Etoile Mine
Encyclopedia
The Etoile Mine is an open-pit copper mine on the outskirts of Lubumbashi
in Katanga Province
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Chemaf (Chemical of Africa) owns the license. Chemaf is 95% owned by Shalina Resources and 5% by the DRC government.
The climate is sub-tropical, with annual rainfall of about 1200 millimetres (47.2 in) falling mostly in the October to March period.
Average temperatures are between 17 °C (62.6 °F) and 24 °C (75.2 °F), with no marked difference between summer and winter.
The region lies in a zone that would naturally be covered by Miombo Woodland, deciduous tropical woodlands.
Lying on the edge of Lubumbashi, much of the woodland has been cleared.
The Etoile orebody lies within the copperbelt that stretches from Luanshya
in Zambia to Kolwezi
in the DRC.
As with many of the deposits in southern Katanga, it is a stratiform copper-cobalt deposit. An enlarged oxide cap about 50 metres (164 ft) overlays an inclined stratiform sulphide deposit.
Union Minière du Haut Katanga
(UMHK) discovered the Etoile ore body in 1911, and the Ruashi
ore body in 1919.
For the next half century both properties were quarried intermittently for their high-grade copper ore.
Originally named the Kalukuluku mine, the Belgians later renamed it L'Etoile du Congo Mine (Star of the Congo Mine).
UMHK was nationalized in 1967. Control of all copper and cobalt exploration and production was given to Gécamines
, established as the state mining company.
Gécamines operated the Ruashi and Etoile mines until the end of the 1960s. Artisanal miners then worked the two mines until 2000, when they were put up for sale separately.
The mine opened in 2005, and Chemaf started production of refined copper in 2007.
In 2008, copper cathode production was 11,353 tonnes.
Chemaf was planning to commission a new SX/EW plant in 2009 with 6,000 tonnes/year capacity to produce refined cobalt.
A 2008 assessment confirmed that there was 13.5 million tonnes of ore in the pit, graded 3.3% copper and 0.55% cobalt.
The unusually high grade of cobalt means that this contributes over half the revenue.
The mine produced 1,071,516 tonnes of ore in 2009.
Lubumbashi
Lubumbashi is the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, second only to the nation's capital Kinshasa, and the hub of the southeastern part of the country. The copper-mining city serves as the capital of the relatively prosperous Katanga Province, lying near the Zambian border...
in Katanga Province
Katanga Province
Katanga Province is one of the provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Between 1971 and 1997, its official name was Shaba Province. Under the new constitution, the province was to be replaced by four smaller provinces by February 2009; this did not actually take place.Katanga's regional...
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Chemaf (Chemical of Africa) owns the license. Chemaf is 95% owned by Shalina Resources and 5% by the DRC government.
Location
The Etoile mine is located at an elevation of about 1285 metres (4,215.9 ft) above sea level.The climate is sub-tropical, with annual rainfall of about 1200 millimetres (47.2 in) falling mostly in the October to March period.
Average temperatures are between 17 °C (62.6 °F) and 24 °C (75.2 °F), with no marked difference between summer and winter.
The region lies in a zone that would naturally be covered by Miombo Woodland, deciduous tropical woodlands.
Lying on the edge of Lubumbashi, much of the woodland has been cleared.
The Etoile orebody lies within the copperbelt that stretches from Luanshya
Luanshya
Luanshya is a town in Zambia, in the Copperbelt Province near Ndola. It has a population of 117,579 .Luanshya was founded in the early part of the 20th century after a prospector/explorer, William Collier, shot and killed a Roan Antelope on the banks of the Luanshya River, discovering a copper...
in Zambia to Kolwezi
Kolwezi
Kolwezi is a city in Katanga Province in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, west of Likasi. It is home to an airport and a railway to Lubumbashi. The population is approximately 418,000....
in the DRC.
As with many of the deposits in southern Katanga, it is a stratiform copper-cobalt deposit. An enlarged oxide cap about 50 metres (164 ft) overlays an inclined stratiform sulphide deposit.
Early production
Tanganyika Concessions Ltd dug pits and trenches in the area in 1907.Union Minière du Haut Katanga
Union Minière du Haut Katanga
The Union Minière du Haut Katanga was a Belgian mining company, once operating in Katanga, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
(UMHK) discovered the Etoile ore body in 1911, and the Ruashi
Ruashi Mine
The Ruashi Mine is an open-pit copper and cobalt mine operated by Metorex that is located about from Lubumbashi in Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo....
ore body in 1919.
For the next half century both properties were quarried intermittently for their high-grade copper ore.
Originally named the Kalukuluku mine, the Belgians later renamed it L'Etoile du Congo Mine (Star of the Congo Mine).
UMHK was nationalized in 1967. Control of all copper and cobalt exploration and production was given to Gécamines
Gécamines
Gécamines, or La Générale des Carrières et des Mines, is a state-owned mining company in the Democratic Republic of Congo . Its principal products are copper , cobalt and zinc...
, established as the state mining company.
Gécamines operated the Ruashi and Etoile mines until the end of the 1960s. Artisanal miners then worked the two mines until 2000, when they were put up for sale separately.
Recent operations
Chemaf gained the rights to Etoile in 2003.The mine opened in 2005, and Chemaf started production of refined copper in 2007.
In 2008, copper cathode production was 11,353 tonnes.
Chemaf was planning to commission a new SX/EW plant in 2009 with 6,000 tonnes/year capacity to produce refined cobalt.
A 2008 assessment confirmed that there was 13.5 million tonnes of ore in the pit, graded 3.3% copper and 0.55% cobalt.
The unusually high grade of cobalt means that this contributes over half the revenue.
The mine produced 1,071,516 tonnes of ore in 2009.