FQM Redoubles Tree Planting Efforts for 2024

 

Source: Langmead & Baker

First Quantum CEO Inspects Progress of S3 Expansion at Kansanshi

The S3 expansion entails an expansion of the mine pit and the mining fleet that services it, as well as the construction of a new processing plant, and a major expansion of the Kansanshi smelter. The result will be to extend Kansanshi’s mine life as a world class asset into the 2040s, increase copper production to more than 200,000 tonnes a year while continuing to drive economic development and jobs in Zambia.

To ensure continuation of the S3 expansion in the face of disruption to its Cobre Panama mine in Panama, First Quantum has recently raised US$3.3 billion as part of a comprehensive refinancing package and a copper pre-payment arrangement. The company has also extended its debt facilities through to mid-2027, providing the pathway to deliver on its commitment to Zambia with the S3 expansion.  

Commenting after his site inspection, Mr Tristan Pascall, said he was pleased to see the level of progress on the ground at Kansanshi.

“It’s great to be at Kansanshi, and to see that the S3 development work is progressing on the ground according to plan. Kansanshi – and Zambia, in general – has been the mainstay of our mining activity for the last twenty years, and will be just as important to us for the next twenty. We’ve had to adapt ourselves to unforeseen circumstances over the last few months, but we’ve met challenges before, always finding a way through and coming out stronger. Completing the S3 expansion on schedule is a priority for us, and the actions we have taken recently puts us in a strong position to do just that. I look forward to my next visit here, to see this project through to its completion.”

 

Source: Langmead & Baker

FQM Welcomes Export Proceeds Framework

Source: Langmead & Baker

FQM’s Kansanshi mine hands over K1.2m cheques to six Solwezi cooperatives

First Quantum Minerals’ Kansanshi Mining PLC has handed over cheques amounting to K 1.2 million to six cooperatives engaged in various business activities, each receiving K 200,000 in a continued effort to support and improve the welfare and livelihood of communities in Solwezi.

The mining firm is alive of the fact that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a major role in most economies, particularly in rural communities, however, access to finance is a key constraint to SME growth, and it is one of the most cited obstacles that they are faced with.

The additional funding of K 1.2 million follows the initial K 756,000 given to the six groups in February earlier this year, with each having received K 126,000 to help kick-start their business activities around the District.

Read full article 

Source : Mining News Zambia

FQM consolidates its Kansanshi mining operations in readiness for the S3 expansion

First Quantum Minerals will consolidate the Road and Earthworks Division, Mining Divisions and related supporting services currently carried out by First Quantum Mining Operations Limited (FQMO) with the operations at Kansanshi Mining Plc (KMP).

FQMO was the original First Quantum Minerals corporate entity in Zambia which operated the Bwana Mkubwa mine. Following the expansion of the First Quantum operations in Zambia, with both the Kansanshi and Sentinel mines, FQMO evolved to house a wide range of business functions to support these operations including mining, road and earthworks, exploration, corporate services, CSR, community health and other services….

 

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Source: Lusaka Times

Kansanshi Mining Plc (Kansanshi Extract from 2023 Annual Report

The principal activities of the mine includes mining, prospecting for minerals and processing of ore in Solwezi area of North Western Province. The key notable occurrences in 2023 were:  

 The successful conversion of ZCCM-IH’s dividend right in KMP to a 3.10% Life of Mine Royalty Right. This will ensure that ZCCM-IH’s cashflows are more stable and predictable going forward.  

 KMP implementation of the S3 Expansion project commenced. The S3 Expansion is a significant $1.5 billion investment by First Quantum Minerals aimed at extending the mine’s life into the 2040s, enhancing its production capacity, and generating employment opportunities. It includes expanding the mining pit, upgrading the fleet, and enlarging the processing plant and smelter. This expansion is pivotal for adding value within Zambia and contributes to the nation’s goal of increasing mineral processing locally and aiming to maximize the mine’s output and efficiency, thereby contributing to local economic development and job creation. Completion is anticipated by mid-2025.  

For the year ended 31 December 2023, Kansanshi recorded revenue of ZMW32.30 billion (US$1.57 billion) (2022: ZMW25.98 billion US$1.52 billion). Net profit over the period reduced to ZMW343.83 million (US$16.75 million) from ZMW 2.62 billion (US$153.93 million) in 2022. The geological and hydrological challenges at Kansanshi continued to affect average grades which were at 0.6% in 2023, significantly affecting the amount of copper and gold recovered.  

Royalties received in 2023 were ZMW1,200.19 million (US$56.13 million) and dividends received were ZMW170.74 million (US$9.05 million). 

Accelovant Deploys Fiber-Optic Sensors to Improve Efficiencies at Kansanshi Copper Mine

Sensors installed in “smokestack scrubbers” dramatically reduce plant downtime, enabling processing at higher capacities and facilitating automated control.

NORTH VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 13, 2023 / Accelovant, an innovative developer of fiber-optic sensing solutions for semiconductor, industrial, IoT, manufacturing, and power distribution markets, announced the deployment of its fiber-optic temperature sensors at Kansanshi Mining PLC, a First Quantum-owned company located in Zambia, and one of the world’s largest and most productive copper mining and smelting sites. The Accelovant sensors replaced older technology devices that were highly prone to failure under the extreme operating conditions within the wet electrostatic precipitators (ESP) utilized to scrub dangerous toxins and pollutants from gas streams generated in the copper smelting process.

“Accelovant specializes in high-temperature fiber-optic sensors which are also immune to electrical noise and interference,” said Michael Goldstein, chief executive officer for Accelovant. “Our patented Kristonium material has created a new class of fiber-optic temperature sensors that offer long service life at temperatures exceeding 450 degrees Celsius. In systems like the ESPs at the Kansanshi mines, the sensors replaced electrical devices that could not survive the harsh high voltage and electrical noise environment.”

To operate at peak efficiency, the plant must maintain precise temperature levels between 325 and 340 degrees Celsius through the use of in-stream sensors. This is a challenge in the harsh operating environment surrounding the wet ESPs (high voltage, electrical noise, and high temperature).

Pieter Oosthuizen, control instrumentation superintendent at the Kansanshi plant, noted that the ESP units operate with a typical 45 kilovolt charge. “In this kind of environment, there is tremendous electromagnetic noise and induced currents in anything that is conductive or that utilizes electronics. We tried many different sensor types, but in all cases the electronics would burn out and fail due to the stray electromagnetic fields – until we installed the Accelovant sensors.”

 

Read more: Bloomberg

ZCCM-IH Shareholders Approve the Kansanshi Royalty Transaction

3rd April 2023, Kitwe, Zambia: ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc (ZCCM-IH) shareholders have approved the Kansanshi royalty conversion where the Company will now receive 3.1% of Kansanshi Mining Plc’s (Kansanshi) total revenue. The royalty revenue will be paid on a quarterly basis over the entire life of the mine of Kansanshi that currently extends to the year 2045.
 
The approval was given at the Shareholder’s Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held in Kitwe on 31st March 2023. The royalty income stream replaces the former model of unpredictable and unguaranteed dividend pay-outs. These were made at the discretion of the Board and were dependent on company profitability. Instead, a royalty is predictable and guaranteed as it will be charged at 3.1% of the company’s total revenue (from sales of Copper, Gold, and all other metal products) as per the Royalty Agreement. This therefore guarantees a steady income stream for ZCCM-IH, as long as there is production at Kansanshi.
 

ZCCM-IH Board Chairperson Ms. Dolika Banda says that this will result in a far healthier cash flow for ZCCM-IH which will in turn make it far easier for the Company to raise financing pursue its ambitious investment strategy. 

Ms. Banda further states that “the royalty arrangement will give us consistent and stable income, and fundamentally will change the financial health of ZCCM-IH by so doing. Our ambition is to make investments throughout the mining value chain – from exploration, through to value addition – so that we may help to create national economic success stories for the benefit of all Zambians; and for our shareholders, value creation and a return on their investment.”

A comparison of actual dividends received from Kansanshi since 2009 with estimates for future royalty rates shows that not only will overall revenue be far greater under the royalty model – but the revenue flow is also more predictable and consistent.

In addition, a royalty will see ZCCM-IH benefit from future high copper prices, in the likely event of a price recovery from recent market turmoil. It also affords protection from the worst of any future price slump as it is paid on production, not profitability. If Kansanshi is in production and earning revenues, a royalty will be paid – even if the mine is then producing at a loss.

ZCCM-IH will continue to hold 20% of the shares in Kansanshi Mining Plc, retain 2 out of 10 board seats, and thus continue to participate in the governance of Kansanshi and having full visibility of Kansanshi operations.

The completion of the Royalty Transaction follows extended discussions over the past three (3) years between First Quantum Minerals (FQM) and ZCCM-IH.

 

 

End

 
 
Issued by:
 
ORIGINAL SIGNED
 
Loisa Mbatha
Corporate Affairs Manager
ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc
 
 
NOTE TO THE EDITOR:
 
Summary of Some Key Terms of the Transaction
 
  • Key Terms:
    1. Dividend: Payable depending on satisfactory performance of a company and is at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Relies on company profitability.
    2. Royalty: Charged as a percentage of the amount of minerals produced and sold over a specified period, at the market price. Paid irrespective of profitability.

 

  • Equity Interest:
  • Retention of 20% Class A shares with varied rights.
  • Retain two Board seats on Kansanshi Board to ensure visibility into the operations of the Company. 

 

  • Royalty:
  • The grant of a life of mine royalty to ZCCM-IH in respect of the gross value of all metal products to be extracted from the Kansanshi mine as per the Royalty Agreement to be executed on the Transaction closing date.
  • 3.1% of the Gross Value of all Metal Products extracted from the Royalty Area 
  • Royalty based on the Gross Value of Royalty Products (Copper, Gold, and all other metal products) sold or otherwise extracted at Kansanshi.
  • Royalty will be quarterly payments for the entire Life of Mine of Kansanshi.
  • Replaces dividend payment.

 

  • VAT Refunds:
  • Kansanshi will pay ZCCM-IH 20% of all VAT refunds receivable, on receipt of refunds from ZRA, up to the effective date of the Royalty Agreement.

Kansanshi agreement is a neat solution to a historical problem: All shareholders in Kansanshi are now incentivised towards maximising production – Prof. Oliver Saasa

CCM-IH’s recently announced decision to move from a dividend model to a revenue-sharing model has been both praised and criticised in the media but, concerningly, the rationale and details appear to be widely misunderstood. Mining For Zambia asked renowned economist Professor Oliver Saasa to shine a light on this agreement, which has been three years in the making.

There has been a significant amount of commentary in the media on the Kansanshi agreement since it was announced earlier this month. Has this surprised you?

I personally believe that the interest Zambians have shown in this deal is healthy. Citizens are interested in understanding – and even questioning – the reasoning behind decisions that have consequences for the larger economy. So, it is essential that the public is properly informed about the intricacies and technical details of this agreement, to ensure that people’s opinions are founded on facts – and not on fiction. What the commentators are asking is pertinent: ‘Whose idea was this transaction? How did it come about?’ For those that have followed its genesis, it’s clear that both ZCCM-IH and First Quantum [FQM] have wanted a change, and feel that the dividend model is no longer fit for purpose for either party.

What do you understand to be the rationale behind ZCCM-IHs desire to convert its dividend rights in Kansanshi into royalty rights? Or, put differently, whats in this deal for ZCCM-IH, as you see it?

As ZCCM-IH has explained publicly, a review of its portfolios performance in 2019 revealed that the dividend model had not been maximising shareholder value because it was not delivering predictable revenues. For this reason, pursuing alternative revenue streams became a focus in its subsequent Strategic Plan, for 2020-2026. Securing consistent revenue flows from its investment portfolio (via royalties) is a solution that addresses the unpredictability of dividend payments, which were not serving ZCCM-IH’s interests.

 

Read more: https://miningforzambia.com/saasa-kansanshi-agreement-neat-solution-historical-problem/