First Quantum Minerals said on 21 October that its expanded Kansanshi copper mine in Zambia is on track to process about 27 million tonnes of ore in 2026, 8% above the design capacity of its new plant. The $1.2 billion S3 expansion, commissioned in August 2025, added a sulphide processing line of 25 million tonnes a year and nearly doubled the mine’s milling capacity. Zambia supplied about 93% of the Canadian miner’s copper in 2025, after its Cobre Panamá mine in Panama was suspended in 2023. A faster ramp-up at one of the country’s largest mines supports Zambia’s target of three million tonnes of copper a year by 2031, up from about 890,000 tonnes in 2025.
Sources
- Mining Weekly (Reuters): https://www.miningweekly.com/article/first-quantums-expanded-zambia-copper-mine-on-track-to-exceed-processing-target-2026-10-21
- MINING.COM: https://www.mining.com/first-quantums-kansanshi-expansion-beats-design-capacity/
- Shanghai Metals Market: https://news.metal.com/newscontent/104171546-first-quantums-kansanshi-expansion-project-throughput-exceeds-design-by-8-ramp-up-faster-than-planned