Barrick Gold invests in major expansion of Lumwana mine

Barrick’s transformation of its Lumwana mine into a world-class producer will provide strong impetus for the government’s thrust to revive the country’s copper industry, president and chief executive Mark Bristow said yesterday after a meeting with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema. Barrick is investing almost $2B in an expansion project designed to increase Lumwana’s annual production to an estimated 240,000 tonnes of copper from a 50M tonne per annum process plant over a 36-year life of mine, elevating this once-unprofitable operation into the front rank of copper producers. The project’s accelerated work program is targeting completion of the full feasibility study by the end of 2024, bringing expected expanded process plant production forward to 2028. Since Barrick took over operations at Lumwana in 2019, the mine has contributed almost $3B to the Zambian economy in the form of taxes, royalties, salaries and the procurement of goods and services. In addition to its local procurement policy, the company is also committed to local employment, and 99.3% of Lumwana’s current workforce are Zambian nationals.