chino mine (USA) were restarted at a rate of approximately 100 M lb copper per year (or 50 percent of capacity). During first-quarter 2021, Cerro Verde’s concentrator facilities in Peru exceeded planned milling rates and averaged 390,100 t ore per day.

The El Abra (Chile) large sulphide resource could potentially support a major mill project similar to facilities constructed at Cerro Verde in 2015. FCX continues to evaluate a largescale expansion at El Abra to process additional sulphide material and to achieve higher copper recoveries. www.fcx.com

Glencore records moderate rise in output APR 29 - Glencore’s First Quarter 2021 Production Report says own-sourced copper production of 301,200 tonnes was 3% higher than in Q1 2020, mainly relating to productivity improvements and mine plan sequencing at South American operations including Collahuasi, Antamina and Antapaccay. Own-sourced zinc production of 282,600 t was 13,000 t (4%) lower than Q1 2020, mainly relating to lower grades at Kazzinc’s Maleevsky mine and mine sequencing at Kidd. Attributable Collahuasi copper production of 71,700 t was 8% higher

than Q1 2020, reflecting higher milling throughput. Similarly for Antamina, its 35,800 t was 8% higher than Q1 2020, due to mine sequencing. Antapaccay in turn recorded a 5% increase to 59,300 t year-on-year. Mine sequencing at Cobar in Australia led to 39,800 t own sourced copper production (-9%), reflecting temporary lower grades. Custom metallurgical assets copper cathode production was 127,200 t (+3%) y-o-y, whilst copper anode production of 126,700 t was in line with Q1 2020.

APR 21 - BHP reports copper production for the nine months ended 31 March 2021 decreased by six per cent to 1,233 kt. Guidance for the 2021 financial year increased to between 1,535 and 1,660 kt from between 1,510 and 1,645 kt. Chilean assets continued to operate with a substantial reduction in their operational workforces as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, with more challenges in the June 2021 quarter.

Escondida copper production decreased by eight per cent to 821 kt with record concentrator throughput of 378 ktpd achieved offset by the impact of lower concentrator feed grade and lower cathode volumes. Guidance for FY 2021 is between 1,010 and 1,060 kt. On 1 April 2021, Escondida successfully completed negotiations for a new two-year collective agreement with Intermel. Escondida’s collective agreement with Union No1 of Operators and Maintainers expires on 1 August 2021 and negotiations are expected to commence in June.

Pampa Norte copper production decreased by 21 per cent to 149 kt, largely due to planned maintenance at Spence. Guidance for FY 2021 has been lowered to between 225 and 255 kt, reflecting COVID-19 related impacts on the ramp-up of the Spence Growth Option (SGO). SGO achieved first copper sales, on schedule, in March 2021, following first copper production in December 2020. The ramp-up to full production capacity at SGO is still on track and is expected to take approximately 12 months from first production, following which Spence is expected to average 300 ktpy of production (including cathodes) over the first four years.

Spence’s collective agreement with Union for Operators and Maintainers expires on 30 May 2021, with negotiations for a new agreement currently underway. www.bhp.com

MMG stays on track despite Covid wave APR 22 - MMG Limited first quarter 2021 total

2.5 bn Michiquillay and US$ 2 bn Los Chancas projects and on expanding its smelter, a refinery in Ilo and the processing plant at its Cuajone mine in Moquegua so that it can increase production from 85,000 tonnes ore per day to 120,000 tpd.

MAY 7 - Peru’s final two presidential election candidates Pedro Castillo and Keiko Fujimori face a 6 June run-off vote, which may have implications not only for Tia Maria but for the general mining industry there.

recordable injury frequency (TRIF) was 0.79 per million hours worked, an improvement on the full year 2020 TRIF of 1.38. Production results showed 77,328 tonnes of copper and 68,399 t of zinc. Total copper production was in line with plan despite being below prior periods.

This was primarily due to lower ore grades reflecting the current phase of the Las Bambas mine plan and the processing of stockpiled ore at Kinsevere. Higher production rates for both are expected in H2 2021 and full year copper production guidance is maintained at between 360 kt and 390 kt.

Fewer road disruptions allowed Las Bambas to reduce inventory on site from around 65,000 t of copper in concentrate to around 37,000 t over the quarter. Pending necessary government permitting and community discussions, work continues toward the development of the Chalcobamba pit at Las Bambas in the second quarter of 2021.

www.reuters.com www.mining.com

www.mmg.com

www.glencore.com

Southern Peru hopes for capital projects MAR 14 - According to a La República report on the V Southern Mining Framework International Congress, Southern Peru Copper is working on a reviewed, basic conceptual engineering plan for the (US$ 1.4 bn) Tia Maria mine, with the goal of submitting it for approval by Grupo Mexico’s board of Directors in April. Construction of the Tía Maria project in the southern Islay province of the Arequipa region was allowed to continue in October 2019 after being halted that August. Besides Tía María, the Grupo Mexico subsidiary is working on the US$

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

CWDigital 2021 e4 (incl. 2&3)

In brief…

APR 28 The GHG emissions associated with financial institutions’ investing, lending and underwriting activities are on average over 700 times higher than their direct emissions, according to ‘The time to green finance’, a first-of-its-kind report by non-profit charity CDP, which runs the global environmental disclosure system. www.cdp.net

MAY 25 Ken Zak becomes the new head of the Dürr Group’s Clean Technology Systems division from 1 July. He succeeds Dr. Daniel Schmitt, who also drove the integration of Megtec/Universal, and will focus on exhaust-air purification and noise reduction technologies, and systems for the coating of battery electrodes. www.durr.com

MAR 10 The International Copper Study Group (ICSG) released a new Edition of its biannual Directory of Copper Mines and Plants that provides global capacity and project data. The Directory is available for sale to ICSG member country/ non-member country clients at the single-issue rate of e400/e700 and annual subscription rate of e550/e850. www.icsg.org

MAY 5 Taseko Mines’ next phase of Florence Copper will include the US$ 230 million commercial ISCR facility. Final design engineering and procurement of certain critical components is well underway to ensure a smooth transition into construction once the final Underground Inspection Control (EPA) permit is received later this year.

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

Kamoa-Kakula set to begin copper production

Good output recovery by African producers

MAY 3 - The Phase 1 KamoaKakula concentrator plant target date for C4 commissioning (milling of ore and first copper concentrate production) has been advanced to end May or early June, several months ahead of schedule. Overall construction of the project’s first phase 3.8 Mtpy concentrator plant is essentially complete, with the majority of the C1 (construction complete) certificates signed off.

The plant is energised with permanent power and C2 commissioning, which involves electrical, control and instrumentation checks, is well advanced.

Water is being circulated in certain areas of the plant, marking the beginning of C3 commissioning.

C3 commissioning involves checking for leaks, certain instrument calibration, control loop checks, and

APR 23 - ICSG Preliminary data released on 23 April indicates world refined copper production increased by about 1.7% in January 2021 compared to January 2020 with primary production (electrolytic and electrowinning) up by 2% and secondary production (from scrap) essentially unchanged. Official Chinese refined production data indicates a growth of 2% in January.

Chilean electrolytic refined output increased by 8.5%. In January 2020 production was still ramping up from smelter upgrades to comply with new environmental regulations.

After taking into account a 16% decline in electrowinning refined production, total Chilean refined copper production (electrolytic and electrowinning) declined by 7.8%.

In Africa, refined production was up by 15% in the D.R. Congo due to the continued ramp-up of new or expanded SX-EW plants, and by 40% in Zambia, where output has recovered from smelters’ operational issues and temporary shutdowns in 2019 and early 2020.

is the precursor to C4 commissioning (hot commissioning), which involves processing ore through the plant to produce a copper concentrate.

Overall plant commissioning is running well ahead of schedule, with the first ore expected to be added to the mill by the end of May 2021.

Lower-grade ore will be fed into the plant during the C4 commissioning phase, to ensure plant performance and copper recovery are satisfactory before increasing the head grade.

Kamoa-Kakula has reached the 3.0 Mt target of mined high- grade and medium-grade ore several months ahead of its pre-feasibility study timeline. Contained copper in the stockpiles increased by approximately 23,000 t in April to a cumulative total of more than 140,000 t. www.ivanhoemines.com

Pirdop seals responsible production APR 26 - Aurubis primary smelter in Pirdop, Bulgaria is its first to successfully complete the Copper Mark certification process and now bears the quality seal. The certification verifies that Aurubis Bulgaria produces copper sustainably. Sites in Hamburg and Lünen will be the next to start the audit process. The Copper Mark requires participants The Copper Mark certificate for Aurubis Bulgaria. to fulfill 32 internationally recognised Photo: Aurubis sustainability criteria, which are assessed independently of each The Copper Mark therefore looks other. These include environmental at a company’s responsible business protection, occupational health and activities as a whole. safety, compliance, and human rights. www.aurubis.com

KCC represents a key part of Glencore’s almost $USD 8 billion investment in the DRC. Its stateof-the-art infrastructure alongside a world-class copper/cobalt ore body makes the operation a key part of the global energy and mobility transitions.

Following its successful ramp-up in 2020, KCC is on track to achieve annualised nameplate capacity of 300 ktpy of copper and 30 ktpy of cobalt production. The operation conforms to the Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP) standard for cobalt as defined by the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI).

Ivan Glasenberg, CEO of Glencore, said: “Glencore remains committed to ensuring its KCC and Mutanda operations play their part.”

www.ukcop26.org

MAY 20 EcuaCorriente, a subsidiary of Chinese consortium CRC-Tongling Nonferrous Metals, expects to produce some 290,000 t of copper concentrate this year at its Mirador mine, a 93% increase compared to last year, when the company was affected by a six-month pandemic-related stoppage, leading to production of just 150,000 t. www.bnamericas.com

www.glencore.com

www.antaike.com

DRC President Tshisekedi visits Kamoto MAY 13 - The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), His Excellency Felix Tshisekedi visited the operations of Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) in Kolwezi, DRC. KCC is a joint venture between Glencore and Gécamines. President Tshisekedi was joined by the Prime Minister, Sama Lukonde, the Minister of Mines, Antoinette N’Samba, the Deputy Governor of Lualaba Province, Fifi Masuka, Albert Yuma, Chairman of Gécamines and other Senior Officials. Ivan Glasenberg, CEO of Glencore and senior representatives from Glencore’s management team, along with Daniel Freihofer - Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Switzerland in the DRC completed the delegation.

Zijin world operations report APR 14 - According to Antaike Copper & Copper Fabrication Monthly April 2021, Zijin Mining 2020 annual report states that under incredibly extraordinary circumstances, Zijin produced 40.5 tonnes of gold, 453,000 t of mineproduced copper, and 342,000 t of zinc. Heilongjiang Zijin Copper Co., Ltd produced 131,800 t of copper cathodes in 2020 and the highest monthly output reached 13,600 t. Without increasing equipment, facilities and personnel, the company has increased its designed production capacity from 150,000 t of copper cathodes to 160,000 t, achieving the goal of capacity expansion and efficiency improvement.

After completion of technological upgrade and expansion of Serbia Zijin Copper, 120 kt of mineproduced copper metal is expected to be produced annually and the smelter plant is expected to possess an annual refining capacity of 180 kt of copper metal (with room to increase to 200 kt). Kolwezi Copper Mine in the DR Congo produced 114,265 t in 2020. Bisha Zinc and Copper mine in Eritrea produced 21,725 t of copper.

www.tasekomines.com

MAY 4 The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 1 - 12 November 2021, in partnership with Italy.

The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

www.icsg.org

CWDigital 2021 e4 (incl. 2&3)

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ICSG forecasts 3.5% mine output growth

Anglo highlights technology and innovation

MAY 3 - The International Copper Study Group (ICSG) Statistical Committee developed the ICSG view of the world balance of refined copper production and use in late April. After three years of remaining essentially unchanged, world copper mine production, adjusted for historical disruption factors, is expected to increase by about 3.5% to 21.321 Mt in 2021 and 3.7% to 22.1 Mt in 2022. Production remained flat in 2020 as a recovery in production in some countries from constrained output in 2019 (e.g.

Chile and Indonesia) and additional output from projects including those in Panama, Russia and the D.R. Congo helped balance the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

MAY 11 - Anglo American presents a technology and innovation update to the investment community, hosted by Technical Director Tony O’Neill and a number of his team.

Progress on the development and implementation of Anglo American’s suite of technologies, integral to its FutureSmart MiningTM programme, is summarised in the context of Sustainable Mining Plan ambitions, particularly on water and energy targets, and the firm’s pathway to carbon neutral operations by 2040.

Earlier, Anglo American presented its biannual sustainability performance update on 26 April, highlighting among other things the securing of 100% renewable electricity supply across its operations in Brazil, Chile

Recovery In 2021, growth of 3.5% is anticipated as global output is expected to recover from 2020 constrained levels and benefit from increased supply resulting from ramp-ups and planned start-ups. Following a four-year period where only two major copper mines were commissioned, the pipeline of copper mine projects is improving. Major projects starting in 2021/2022 include Kamoa Kakula in the D.R of Congo, Quellaveco in Peru, Spence-SGO (already started), and Quebrada Blanca QB2 in Chile and Udokan in Russia. A number of medium and small projects are also expected to come on stream.

2022 In 2022, additional output from rampup mines that opened in previous years, the start-up of new major projects and expansions, together with an improvement in the global pandemic situation, should sustain a further growth of around 3.7 percent. www.icsg.org

and Peru, which were completed by the agreement announced on 15 April with Engie Energía Perú to provide 100% renewable energy for the Quellaveco copper operation.

Quellaveco is located in the Moquegua region of Peru. It is expected to produce 300,000 tonnes of copper equivalent per year in the first 10 years of operation. Anglo American has every confidence that it will deliver Quellaveco on time and on budget, with first copper production during 2022. The overall investment with partner Mitsubishi is between US$ 5 and 5.3 billion.

Anglo American’s overall copper production y-o-y in Q1 (NR 22 April) increased by 9% to 160,300 tonnes. www.angloamerican.com

Kola MMC investment plans released MAR 18 - Nornickel has allocated US$ 14 million (4 billion roubles) for the upgrade of production assets at Kola MMC in 2021. More than 6,800 units of various equipment will be delivered to the company’s divisions most of it will go to the Severny mine.

A large-scale delivery of primary and auxiliary self-propelled equipment is expected in the second half of 2021.

There is a great amount of work to be done in the Chemical and Metallurgical Workshop. Nornickel has allocated about 300 M roubles for the purchase of new press filters, a reactor, and other equipment.

In summer 2021, the company expects to renew equipment at its unique carbonyl nickel department.

Expenses for the replacement of high-pressure receivers will amount to 118 M roubles. More than US$ 756 k (54 M roubles) will be allocated for the purchase of personal gas analysers for production personnel at Kola MMC. The

systematic renewal of machinery and equipment is a crucial part of improving productivity and safety of production processes at Nornickel’s Kola Division.

APR 19 - In 1Q21, copper output at Nornickel’s operations in Russia decreased 20% y-o-y to 91 kt.

The decrease was attributed to the reduction of feed owing to the temporary suspension of the mines, the Norilsk Concentrator operating at a reduced capacity and the shutdown on March 20th of the metallurgical shop at Kola MMC. Immediately after the shop’s closure, Nornickel began cleaning up the production facilities and the metallurgical units from the coppercontaining materials. This work will last throughout 2021, and the dismantling of production facilities and buildings will start in 2022. www.velesstroy.com www.nornickel.com

Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 APR 27 - The Quebrada Blanca mine is located in Tarapacá Region of northern Chile at an elevation of 4,400 metres, approximately 240 km southeast of the city of Iquique and 1,500 km from Santiago. The Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) project is focused on secondary copper extraction from previous leach piles. It passed the half way point in April. The project includes the construction of a new 140,000

tpd concentrator, tailings storage facility, concentrate pipeline, water supply pipeline, desalination plant, concentrate filtration plant and port to produce copper and molybdenum concentrates. It expects to achieve 300,000 t of copper equivalent production per year for the first five years of mine life. First production is expected in the second half of 2022. The project’s capital cost estimate

remains at US$ 5.2 billion, with US$ 450-500 million of additional COVID-19 related costs disclosed so far. For example, the Concentrator Camp currently includes COVID expansion modules. The Remote Integrated Operations Centre is located in Santiago. Mine operator Teck Resources still expects to produce 270 - 290 kt copper in 2021. www.teck.com

CWDigital 2021 e4 (incl. 2&3)

In brief…

APR 21 BHP Olympic Dam copper production for the nine months to 31 March increased by 25 % to 155 kt, reflecting improved smelter performance and stability. The 55 kt March 2021 figure was the highest for five years. The new refinery crane is in the final stages of commissioning. A major smelter maintenance campaign is planned for the first half of 2022. www.bhp.com

MAY 10 The BHP Foundation will donate US$ 2 million to the Indian Red Cross Society as they battle the COVID-19 pandemic. This donation will help them secure and deliver critical medical supplies and services, including the distribution of oxygen concentrators and cylinders, vaccination programs and hygiene materials, to those most at risk. www.bhp.com

APR 14 Zijin Mining Group has been asked to stop work at the RTB Bor copper mine due to non-compliance with environmental standards. The company has been ordered to halt work on the Jama copper mine shaft and to complete a wastewater treatment plant at the mine to avoid polluting the River Pek, a tributary of the Danube. An April 30 deadline was given. www.reuters.com

MAY 11 The SHFE warehouse copper inventory (7 May) was 208,473 t, whilst Shanghai International Energy Echange (INE) held a further 68,058 t.

The LME and COMEX (10 May) held 118,875 t and 64,673 t respectively. The LME currently aims to publish the outcomes of its Discussion Paper on Market Structure (incl. Ring trading) on or around 8 June 2021. www.lme.com

MAR 31 President Biden unveiled a more than US$ 2 trillion infrastructure and economic recovery package, including spending on transportation infrastructure (US$ 621 bn), and water systems and electrical grids (US$ 300 bn). The proposal includes a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle chargers by 2030. www.cnbc.com

APR 29 MMC Norilsk Nickel has released its sustainability figures in 2020. The Nornickel injury rate has fallen to a record level. The Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) reduced further to 0.21 per 1,000,000 man-hours in 2020 from 0.32 in 2019. The total number of occupational accidents decreased 32% y-o-y. Zero injuries remains a top strategic goal. www.nornickel.com

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Metso Outotec introduces Planet Positive MAR 15 - Sustainability is one of Metso Outotec’s strategic priorities.

The company is committed to limiting global warming to 1.5°C. It has introduced an all-encompassing approach to sustainability, Planet Positive. Covering the environmental, social and financial aspects of sustainability, Planet Positive efforts enforce the company’s purpose to enable sustainable modern life. The Planet Positive portfolio focuses on the most environmentally efficient technologies (>100) in the company’s

customer requirements relate to energy or water efficiency, reduction of emissions, circularity and safety.

Correspondingly, Metso Outotec focuses on minimising the environmental impact of its own operations and supply chain to diminish its ecological footprint.

“There is a growing demand in The Planet Positive campaign. Photo: Metso Outotec our industry for environmentally current portfolio, responding to the efficient solutions,” says Piia Karhu, sustainability requirements of its SVP, Business Development at Metso customers in the aggregates, mining Outotec. and metals refining industries. The www.mogroup.com/sustainability

ENGIE agrees energy transition steps with Chile APR 28 - France-based ENGIE is committed to having 58% renewables in its energy mix by 2030. Its worldwide installed power capacity was 101 GW in 2020. ENGIE presented a comprehensive transformation plan for its operations in Chile, which includes the development of 2 GW of renewable energy capacity and the end of its coalfired power generation activities by 2025 (nearly 1.5 GW). After a virtual meeting between Sebastian

Piñera, President of Chile, and Catherine MacGregor, ENGIE CEO, the Group reaffirmed its commitment of closing six units (0.8 GW) of coal capacity, including two facilities already closed in 2019, and the conversion of the three newest units (0.7 GW) to gas or biomass by 2025.

ENGIE also announced the development of a 2 GW renewable energy portfolio in Chile, representing an additional 1 GW since the last announcement in

2019. To date 0.6 GW is already under construction. The entire plan involves an investment of EUR 1.5 billion by 2025. It will enable ENGIE to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% from its energy production activities in Chile by 2026. In line with the country’s decarbonisation strategy, ENGIE has also reaffirmed its commitment to developing green hydrogen production. The Group is the only company to have developed three pilot projects in the country. www.engie.com

A nation determined to stay green clarity, transparency, and understanding’ (ICTU).

Presently the largest producer of offshore wind energy in the world (2020: 10,428 MW installed capacity), the UK has cut emissions by more than 40% since 1990, the fastest rate in the G7, and is the first major economy to pass laws for net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The UK’s 25 Year

quality, nature recovery, waste and resource efficiency. Its ten point plan for green industrial revolution covers clean energy, transport, nature and innovative technologies.

Global trade in low-carbon goods and services is expected to grow from £150 billion in 2015 to between £2.8-£5.1 trillion in 2050.

world growth of about 3%. Growth of about 4% is expected in China for 2021 and 2022. World secondary refined production is expected to grow in 2021 and 2022 on the basis of continued improvement in scrap availability, after a 4% fall in 2019 and 2020. Global primary electrolytic refined production (from concentrates and SX-EW) is forecast to increase by 2.9% in 2021 and

Camipa. The US$ 6.5 bn Cobre Panama copper-gold mine ranks among the country’s biggest ever investments, and is expected to play a key role in Panama’s post-pandemic economic recovery.

China’s copper smelting capacity set to peak

Some politicians are pushing for an increase to Cobre Panama’s 2% mining royalty, while trade and industry ministry MICI has pledged to strengthen mining institutions. www.bnamericas.com

www.reuters.com

www.ukcop26.org

2022, with SX-EW output presenting lower growth of 0.6% in 2021 and 2.2% in 2022.

Refined copper usage will remain static at 25.088 Mt in 2021, but will rise 3% to 25.829 Mt in 2022. World refined copper balance projections indicate a surplus of about 80,000 t for 2021 and 110,000 t for 2022 respectively. www.icsg.org

Panama seeks better terms with First Quantum MAY 14 - The Panamanian government is renegotiating First Quantum Minerals’ Cobre Panama mining contract, with the aim of reaching a mutually-beneficial deal, according to local mining chamber

Energy transition “We want to align the aspects of People, Economy, and Environment,” explains Roland Harings, “There can be no energy transition without metals, especially copper, in applications in wind turbines, highvoltage cables, electric vehicles, and batteries.” Steps towards preventing the use of fossil fuels in production include the upcoming trial for utilising hydrogen in the primary smelter in Hamburg to replace natural gas in production, whilst at the Aurubis site in Pirdop, Bulgaria, a 10 MW-peak photovoltaic park will be constructed, presently the largest of its kind in Bulgaria.

APR 12 - Copper smelting capacity in China will soon reach a peak as part of efforts to meet the country’s climate pledges, Duan Shaofu, secretary general of the CNIA’s copper branch, told the CRU World Copper virtual conference. China’s smelting capacity rose to about 8.34 million tonnes at the end of 2020, while it had 12.08 Mt of refining capacity. China’s copper smelters and their raw material needs - have grown at breakneck speed in recent years, but authorities have vowed to crack down on ‘blind’ expansion.

The CNIA set a provisional goal of bringing nonferrous metal carbon emissions to a peak by 2025 and cutting them by 40% by 2040.

China aims to reach peak overall emissions before 2030 and to become carbon neutral by 2060.

Duan expects copper scrap’s substitution effect - replacement of other forms of copper - to become more obvious in future as China recycles more. The path to carbon neutrality will boost copper demand to some extent.

Refined production rising by 3% annually MAY 3 - According to the latest ICSG forecast, after increasing by 1.6% in 2020, world refined copper production is expected to rise by about 3% to 25.167 Mt in 2021 and 3.1% to 25.937 Mt in 2022.

World refined production grew by 1.6% in 2020.

In 2021-2022, continued expansion of capacity in China and the D.R. Congo will support higher

MAY 30 - Aurubis AG released its seventh Sustainability Report, entitled FOCUS Sustainability. The report includes the level of achievement for the Sustainability Strategy targets.

The Group is committed to the goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050 at the latest. Aurubis says it financed the Metallo acquisition with a sustainable Schuldschein loan that’s linked to its ESG performance in the EcoVadis rating.

www.aurubis.com

DEC 12 - The UK communicated known as ‘information to facilitate Environment Plan addresses air its new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The NDC commits the UK to reducing economy-wide GHG emissions by at least 68% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. It also includes information on how this target was developed and is quantified,

Persistent focus on green mission

by Aurubis

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A green economy that began long ago The term ‘Green Economy’ is often used and many times misused, without knowing its true meaning.

It is therefore necessary, for the purposes of this article, to briefly clarify the concept …

Green economy: economic form in which public and private investments aim to reduce carbon emissions and pollution, to increase energy and resource efficiency, to avoid the loss of biodiversity and to conserve the ecosystem (encyclopedia Treccani).

From this neologism which came into force in 2015, we can start many digressions which, in the case of a company such as Continuus-Properzi, translate into a specific branch of the green economy: Green-tech. This is defined as clean energy at the service of ecology, even if only in part, making the most of or making use of, clean technologies.

The argument is quite vast but what we are interested in highlighting in this article is the presence of this ‘green’ connotation within the Properzi organisation before it became an actual topic. The company has always worked hard in the research and study of technology aimed at outlining green-tech in different facets - precisely a green economy that began long ago. We would therefore like to illustrate the Properzi technology in parallel with some principles/themes that distinguish this type of green economy as they occurred chronologically during the company’s history, as follows: Circular economy 2008 - Already during the 1980s, Properzi applied a sort of circular economy, systematically reusing resources and eliminating waste in following the logic of a ‘circular’ economy. In that era, the process fluids used in the first Properzi Casting and Rolling lines for the production of lead strip were, and continue to be, closed-loop circuits so as not to be dispersed into the environment.

Moreover, the production waste, namely the lead strip trimmings, was, and continues to be, directly returned to the furnaces for re-melting, thereby avoiding any type of process scrap and therefore any waste.

Energy efficiency Currently, the ‘Continuus-Properzi Furnaces & Combustion Division’ is dedicated entirely to the engineering, design, construction and shipment of furnaces (we also organise the transportation of over-sized shipments) that serve CCR (Continuous Casting & Rolling) lines for the production of aluminium and copper wire rod.

Let’s focus our attention for a moment on ‘recycling’ and therefore on the production of copper wire rod starting from scrap. Recycling of copper scrap is one of the best examples of a circular economy. Melting, refining and casting the desired final product according to Properzi knowhow, accumulated during 30+ years of experience, allows great economic savings and avoids additional exploitation of the mines.

Properzi’s scrap recycling technology fits perfectly into this context, allowing greater energy efficiency as the production phases are significantly reduced.

Here is a clear comparison of both technologies, Properzi’s technology versus traditional recycling technology:

This technology requires special furnace typology that we will describe in a detailed manner below: 2012 - One furnace, in particular, benefits from energy efficiency; it is a Properzi scrap refining furnace for the production of copper wire rod. This furnace, having a top loading configuration, can accommodate larger quantities of scrap and requires fewer door openings during the scrap loading process, which further improves its efficiency.

With the new geometrical configuration of the furnaces, by placing a large door in an elevated position served by an inexpensive skip charging machine, we are able to achieve significantly improved thermal efficiency due to the enormous quantity of Cu scrap loaded through the charging door (patented by Giulio Properzi, inventor of several new solutions serving the non-ferrous industry). The first furnace with a capacity of 250 tons per day was produced that same year.

Several top-loading furnaces with capacity of 100 tons per day have been installed since then. When the charging door is on top of the furnace body, the scrap can be conveyed by a belt through a

Properzi Vert-Melt Furnace in operation at 5 tph rate EC Rod. Photo: Properzi

Scrap Refining Furnace 250 tpd - from the engineering to the production. Photo: Properzi

smaller door thereby minimising the escape of heat and pollutant fumes.

2015 - Energy efficiency is also exemplified by another type of Properzi furnace, a melting furnace that is part of the plants for the production of aluminium wire rod, called the Properzi Vert-Melt (Vertical Melting) Furnace.

The Vert-Melt Furnace is a combination of a vertical melting furnace (shaft) with a static receiving/holding chamber. It offers several advantages including: much higher energy efficiency compared to any type of reverberatory furnace (1 to 1.5 % versus 3 to 5 %), lower emissions, and 25% less gas consumption. The efficiency of the furnace is significantly increased thanks to the recycling of the heat absorbed by the molten metal from the combustion of the main burners, but also from the fumes coming from the receiving chamber.

Rolling mill machining operation at the workshop. Photo: Properzi

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Green business The meaning that Continuus-Properzi gives to this chapter of the green economy is further

A CLEAN GREEN REVOLUTION | 8

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Net-zero GHG pledge for Kamoa-Kakula MAY 5 - Ivanhoe Mines has pledged to achieve net-zero operational greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1 and 2) at the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Robert Friedland, Ivanhoe Mines’ Executive Co-Chair, announced at the 2021 Goldman Sachs Copper Day. Since the

Kamoa-Kakula mine and concentrator plant already are powered by clean, renewable hydrogenerated electricity, the focus of the company’s net-zero commitment will be on electrifying the project’s mining fleet with new, state-of-theart equipment powered by electric batteries or hydrogen fuel cells.

A 2020 independent audit of KamoaKakula’s greenhouse gas intensity metrics performed by Hatch Ltd. of Mississauga, Canada, confirmed that the project will be among the world’s lowest greenhouse gas emitters per unit of copper produced. www.ivanhoemines.com

Ivanhoe in SNEL hydropower partnership APR 26 - Ivanhoe Mines Energy DRC, a sister company of Kamoa Copper SA, signs a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in a public-private partnership with the DRC’s state-owned power company La Société Nationale d’Electricité (SNEL) to upgrade Turbine 5 at the existing Inga II hydropower

facility 1,400 km away from Kamoa-Kakula on the Congo River.

Originally equipped between 1977 and 1982, Inga II has been running for approximately 40 years. Four of its eight turbines have been refurbished. Turbine 5 is one of the remaining four that are awaiting an upgrade. An estimated

output of 162 MW is expected to be unlocked any surplus power produced will be distributed on the national power grid. Upgrading of the Mwadingusha hydropower plant (around 250 km away from K-K) is nearing completion to generate 78 MW of hydropower for the first two phases. www.ivanhoemines.com

RE100 plants is objective for SKC FEB 5 - A 44 ktpy capacity SK nexilis copper foil factory project is anounced in Malaysia.

Chosen location Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah Province in the northern part of Borneo Island, offers a low power supply rate and has a large-sized port and an airport, as well as a suitable 400,000 m2 plot. In an electrodeposited copper manufacturing process, the copper foil is deposited on a titanium rotating drum from a copper solution where it is connected to a large DC voltage source.

A large part of Malaysia’s power generation relies on renewable energy like hydraulic power generation. The six SK affiliates, including parent company SKC, have announced their resolve to push forward with RE100 (a 100% by 2050 renewable consumption commitment, with at least 60% by 2030), overseen by Brusselsbased charity CDP, which has run its global environmental disclosure systems since 2000.

SK nexilis also plans to install an automated facility. It is already using unmanned

transportation vehicles and robots in Factory-4 in Jeongeup, which has started commercial operations. Based on this experience SK nexilis plans to upgrade Factories-5/6 accordingly. Follow-up investments in Malaysia, Europe, and the United States are under consideration. According to SNE Research, the EV battery markets are expected to grow by 41% and 38% av, respectively, until 2025. www.there100.org www.skc.kr

ICSG Secretariat copper concentrates findings APR 30 - According to the ICSG recently discussed data, copper content in the global output of copper concentrates stagnated at around 16.5 Mt Cu per year (peak 2018: 16.7 Mt) on average in 2017-2020. An important part of the production comes from many countries with low output. Contained sulphur was an estimated 20.03 kt in 2020 and iron was 15.4 kt. Copper content in exports fell 8 per cent in 2020. Chile and Peru

account for 56% of export trade. China, Japan and the Korean Republic together receive 74% of imports. Impurities in copper concentrates exported in 2020 were 23.8 Mt. Only 9 of the 56 copper mines with the largest reserves presented ore grades over 1% copper. Average copper ore grades in Chile are down from 1.4% in 1999 to 0.67% in 2019. The country exported a record 12.8 Mt in gross weight at 26.7% Cu content that year.

Reported antimony, fluorine, bismuth, mercury and arsenic content rose significantly between 2017 and 2019.

Global copper smelter capacity is forecast to achieve 25 Mt Cu by 2023, with China’s capacity set to exceed 10 Mtpy by 2023. Carbon emissions from copper smelters might be reduced with less smelters approved in the future, according to CNIA.

emphasised through one of its greatest and most celebrated achievements, that is the duration of its equipment (plants) over time. There are Properzi lines that date back more than sixty years still in operation today. Therefore, we like to think that our plants are somehow ‘green’ from the perspective that they can always be revamped and therefore ‘modernised’ at any time.

We are pleased to confirm that even for our older machinery, placed in operation five, six or seven decades ago, we have kept the complete technical file for each piece of equipment including component dimensions, flow rate charts, general drawings, data, etc. This is our way of keeping alive all the Properzi equipment that has served or still serves our clients.

We can say that in addition to highlighting green business, Continuus-Properzi also displays a green vision which is strongly oriented towards innovation through their research and development. The job of the R&D department is to

optimise the efficiency of Properzi plants, making them more and more competitive while continuously limiting their consumption of energy.

with energy-saving control techniques, for example: evening deactivation and minimised heating phase, guarantee the reduction of energy requirements as well as integrated efficiency.

The machines in our workshop are of different varieties (Hermle C60 V Dynamic, Hermle C40 U Dynamic, FTP Romin, and DMG Mori CTX range 200 CT) and each of them is dedicated to a specific type of operation where they produce the many components which are then assembled to build our machines and complete lines.

To conclude, perhaps our company is not completely green according to the current characteristics of the modern Green Economy, but we are proud to declare that we have spanned more than seventy years in which green economy and engineering have interpenetrated one another, thereby defining who we are and what the world has come to know as CONTINUUS-PROPERZI.

2020 - This year we have refined and implemented our Technical Consultancy service - outlined in different solutions: from the basic service via e-mail to the most advanced remote service resulting from the fundamental principles prescribed by Industry 4.0. After evaluation of existing systems, this service can be applied in order to obtain greater efficiency in consumption, considerable economic savings, and actual improvement in production performance.

To date, our company has invested large sums of capital in the purchase of the latest generation of machine tools, which make use of energy recovery systems and optimally sized refrigerant systems. The combination of these factors along

www.icsg.org

www.properzi.com

PROPERZI FURNACES & COMBUSTION DIVISION PROPERZI FURNACES FOR COPPER LINES

PROPERZI FURNACES FOR ALUMINIUM LINES

VERT-REF (Vertical Refining) FURNACES for Copper Scrap

VERT-MELT (Vertical Melting) FURNACE SET

SHAFT & HOLDING FURNACES for Copper Cathodes REVERBERATORY SCRAP REFINING FURNACES for Copper Scrap

WE PRODUCE TECHNOLOGY. YOURS.

www.properzi.com

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CRU Wire & Cable 2021 Virtual Conference 18-20 MAY - The CRU Wire & Cable 2021 Virtual Conference attracted over 250 senior representatives from over 30 countries from the world’s cable makers, as well as the insulated wire and cable supply chain. The Energy Wire & Cable Industry Progress & Innovation Session on 20 May included sustainability and decarbonisation, and remote inspection & commissioning.

Energy cable innovation and the importance for a focus on

sustainability was presented by Axel Schlumberger, Senior Vice President of Wire & Cable R&D and Technology, Southwire Company.

12 APR - Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc., and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), announced that Southwire will be a key supplier for the design, manufacturing and installation of the onshore cables for Vineyard Wind

1, due to be the first commercial scale wind farm in the United States.

The project is to be located 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, USA. Southwire’s facility in Huntersville, N.C. will manufacture more than 32 miles of high voltage cable. Projected onshore site completion is Q1 2023.

14 APR - In a CRU Insight, Michael Finch, Head of Wire and Cable for CRU, said that as of 2020, CRU estimates total HV+EHV subsea cable

demand, including demand relating to both offshore wind farms and subsea interconnections, accounted for around 22% of the US$ 8.6 billion (or 305 kt conductor) HV+EHV cable market. Due to the anticipated surge in offshore wind capacity globally, subsea cable demand is set to take off and by 2027 CRU estimates it will account for over 42%, representing a CAGR of 22% between 2020-2027. www.vineyardwind.com www.southwire.com www.crugroup.com

ICA Circular Copper MAY 26 - The International Copper Association’s live, interactive LinkedIn event ‘Circular Copper: Building A Culture of Sustainability Without Waste’ attracted nearly 200 attendees and saw: David McGinty, Global Director, Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE), World Resources Institute; Kunal Sinha, Global Commercial Lead, Glencore Recycling; and Adam Estelle, Director of Rod and Bar, CDA in a Panel Discussion moderated by Laurent Chokoualé Datou, VP of Public Affairs, International Copper Association: Kunal Sinha highlighted Glencore’s Circular Electronics

Partnership (cep website below) involvement, and made the key point that sustainable recycled copper is essential to make the zero carbon transition - decarbonisation is not possible without copper.

The fastest-growing waste stream in the world, e-waste generation is projected to reach 74.7 Mt annually by 2030 from 53.6 Mt in 2019.

There is a need to facilitate the movement of waste for recycling whilst the per nation infrastructure is balanced globally. Glencore is exploring its project options in both the US and UK presently.

David McGinty championed the systems thinking approach, where the goal is to have an economic

system that is inclusive - getting legislative consistency and clarity for the necessary trade is a key to progress here, as well as ensuring end of use items are collected and recycled to a high standard.

Setting up green lanes for material transport makes tactical sense and is in line with the overall strategy.

More heavy industry is now coming into the Circular Economy agenda. PACE (website below) was created in 2018 by the World Economic Forum and is now hosted by the World Resources Institute.

Adam Estelle said U.S. Brass Mills use 60:40 scrap to refined copper feed apart from their wire

rod supply, amounting to 632 kt in 2018 (USGS). He talked about the broad testing regime needed for different copper alloy groups and the problems posed by different contaminants, and used a well-liked tree illustration which elucidated how groups of materials might be processed, perhaps driven by new legislation.

On whether the Copper Mark could be applied in relation to the scrap sector, he believes the market will want to go there eventually, provided the complexities of implementation can be overcome. www.copperalliance.org www.pacecircular.org www.cep2030.org

Roskill Copper 2021 MAY 26 - The Roskill Copper 2021 event asked ‘Copper: Are We At The Dawn Of A New Super Cycle?’

Neal Brewster, Chief Economist at Roskill looked at the pandemic rollout of vaccines, industrial production and trade. Different sectors have been impacted to different extents. The mining sector is achieving record earnings in 2021 but is starting to experience supply chain pressures. The forecast is 6.1% World GDP growth 2021 with a 4.3% GDP rise in 2022 (5.5% China).

Mark Loveitt, President, International Wrought Copper Council said 2020 refined demand was down 2.7 % with Asia ex china down 12%, China up 2.9%, US down 4.7% and EU down 6.6% respectively. The IWCC runs a Fabricator Demand Index (FDI), which generally indicated recoveries in Q4 2020. The conclusion is the pandemic downturn was largely health-related and not economic, and the 2021 outlook is

quite positive.

Dr Emily Brugge, Roskill Copper Analyst said 2020 mine output declined from large producers in 2020, on average by 3% from guidance. The 2021 guidance is up 1% from the 2020 production level.

The early 2021 outlook for Chile and Peru is threatened by increased strike actions brought on by a high copper price, as well as political changes ranging from constitutional and royalties (Chile) to Presidential policies (Peru). Elsewhere companywise, Aurubis (Germany) processed 28% more recycled metal in 2020, and 17% less concentrate, whilst Paranapanema (Brazil) increased its recycled material feed to 16.6% in Q1 versus 8.8% a year prior.

Pan Hong, Senior Copper Analyst at BGRIMM Lilan Consulting, revealed China’s 2020 refined copper output was 9.3 Mt, with a record 4.67 Mt (+32%) refined copper imports.

The domestic mined copper output of 1.55 Mt in 2020 met only 20%

of requirements, with the 2021 forecast being 1.65 Mt. The Q1 2021 concentrate imports were 5.96 Mt, with an annual forecast of 23.4 Mt (+7%). Chinese smelter projects due onstream in 2021 are Jinchuan (bottom blown) and Daye Yangxin Hongsheng (400 ktpy double flash).

In 2022, the four projects comprise Jinguan expansion, Zhongtiaoshan Northern Copper, Yantai Guoxing and Nanguo Copper phase II. The 2020 scrap imports were down 38% y-o-y to 944 kt, but after November’s new standards, they have recovered, with Q1 seeing 363 kt and a forecast of 1,320 kt for 2021.

Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, announced windpower now provided 16% (220 GW) of EU electricity. Wind pays back its CO2 penalty in around 5-8 months (hydro 9 to 13 mths, solar PV 1 to 2 years).

The European Commission wants to reach a 433 GW wind capacity level by 2030 (2020: 180 GW). Presently, a median configuration wind turbine

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uses 2 tonnes of copper per MW. Radoslaw Zydok, Director of Regulatory & Strategic Analysis, KGHM looked at ‘The Cost of Green Transformation’. The company has reduced SO2 emissions by 81% to 931.8 t, and dust by 83% to 75.1 t, in 2019. KGHM is using its CHP plants at 80% efficiency (11 month operation) for both own-use and district heating. The company’s first solar farm came online in December 2020. Two more are in design and three more in predesign phase, amounting to over 100 MW capacity. Following the start-up of the Legnica rotary casting and refining furnace in mid-2019, over 20% of its electrolytic copper production comes from scrap.

Michèle Brülhart, Executive Director of The Copper Mark also presented. www.lilanconsulting.com www.coppercouncil.org www.windeurope.org www.roskill.com www.kghm.com

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KGHM celebrates diamond anniversary

Legnica Copper smelter anode rotary casting-refining furnace. Photo: KGHM

APR 29 - KGHM is celebrating the 60th year since its founding as the Kombinat GórniczoHutniczy Miedzi, or copper mining and smelting combine, with promising general results. To mark the anniversary, a commemorative mural was created on a building of KGHM ZANAM in Legnica. The artistic design is simple in form,

UPCOMING EVENTS Key: R = Real World V = Virtual 2021 Jun 7 - 10 V Biomining ‘21(MEI, Falmouth, UK) The 10th International Symposium on Biomining.

One of three keynote lectures is “Environmental applications of biotechnology in mining” to be given by Dr. Anna Kaksonen, Group Leader, Industrial Biotechnology at CSIRO Australia. www.min-eng.com/biomining21 21 - 24 V Sustainable Minerals ’21 (MEI, Falmouth, UK) One of three keynote lectures is “The war on waste: How could the mining industry respond?” to be presented by Dr. Anita Parbhakar-Fox, of the Sustainable Minerals Institute at the University of Queensland, Australia. Event is organised by MEI in consultation with Prof Markus Reuter and sponsored by FLSmidth. www.min-eng.com/sustainableminerals21 23 - 25 R + V IARC21 International Automotive Recycling Congress Geneva, Switzerland APR 29 - The programme of the 20th IARC21 International Automotive Recycling Congress to be held in Geneva, Switzerland is published.

but refers to the mining industry in the Copper Belt. The mural in part was made with anti-smog paints. The work cleans as much air as 90 trees.

MAY 12 - KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. announces first quarter 2021 results are ‘best in a decade’.

The increase in copper production by the

KGHM Group by 6.6% versus Q1 2020, with production in the first quarter of 186 kt, was due to the greater availability of feed material and improved availability of production lines, as well as higher recoveries and better ore quality. The EBITDA for the Sierra Gorda mine increased more than six-fold in the period, reaching PLN 643 million as KGHM’s share. The basic operating costs of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. were higher by 16.6 percent year-on-year.

In the period the decision was made to define and create Strategic Programs for KGHM. In 2021 the company will continue to improve its production parameters, stabilise its finances and achieve ambitious investments, and adapt the technological installations of KGHM to the requirements of BAT conclusions for the nonferrous metals industry together with the restriction of arsenic emissions (BATAs). A warehouse and storage area for lead-bearing materials was completed at the Głogów Copper Smelter and Refinery in the quarter.

KGHM is a company with a huge impact on the Polish and global economy. “The future is in copper”, says Marcin Chludziński, President of the Management Board of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. www.kghm.com

It is strongly recommended that any below information be confirmed via event organiser/website directly before any action is taken: Keynote speaker Jean-Philippe Hermine, VP Environmental Strategy of Renault will reveal why it was important for Renault to be a pioneer in vehicle and vehicle battery recycling. www.icm.ch/iarc2021 27 - 30 V EMC 2021 (GDMB, Salzburg, Austria) From Mine to Metal: The search for an integral solution to process complex ores and residues (with high impurities) and produce high value multi metal at lowest CO2 footprint. www.emc.gdmb.de Aug 4-6V Hydroprocess 2021 (Santiago, Chile, GECAMIN) Includes: Leaching and bioleaching of sulphide minerals and concentrates; New reagents, materials and technologies; Innovation and process improvement. www.gecamin.com/hydroprocess Sep 14 - 15 R EV Battery Recycling & Reuse 2021, Frankfurt, Germany (iQ-Hub) Event to explore end-of-service battery recycling

and repurposing initiatives for the next-generation of electric vehicle batteries. www.ev-battery-recycling.com 28 - 30 R ALUMINIUM 2021 Duesseldorf, Germany (Reed Exhibitions) 1,000+ Exhibitors (2018), 23,000+ Attendees (2018) www.aluminium-exhibition.com Oct 26 - 27 R + V Interwire 2021 Atlanta, GA USA (WAI) Organised by Wire Association International (WAI), Inc. and features an Industry 4.0 Pavilion www.interwire21.com Nov 13 - 20 R + V ALTA 2021, Perth, Australia (ALTA Metallurgical) Five International Conferences and Three Short Courses. Has a hybrid format with in-person attendance for Australians and online for internationals. If the Australian borders are open, online registrations may be converted to attend the physical event. Abstracts are requested by 15 June. www.altamet.com.au

Pandemic Travel Note Every effort has been made to ensure that event details were correct at time of publication. In particular, some events are advertised as ‘Real World’ (R) where the Organisers have indicated this option on their PR/website. However, to avoid any complications, no event-specific travel arrangments should be made without proper consultation with the Event Organisation concerned and relevant authorities in the participants’ country and event host country.

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12 | COPPER FOR THE EV AGE

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The use of copper in EV The market for Electric Vehicles will see a dynamic decade. This will drive a substantial increase in copper demand, mainly, but not exclusively, through the medium of copper foil, writes Jonathan Barnes In 2020, the market for PHEVs and EVs (of greatest significance to metal markets) was characterised by a markedly different structure from that of the automotive industry as a whole, with a number of car manufacturers - such as Tesla and many Chinese manufacturers - having gained significant market shares despite their comparatively small share of automotive sales as a whole. While largely self-contained, the Chinese market has been of particular importance to EVs, and as of 2020, Chinese manufacturers are estimated to account for nearly 50% of total units produced.

Thinner foils The dominant technical trend in electro-deposited foil industry, which is particularly pertinent for the development of lithium-ion batteries for the electric vehicle market, is the production of progressively thinner thickness foils. Such foils are already technically achievable in small batches, but this must also be accomplished in larger production runs where the manufacturing yields are high enough to justify the cost and effort. Electric vehicle manufacturers want high-capacity and light-weight batteries to give their next generation automobiles sufficient performance and range without the weight penalty of a heavy battery.

The downsizing of foil thicknesses saves weight, but also permits a greater density of cells (i.e. more foils per battery, but each of a lesser weight) that creates the extra capacity and power to give the desired performance and range metrics. Thus, to a large extent a reduction in average foil thickness is offset by a greater area of foil per battery. For foil makers therefore, the ability to produce thinner foils with higher yields will give them significant comparative advantage and leverage with lithiumion battery manufacturers serving the EV sector.

The anode, that accounts for a battery’s electrical and chemical stability, is composed of a copper foil that is coated with a graphite material. How well the foil bonds to the graphite coating mixture determines the structural stability of a battery. The foil also serves as a conduit along which electrons travel. So, with its intrinsic high heat conductivity the foil is a channel through which a battery releases the heat generated inside to the outside.

The thinner this foil is, the thicker the graphite can become, which translates into a greater energy density and a lighter battery weight.

According to SK Nexilis, one of the largest South Korean producers, when the thickness of the copper foil is halved from 8 micrometres to 4 micrometres, batteries become 3-5% lighter and 1-3% stronger. This creates the extra capacity and power to give the desired performance (acceleration, cruising speed, top speed, etc.) and range metrics that EV makers want their models to possess to make them an attractive proposition to the car buying public.

The major players in the electro-deposited copper foil business include SK Nexilis, Doosan, Lee Chang Yung, Taiwan Copper Foil, Co-Tech Copper Foil and Nan Ya Plastics. There are

The CUPRA Born is the brand’s first all-electric vehicle. It is delivered net CO2 neutral. UK deliveries begin in 2022

a large number of players in China including Kingboard Copper Foil Holdings, Jiangxi Copper, Luoyang Daye, Nuode, Anhui Tonnguan, Jia Yuan Science and Technology, Gelon and Tongling Non-Ferrous Metal Group. A number of these companies are now initiating phase II or even phase III expansions to their original plants while the list of new entrants also continues to grow.

Chinese competitors are able to exploit their cheaper labour and electricity costs to compensate for their lower productivity of shorter narrowwidth foils.

Supply constraints In 2021, such has been the strength of demand for electrodeposited copper foil for EV batteries that the Asian market (outside China) is now facing a shortage of supply. Although a number of foil mill expansions and new foil mills are now underway in Taiwan, South Korea and Malaysia as well as in Mainland China, supply cannot be brought on stream quick enough. One new foil mill has started production in Hungary and another one is being built. No new foil mills have yet been commissioned in North America, however it is only a question of time before this happens. EV battery plants need just in time delivery and this cannot be logistically guaranteed from remote sources of supply in Asia or Europe.

Studies estimate that all types of passenger EVs require on average an extra 5 kg of high voltage wire within the wiring harness compared to a standard internal combustion engine vehicle.

This is to connect the drivetrain of the EV from the high voltage battery to the invertor, and then from the invertor to the electric motors.

The length of the high voltage harness from the battery to the invertor is relatively long, usually running underneath the car, while the distance from the invertor to the motors is relatively short, within the engine compartment. In commercial vehicles, the consensus view is that an extra 10 kg of high voltage wire would be required. It is likely that aluminium will be a viable alternative to copper in the high voltage part of the harness to realise weight (and cost) reduction gains since these designs have already been developed and specified into vehicles.

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Charging infrastructure For the EV revolution to become a reality it is selfevident that the charging cable infrastructure must be built out at least as quickly as the growth in the EV fleet, if not even faster. All EV users will have a slow charging cable to use at home, usually overnight, but they will also need a broad network of charging stations across the country. This would include workplaces, kerbside parking, car parks, train stations, airports, shopping centres, supermarkets, petrol stations and motorway service stations, etc. The majority of these charging stations would also be slow charging, though those at petrol stations and motorway service stations would more fit into the category of highpower rapid chargers at strategic locations for multiple EVs. Potential owners of EVs need to be reassured that their local and national charging networks are sufficiently densely covered that it will not constrain their ability to travel and recharge.

The ideal characteristics of an EV charging cable are that it should be abrasion resistant, able to withstand vehicle drive over, impervious to water, bend cycle resistant, coilable, thermal stress resistant, halogen free and flame retardant.

They should also include pilot cores for communication between the road vehicle and the charging electronics. Larger cablemakers now offer designs that conform to the adopted Europe, US and Chinese standards and are available from multiple manufacturing plant locations.

The most important characteristics of charging cable infrastructure are that it must be mechanically robust, electrically safe, convenient and light weight, financially viable and theft proof. The last attribute is often overlooked but it would be desirable if such cables were retractable after use, so they were not freely accessible to be repeatedly cut and removed by opportunistic thieves for their scrap metal value, especially with metals prices rapidly recovering to elevated levels. www.roskill.com

Jonathan Barnes

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

E-mail: jonathan@roskill.com

COPPER FOR THE EV AGE | 13

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EV supply chain majors pilot blockchain solution MAY 20 - Major metals and mining companies CMOC, Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) and Glencore in collaboration with battery material supplier Umicore are piloting Re|Source, a solution to trace responsibly produced cobalt from the mine to the electric car. A global EV pioneer and one of the world’s leading battery makers are also part of the pilot. Tested in real operating conditions, from upstream cobalt production facilities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to downstream electric vehicle production sites, the pilot will run until the end of 2021, with the roll-out of the final solution expected

in 2022. Ivan Glasenberg, CEO of Glencore, stated: “Responsible sourcing compliance includes supporting the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) sector through multi-stakeholder initiatives like the Fair Cobalt Alliance (FCA).”

The initiative deploys technologies including blockchain and Zero-Knowledge Proofs to link digital flows with physical material flows on the ground, all supported by technology studio Kryha.

Re|Source integrates a comprehensive set of industrial sustainable mining and sourcing standards and frameworks, such as ICMM, RMI, IRMA,

Tesla led PEV charge in 2020 FEB 17 - Tesla was the best-selling electric vehicle brand in 2020, selling just under 500,000 plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) globally. Tesla’s first mass-market all-electric car was launched in 2012. Volkswagen was second with just over 220,000 units. Third place came BYD (China) at just over 179,000 units. The number of electric mobility-related patent applications worldwide made progress in 2019 when just over nine million applications were submitted in the area of electric vehicles and charging. APR 26 - Wood Mackenzie estimates by 2030, there will be over 20 million EV charging points globally, consuming 250% more copper than in 2019.

MAY 24 -The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) recently recognised a new innovation for the electric vehicle (EV) lithium battery pack that replaces the existing nickel bus bar with copper, improving battery efficiency while significantly reducing costs.

The new copper busbar compared to a nickel busbar. Photo: ICA

Developed by Le BET with the ongoing support of the International Copper Association China’s EV team, this new technology increases copper use in electric vehicles by an additional 10Kg per car. www.woodmackenzie.com www.copperalliance.org www.statista.com

Electric vehicle sales rise MAY 4 - Global fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) sales jumped 89.2% year-over-year and hit a record 4,000 units in the first quarter of 2021. Toyota topped the FCEV sales with its second-generation Mirai model appearing

in the US and Europe. Hyundai Motor came in second place, showing a steady growth.

Toyota sales fell in 2020 as they relied on its first-generation Mirai. www.sneresearch.com

www.re-source.tech www.glencore.com

Cell connectors from KME APR 15 - KME offers specially developed cell connectors, an innovative technology for heavyduty connections in sustainable and efficient energy storage systems, which is considered a key technology for future-proof electric vehicles. The KME cell connectors have already been tested according to LV 214 (German Automotive OEM Connector Test Specification) and have shown very good results here. The cell connectors consist of two different alloys, which can be provided from KME’s extensive portfolio of copper alloys depending on the requirements of the respective busbar. After the busbar has been pre-punched, the inlet is firmly stamped in a first step and both materials are then force-fitted and permanently pressed together. This process eliminates the need for cost-intensive solutions made of composite materials and, due to the manufacturing process, is also very resourceefficient when it comes to the sorted refeeding of process scrap to the recycling circuit. www.kme.com

STL secures funding for EVBus

long load momentum twisting when travelling sideways. Combining the benefits of very compact dimensions and the ability to handle long loads as well as pallets, the multidirectional Combi-CBE is a universal truck for multiple applications and offers cost effective and efficient operation. It also answers growing market demand for powerful and quieter electric forklifts which comply with ever more stringent emissions guidelines.

NOV 12 - Samuel Taylor Limited (STL) is awarded Innovate UK funding as part of the recent ‘Catalysing Green Innovation: Securing the Future of ZEV competition. EVBus is an Innovate UK collaborative project between STL and TWI Ltd, aiming to investigate an innovative Copper to Aluminium bonding technique for use in zero emission vehicle (ZEV) busbars. Joining copper to aluminium would allow for light-weighting of electric vehicle (EV) busbars, while maintaining electrical properties. Busbars are an integral part of EV battery packs.

Successful bonding will allow the resulting product to be laser welded to parent copper or aluminium, thereby solving the issues currently associated with laser welding dissimilar materials. The goals of the project are to investigate the feasibility of bonding Copper to Aluminium directly, or using interlayer materials. STL participated in the UK pavilion at The Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo (Messe Stuttgart) Digital Days 18-20 May 2021.

www.combilift.com

www.samueltaylor.co.uk

Combilift Combi-CBE wins FLTA award APR 14 - Combilift has won its 10th prestigious industry award from the Forklift Truck Association for one of its latest products. The 2020 FLTA Awards for Excellence took place virtually on 10 April, having been postponed from last year due to Covid.

The recently introduced Combi-CBE model - a counterbalance design, multidirectional forklift with electric drive on all of its three wheels, was one of the twelve finalists in the hotly contested Innovation Category.

The Combi-CBE features internationally patented electric traction which enables independent control of each of the front and rear drive wheels and guarantees 100% traction control.

Operators benefit from precise acceleration and deceleration control, which significantly reduces

CIRAF1, Copper Mark and others. The solution also explores how aspects of the related GHG emissions along the value chain can be traced and disclosed. Re|Source was founded by CMOC, ERG and Glencore and launched in 2019, and it is being designed and developed to be used by wide-ranging industry players. There is a close link with the Battery Passport project of the Global Battery Alliance (GBA), which is aimed at transforming the battery production chain more responsible and sustainable.

Combi-CBE in operation. Photo: Combilift

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In brief…

APR 22 The EU has cleared the Aurubis and TSR proposal announced in November, allowing for a joint venture (TSR 60 %, Aurubis 40 %) to unite and enhance cable recycling activities of Aurubis subsidiary Cablo Metall-Recycling und Handel GmbH in Fehrbellin (Cablo) and TSR in Gelsenkirchen to recover copper granules and plastics. www.aurubis.com

DEC 18 Rüdiger Schury has become the new Managing Director of hpl-Group. He succeeds Bernd Voshaar, who has stepped down after 35 years to become chairman of the Group’s supervisory board. hplGroup is a specialist for strip processing and machining systems. It worked on modernisation of a 12-roller mill in cooperation with Mills & more in 2020. www.hpl-group.de

MAY 13 China Gold International Resources Corp. Ltd. operational results for Q1 2021 revealed a copper production increase to 22,191 tonnes (+37% y-o-y). The firm’s copper output had increased by 31% to 82,059 t in 2020, with 22,742 t output in the fourth quarter. Commercial production at its Jiama copper gold Phase II Expansion began 3 July 2018. www.chinagoldintl.com

MAY 18 According to Antaike Copper & Copper Fabrication Monthly May 2021, during May there are maintenance checks in TNMG, Yunnan Copper Company, JNMC and Yanggu Xiangguang Copper Company. Recently, 15 large copper smelters jointly announced that total purchase of copper concentrates in 2021 will be reduced by 1.26 Mt (c. 300 kt Cu). www.antaike.com

MAY 18 China imported 912,000 t of refined copper in the first quarter of 2021, with 355,000 t coming in March (+20.26% y-oy), helping driving the import from negative to positive year on year in the first quarter. From January to March, imports of copper concentrate totalled 5.961 Mt, up 7.48% y-o-y, with March imports of 2.171 Mt, up 22.04% y-o-y. www.antaike.com

From January to March, China imported 364,000 t of recycled copper (material weight), up 73.39% y-o-y. In March, the import volume of recycled copper was 172,000 t, up 90.57% y-o-y. The import volume development reflects the new import policy maturing and moves to reduce Chinese dependence on copper concentrate raw material supply. www.antaike.com

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Groundbreaking Udokan Copper project updates

Summary of Jiangxi Copper activity in 2020

DEC 30 - Udokan Copper (previously Baikal Mining Company) is established to develop the Udokan copper deposit in the Kalarsky district of the Transbaikal region in Russia. Processing of Udokan ores is based on a flotationhydrometallurgical flowsheet.

Udokan Mining and Metallurgical Plant will produce cathode copper and sulphide concentrate. The production output is projected at 125,000 tonnes per year:

APR 14 - According to its latest Annual Report, Jiangxi Copper Corporation (JCC) produced 1.64 million tonnes (+5.54% y-o-y) of copper cathode and 5.12 Mt (+10.6% y-o-y) of sulphuric acid across its Guixi Smelter, Jiangxi Copper (Qingyuan) Company Limited, JCC Hongyuan Copper Industry Co., Ltd. and Zhejiang Jiangtong Fuye Heding Copper Co., Ltd. smelters (4) in 2020.

The output of copper processed products was 1.47 Mt (+22.9% y-o-y).

The production plan for 2021 is to produce 1.73 Mt of copper cathodes, 97.56 t of gold, 1,679 t of silver, and 1.75 Mt of copper semis.

Notably, Jiangxi Copper Huabei (Tianjin) Company Limited completed 220,000 t of copper rod production line and put them into operation, whilst construction of the JCC Guoxing (Yantai) Copper Company Limited 180,000 t copper smelting project started on 18 December 2020.

APR 7 - The sixth ore-grinding mill made by Outotec is installed in the grinding department building at the construction site of the Udokan Mining and Metallurgical Plant.

The six mills installed in the building will crush ore to particles with a size of less than 170 microns for subsequent transfer to the flotation line. Two semi-autogenous grinding mills and 4 regrind ball mills will be used at the first stage of the Udokan project providing processing capacity of 12 Mtpy.

MAR 25 - Udokan Copper LLC starts the installation of equipment at the construction site of the thickening and decantation area, where the bulk concentrate, which has undergone atmospheric leaching, will undergo the thickening procedure in special tanks. The liquid fraction, in the form of rich solutions, is sent for further processing

to the hydrometallurgical plant. After the countercurrent decantation, the solid sediment is sent to sulphide flotation (beneficiation method).

The final sulphide concentrate is thickened and filtered. The result is a commercial sulphide copper concentrate with a copper content of about 45%.

FEB 25 - Udokan Copper starts the installation of vertical metal structures for the EW Building.

More than half of the metal frame of the SX Building has already been installed. In the SX Building, copper will be removed from aqueous solutions to be sent to electrowinning. According to German Mironov, General Director of Udokan Copper, a number of technologies are envisaged at the stage of hydrometallurgical production that have not yet been implemented at Russian enterprises.

The process line for SX process of the hydrometallurgical plant will be formed from modules assembled at the manufacturer’s plant for simpler construction.

Since 2006, Udokan copper has had and developed its own pilot plant for integrated process and analytical support of exploration works and deposit appraisal, for pilot plant tests and optimisation of the Udokan deposit ore processing flow sheet. www.bgk-udokan.ru

Sulphur capture contract awarded by Nornickel APR 16 - Nornickel has signed a contract with Velesstroy for a range of construction services as part of its sulphuric acid neutralisation project at Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant. This is a new milestone of the Sulphur Project initiatives, which form a part of the Fresh Air national project. The initiative to be rolled out at NMP relies on sulphur dioxide recovery to produce sulphuric acid as well as gypsum following its subsequent neutralisation with natural limestone.

The sulphur dioxide capture is set to reach at least 99% at the affected flash smelters, reducing emissions in Norilsk by at least 45% vs 2015.

Velesstroy will build a sulphuric acid storage, limestone reception and crushing facility, slaked lime production facility, and sulphuric acid neutralisation facility. In the latter, the contractor will install 24 units

for slaked lime and sulphuric acid mixing to neutralise and transform sulphuric acid into harmless gypsum slurry. Velesstroy is also going to erect process pipe racks, lay pipelines and service lines. Contract scope includes the supply of equipment and materials, construction and installation, precommissioning, and comprehensive t e s t i n g s u p p o r t . N o r n i c ke l is planning to invest US$ 5.5 billion in this and other environmental initiatives, including waste collection and land rehabilitation in the Norilsk Industrial District, construction of treatment facilities, and safe waste management.

Nornickel has embarked upon an initiative to achieve major environmental improvements. www.velesstroy.com www.nornickel.com

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Awards The ‘research and development and application of new generation large and super large 680m 3 flotation equipment’ won the first prize of the China Nonferrous Metals Industrial Science Technology Award. Also, JCC ‘key technology and industrialization of copper anode slime associated rare and precious metals collaborative green extraction’ won the first prize of the Jiangxi Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award.

Environmental project-wise, the Report says Guixi smelter is seeing reformation of a series of tail gas desulfurisation, reformation of fluorine removal facility in the sulphuric acid workshop, and addition of electric demisting to the tail gas of second sulphuric acid series. Humon Smelting is Investing RMB 11.95 million to upgrade and renovate the smelting ring gas collection and acid-making exhaust treatment facilities. The waste gas was deeply purified by adding bag dust collector, adding gas collecting device, reforming washing spray tower and adding denitrification facilities. www.antaike.com www.en.jxcc.com

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Kamoa-Kakula smelter comes a step nearer

New Monchegorsk refining project outlined

MAR 29 - Following a successful notes of fering, Ivanhoe Mines announces oppor tunities to accelerate future expansions at Kamoa-Kakula Copper Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including accelerating the Phase 3 concentrator expansion from 7.6 Mtpy to 11.4 Mtpy and fast-tracking additional hydropower upgrades.

Together with equal partner Zijin Mining, Ivanhoe Mines has already accelerated the Phase 2 expansion to begin production in Q3 2022 and bring copper production to approximately 400 ktpy. Kakula is expected to produce an extremely high-grade, clean copper concentrate (containing over 55% copper) that will be highly coveted by smelters around the world. Metallurgical test work indicates that the Kakula concentrates contain extremely low arsenic levels by world standards, at approximately 0.01%.

The management team also is evaluating a potential direct-toblister smelter that could bring numerous economic benefits and

MAR 22 - Nornickel plans to construct a new copper refining facility in Monchegorsk. The new facility will be able to produce up to 150 ktpy of copper, which is double the capacity of the smelting shop it closed in March.

The plant will use the state of the art roasting-leaching-electroextraction technology, observing the highest environmental standards. There will be a high level of mechanisation, automation, with a much smaller proportion of manual labour than in the closed shop. Closing the smelting shop will reduce sulphur dioxide emissions in Monchegorsk to less than 30 ktpy in 2021.

The Glogow I smelter and Glogow II smelter both use the technology of single-stage flash smelting of copper concentrates directly to blister copper. Photo: KGHM

further reduce the project’s Scope 3 emissions. It is based on Outotec direct-to-blister furnace technology suitable for treating Kakula-type concentrates with relatively high copper/sulphur ratio, and low iron.

China Nerin Engineering acted as the main engineering consultant with Outotec. The smelter design capacity is between 750,000 and 1 Mtpy of concentrate feed, producing in excess

www.nornickel.com

of 400 ktpy copper in the form of blister and anode, with a capital cost in the region of US$ 600 million to be jointly financed with Zijin Mining.

The power requirement is approximately 35 MW. On 26 April, Ivanhoe announced it had signed an Agreement with SNEL releasing an additional 162 MW of hydropower (see below).

potential of the plant, introducing the most advanced technologies in the development of mining and processing of raw minerals.

The program of modernisation and reconstruction of all structural divisions of JSC Almalyk MMC provides for investments in the amount of more than US$ 2 billion.

The project for the development of the Yeshlik-I field is planned to be implemented in two stages. In the 1st stage (2020–24) it is planned to build an open pit at the Yeshlik-I deposit and a processing plant, CPP3, with a capacity of 60 million tons of ore per year. As a result of this first stage, the volume of cathode

Khatoon Abad smelter modernisation NOV 15 - Several development capacity for producing copper anode projects were inaugurated by President Hassan Rouhani in the southeast of Iran in May 2020. The projects at Khatoon Abad Copper Complex in Kerman Province included increasing the capacity of copper smelting in the complex, building a copper concentrate storage, construction of a sulphuric acid production plant, and an oxygen supply unit. The complex’s

rises by 50 percent to 120,000 t, and the country’s copper smelting capacity rises to 400,000 t. Kerman’s Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex and Khatoon Abad Copper Complex produced an aggregate of 313,784 tons of copper anode in 2019, and NICICO reported a 121,202 t combined total in a four month period in mid-2020. www.nicico.com

JUN 1- FLSmidth received a key

copper produced by the plant from local raw materials will be increased from 108,000 tons to 290,000 tons, gold from 15 tons to 38 tons, and silver from 96 tons to 203 tons.

In the 2nd stage (2021–25) it is planned to increase and reconstruct the production capacity of the copper smelter. RHI has started construction of CPP-3. Key infrastructure and roads are being built. In addition, 1.3 million cubic meters of earthworks were completed as part of the construction of the factory. RHI is part of Ronesans Endustri Tesisleri İnsaat San. ve Tic. A.S., based in Istanbul, Turkey.

mineral processing technologies order, which was partially booked in Q1 2021. The majority of the close to DKK 200 M value is booked in Q2 2021. Delivery is expected by end H1 2022. The customer is Ausenco Chile Ltd., lump-sum turnkey contractor for the Mantoverde Development Project owned by Mantos Copper Holding.

Mantoverde will produce 106,000 t Cu and 33,000 oz of gold annually.

The range of equipment and technologies includes the primary gyratory crusher, SAG mill, ball mill, traditional flotation cells, column cells, thickeners, cyclones and pumps. The flotation tailings and slimes thickeners will be designed to optimise the recovery of process water. In total around 4,700 m3/hr overflow water will be available for reuse, a saving that supports FLSmidth’s MissionZero sustainability goal. FLSmidth will also be able to provide comprehensive, longterm operational support at the site, 400 km south of FLSmidth Service Supercenter in Antofagasta.

www.ronesans.com

www.flsmidth.com

www.ivanhoemines.com

JSC Almalyk invests in processing units MAY 2020 - Renaissance Heavy Industries (RHI) has been engaged as a general contractor for the turnkey construction of the CPP-3 copper processing plant for the Almalyk MMC JSC in Uzbekistan.

RHI will sign two contracts: for design and engineering work until the end of 2020, and for the supply of turnkey equipment.

On May 26, 2020 President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan signed a decree ‘On additional measures to expand the production of non-ferrous and precious metals based on the deposits of Almalyk MMC’ no. PP-4731. Its purpose is to increase the production and export

Mantoverde orders key equipment

Wieland U.S. recycling and refining plant MAY 27 - Wieland is to invest US$ 100 million in a recycling and refining center in North America.

The site will leverage the latest and most efficient technology to enable the recycling of a broad range of metals and alloys. The recycling center will be located in Shelbyville, KY and employ approx. 75 people.

Operations are expected to commence in late 2022.

CWDigital 2021 e4 featured content of Copper Worldwide Vol 11 No 2

Hub facility The new site will serve as a hub for closed-loop recycling and a refining center of third-party scrap utilising state of the art equipment. The investment furthers Wieland’s commitment to empowering its customers with sustainable, carbon neutral products and solutions. www.wieland.com

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