Kansanshi Copper-Gold Mine

Kansanshi is an open-pit copper and gold mine near Solwezi in Zambia's North-Western Province, operated by First Quantum Minerals with Zambia's state holding company ZCCM-IH as a minority partner. The US$1.25 billion S3 expansion, commissioned on 19 August 2025, added a new processing plant that nearly doubles ore-milling capacity, expanded smelter throughput by about 25% and opened a new pit. First Quantum expects Kansanshi to produce about 250,000 tonnes of copper a year on average until 2044, up from about 171,000 tonnes in 2024. With Cobre Panamá closed, Kansanshi and the nearby Sentinel mine now provide most of First Quantum's output.

1. 01Average about 250,000 tonnes of copper a year until 2044
2. 02Run the S3 expansion's new processing plant at full capacity
3. 03Process concentrate locally at the Kansanshi smelter
4. 04Support Zambia's goal of producing 3 million tonnes of copper a year by the early 2030s
5. 05Extend the life of mine through the new S3 pit

1. 2005 · completed

   Production Start

   First Quantum began commercial copper production at Kansanshi.

2. 2015 · completed

   Smelter Commissioned

   The Kansanshi smelter began processing copper concentrate on site.

3. 2022 · completed

   S3 Expansion Approved

   First Quantum approved the S3 expansion, then estimated at about US$1.25 billion.

4. 2024 · completed

   Steady Output

   Kansanshi produced about 171,000 tonnes of copper.

5. 2025 · completed

   S3 Commissioned

   The S3 expansion was commissioned on 19 August 2025, on time and on budget.

6. 2044 · upcoming

   Planned Mine Life

   Production is planned to continue at about 250,000 t of copper a year until 2044.

• Large-scale open-pit mining
• Sulphide and oxide ore processing circuits
• On-site copper smelter
• Gold recovery as a by-product

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• First Quantum Minerals (operator, majority)
• ZCCM Investments Holdings (minority)