Chinese to build Afghan copper project

Afghanistan: China Metallurgical Group Corp (MCC) and Jiangxi Copper Co plan to invest some $3.7 billion to develop a large copper mine in Afghanistan. The two have won the right to develop the Aynak copper deposit near Kabul. MCC expects to produce 220,000 t/y of copper. Jiangxi Copper, China's largest integrated copper producer by output, will have the right to buy at least half of the copper produced, and will provide at least 20% of the capital cost to set up a joint venture with MCC to develop the mine.

The area around Aynak, 30 km south-southeast of Kabul in southeast Afghanistan, has been the focus of copper working since ancient times. Numerous old excavations and pits, as well as remains of smelting furnaces, have been discovered at Aynak and also nearby at Darband and Jawkhar. In 1974, Russian geologists prospected and mapped the Kabul area and rediscovered the Aynak, Darband and Jawkhar copper prospects. In 1974-1976 and again in 1978-1989, the Soviet Geological Mission conducted detailed exploration of Aynak, but this work ceased in 1989 with the withdrawal of Russian advisors, and the subsequent civil war halted any further work.

The British Geological Survey has reported that 'Soviet-era exploration was very detailed and comprehensive in nature. It outlined a main orebody up to 210 m thick which was consistent down dip and along strike. A number of resource calculations were carried out but these do not easily conform to modern western classifications. Whilst a drill-indicated resource figure of 240 Mt at 2.3% Cu has been published, a number of small 'ore lenses' are included in this total, which may not be mineable in practice.

'The main orebody in the Central zone of the deposit, with its shallow dip down from near surface, is probably mineable from an open pit. The depth of overburden increases to the south and the stripping ratio may be too high to extend mining further south. The Western zone is steeply dipping and underground mining would be needed to exploit the main orebody.'