Abstract

FICHANI, K.  and  MASIALETI, M.. Prospects for value addition in copper in the emerging Kalahari Copper Belt of Botswana. J. S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall. [online]. 2019, vol.119, n.10, pp.825-831. ISSN 2411-9717.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2411-9717/570/2019.

The Kalahari Copper Belt (KCB), which stretches for about a 1000 km in northwestern Botswana, is emerging as a potential host to new copper and silver mining projects. Current resources are estimated at about 472 Mt at grades ranging from 0.85% to 2.2% copper and 11 to 50 g/t silver. In this paper, we constructed a discounted cash flow financial model of an Isasmelt technology copper smelter and sulphuric acid complex, and then used the model to determine the minimum economic size of a copper smelter and its attendant sulphuric acid plant in the KCB, whether current and future production of copper concentrates would provide sufficient feed leading to satisfactory project economics for the smelter, and the level of imports of copper concentrates, if any, that would be required to ensure that the smelter operates at full capacity. The study concluded that the minimum economic size of the smelter would be 485 kt per annum and that the projected tonnages of local copper concentrates would, on their own, fail to provide enough feed to the smelter. We recommend further work to more accurately define the likely production of copper concentrates from the KCB; the possibility of imports of copper concentrates; taxing the smelter at rates for manufacturing, which are currently 15% as opposed to the company tax rate of 22%; and the possibility of negotiating lower electricity tariffs as this would lead to improved project economics for the smelter and sulphuric acid complex.

Keywords : copper value chain; Kalahari Copper Belt; project economics; copper smelter.

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