Sinomine advances Zambia's Kitumba copper mine toward trial production

The $560m-plus iron oxide copper-gold project in Mumbwa district is targeting trial concentrator output in the third quarter of 2026

RMRoy Mulenga

5 August 20262 min read

Sinomine Resource Group's Kitumba copper project in Mumbwa district, Central Province, Zambia, is targeting trial concentrator production in the third quarter of 2026, with full concentrator commissioning expected in the fourth quarter and smelter trial output following in the same period. Sinomine has invested more than $560 million in the iron oxide copper-gold project, whose mining and processing infrastructure is designed to handle 3.5 million tonnes of ore a year.

From stripping to first ore

The project, which holds a mineral resource of 27.9 million tonnes, was formally commissioned by Zambia's president in August 2024 before moving into stripping, the removal of surface soil and waste rock ahead of ore extraction. At full capacity, Kitumba is expected to average around 33,000 tonnes a year of copper cathode and 55,000 tonnes a year of copper concentrate. A $25 million, roughly 40-megawatt solar plant built to help power the operation was expected to connect to Zambia's national grid by January 2026.

Why it matters

Kitumba is one of several large Chinese-backed copper investments advancing in Zambia's Central Province alongside KoBold Metals' Mingomba project, part of a broader wave of capital supporting the government's target of tripling national copper output to 3 million tonnes a year by 2031. Mumbwa district, previously a minor player in Zambian mining, is emerging as a genuine new copper node, reinforced by the government's separate announcement of further copper deposits nearby in July 2026.

What happens next

The next milestones to watch are trial concentrator production in the third quarter of 2026 and full commissioning in the fourth quarter, both of which will determine whether Kitumba can reach the smelter trial stage on schedule and begin contributing meaningfully to Zambia's copper output from early 2027.