China’s leading copper producer, Zijin Mining group, intends to accelerate the development of its Congolese mines as part of its expansion strategy.
The company recently availed plans to raise its production in the coming years in anticipation of a continuous rise in the price of the red metal boosted by persistent supply shortages.
According to the information gathered, the mining company now intends to increase its copper production to 1.22 million tons by 2025, 4% higher than its previous forecast.
By 2028, Zijin target a production amounting to between 1.5 and 1.6 million tonnes, which would represent a substantial 50% increase from the 2023 levels.
Zijin have since identified the DR Congo as main pivot or center of its ambitions for expansion in the world as the company intends to accelerate the development of its Congolese mines as well as capitalizing on the country’s rich mining potential to meet the growing demand for copper.
The Chinese firm is already a major player in the Congolese mining sector, with a significant stake in the Kamoa-Kakula copper and cobalt mine, one of the largest copper mines under construction in the world, located in the Katanga copper-cobalt belt, in the province of Lualaba.
