Deziwa mine
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Deziwa mine | |
| Province | Lualaba |
| Country | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Coordinates | 10°47′36″S 25°46′54″E / 10.79345565555149°S 25.7816583969706°E |
| Production | |
| Products | Copper Cobalt |
| History | |
| Opened | 2020 |
| Owner | |
| Company | China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group (51%) Gécamines (49%) |
| Website | www |
The Deziwa mine is a large open-pit copper and cobalt mine located about 35 km east of Kolwezi in Lualaba Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[1] The mine is estimated to hold 4.6 million tonnes of copper and 420,000 tonnes of cobalt. The mine sits directly adjacent to the Mutanda Mine.
History
[edit]Copperbelt minerals
[edit]An initial agreement was struck in 2005 between Gécamines and Platmin Congo (a subsidiary of Copperbelt Minerals) to explore Deziwa. The joint venture, Societe Minere de Deziwa et Ecaille C Sprl (Somidec) was owned 68% by Copperbelt minerals, and 32% by Gecamines.
In 2010, Zijin Mining made a $284 million bid to purchase the Deziwa and Ecaille C mines from Platmin Congo.[2] The bid was rejected by the Congolese government, who said the deal violated regulations.[3][4]
Gécamines
[edit]In 2013, Gécamines purchased Copperbelt Minerals' 68% stake in Deziwa and Ecaille C.[5] The purchase was financed by a $196 million loan from Dan Gertler's Fleurette Group.[6]
CNMC
[edit]In 2015, CNMC announced their intention to develop the site in the wake of China's Made in China 2025 policy.[7] Negotiations to develop the mine at Deziwa were taking place in 2016.[8] Construction started in May 2018, and the mine officially opened in January 2020.[9]
The mine is currently run by Société Miniere De Deziwa (Somidez), a joint venture between the China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group (51%) and Gécamines (49%). After a certain number of years, ownership of the mine is set to revert to Gécamines.
The $800 million deal to set up the mine has been criticized as opaque by the UK-based NGO Global Witness.[10] A 2021 report from the UK-based NGO RAID claimed regular violations of workers' rights at the mine.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "Congo launches Chinese-owned Deziwa copper, cobalt mine". Mining Weekly. 2020-01-15. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
- ^ "Zijin Mining exec: Gold prices too high to last". MarketWatch. 2011-11-07. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- ^ "Congo Won't Approve Zijin, CAD Fund's Bid for Platmin". Bloomberg. 2010-05-09. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- ^ "Zijin says China, Congo will probably approve deal". China Daily Website. 2010-05-12. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- ^ "Congo's Gecamines aims to build 200,000 T copper plant". Reuters. 2013-01-14. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
- ^ Jones, Peter (2014-04-30). "Gertler group loaned Congo's Gecamine $196 mln for mine buyout". Reuters via Yahoo News. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
- ^ Dionne Searcey, Michael Forsythe, Eric Lipton (2021-11-20). "A Power Struggle Over Cobalt Rattles the Clean Energy Revolution". New York Times. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Thomas Wilson (2016-08-15). "Congo Copper Deal With China May Draw $2 Billion of Investment". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
- ^ Bujakera, Stanis (2020-01-15). "Congo opens Chinese-owned Deziwa copper and cobalt mine". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
- ^ Thomas Wilson (2016-05-03). "Congo Urged to Publish Details of Mining Deals". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
- ^ Stone, Maddie (2022-02-15). "The harsh realities of mining cobalt for EV batteries". The Verge. Retrieved 2022-09-21.