The ZCCM-IH Investment Holdings says phase one of the Consolidated Gold Company Limited, gold processing project in Rufunsa has commenced.
ZCCM-IH Chief Executive Officer Mabvuto Chipata says the phase involves ten gold milling plants with a processing capacity of 30 tonnes of ore per day, and a targeted average of 7.5 kilograms gold production per month.
Mr Chipata said the next stage of the phase is also underway which involves the setting up of the gold vat leaching plant in Rufunsa.
He said the plant is aimed at chemically processing the gold stock piles from two old gold mines, and concentrates from the gold milling plants.
Mr Chipata said the vat leaching plant which is scheduled to be completed by June 2020 will have a processing capacity of 8, 000 tons ore material per leach, and a targeted gold production of 17.5 kilograms per month.
He said the total targeted gold production envisaged is 25 kilograms per month from both the milling and the vat leaching plants.
Mr Chipata said a total of approximately $3.15 million has been injected in these two production lines, following the successful completion and launch of a gold laboratory set at a total cost of $250, 000 in Lusaka in March 2020.
He said a total of approximately $3.5 million will be spent on the Rufunsa project.
Mr Chipata undertook a site visit in the first week of May 2020 to check on the progress of the project, and expressed happiness that the project was on course, despite a few delays in bringing in the required equipment from manufacturers outside the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said that ZCCM-IH looks to officially launching the project by July 2020 once a few gold ore bars are produced.
CGCZ Chief Executive Officer Faisal Keer who accompanied Mr Chipata stated that the business model involves working with various artisanal and small scale gold miners in providing access to the milling plants, with the view to increase the gold production.
He added that CGCZ is also helping licensed small scale gold miners with mining technical expertise and safety, and also providing access to earth moving machinery in order to increase gold ore production that is subsequently processed using the milling plants.
Phase two of the project which will involve setting-up the same model in Mumbwa District is expected to start before the end of the year.
CGCZ is a gold processing and trading Joint Venture partnership between Karma Mining Services and Rural Development (55%) and ZCCM-IH (45%).
Source: https://www.lusakatimes.com/2020/05/13/phase-one-of-the-consolidated-gold-company-limited-in-rufunsa-has-commenced-zccm-ih/