By Alex MacDonald
CAPE TOWN--Copper miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo are
forecast to produce 1.5 million tons of copper in 2015, up from
about 600,000 tons in 2012, the chief executive of state-owned
miner Gecamines said Wednesday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Indaba mining conference, Ahmed
Kalej Nkand also told Dow Jones Newswires that Gecamines produced
35,000 tons of copper in 2012, in line with its previous
guidance.
However, the copper output target can only be reached if more
investments are made in energy and transport infrastructure, said a
senior executive from Tenke Fungurume Mining Ltd., a joint venture
between Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX), Lundin
Mining Ltd (LUN.T) and Gecamines, at a DRC meeting on
Wednesday.
"To triple the country's [output target]....the infrastructure
backbone requires significant investment," he said.
He noted that TFM is refurbishing a 265 megawatt hydro power
generation plant and plans to spend $420 million to refurbish the
plant and associated infrastructure.
Write to Alex MacDonald at alex.macdonald@dowjones.com
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