By JAMES KUNDA-

FIRST Quantum Minerals (FQM) says the installed capacity of the Kansanshi copper smelter currently under construction in Solwezi will not be enough to cushion the inadequacy of smelters in Zambia.

FQM spokesperson John Gladston said even though the Kansanshi smelter would have the capacity to process 1.2 million tonnes of copper ore per annum, it will not measure up to the deficit that Zambia has to process large quantities of ore into finished copper.

“This smelter currently under construction at a cost of US$650 million will be commissioned within the third quarter of 2014.

“The facility will have an installed capacity to treat a mixture of concentrate from both Sentinel and Kansanshi at 1.2 million tonnes per annum, but this will not be enough to mitigate the shortage of smelters in Zambia,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Gladston has said FQM is still monitoring market activities before embarking fully on a nickel mining project at Enterprise in Solwezi.

“The Environmental Impact Assessment for Enterprise is on course but we continue to monitor the price of nickel on the global market before we can safely embark on the project,” he said.

Mr Gladston said Zambia also needed to expand its smelting capacity for Nickel to encourage more investors in the base metal industry.

Enterprise and Sentinel are some of the biggest investments by FQM in Zambia that will create synergies for economic growth in Solwezi and the country at large.