Market Survey on Copper - Indian Bureau of Mines

India’s trade with Australia is mainly in the form of copper concentrates. Out
of total imports of copper ores and concentrates in India the share of Australia was
22.52%. Hindalco Industries Ltd. and Vedanta Resources operates a number of mines
in Australia and Tasmania and the concentrates are imported for their smelters in
India.
Brazil
Brazil’s copper ore production in terms of metal content was increasing since
2006 and reached a level of 222 thousand tonnes in 2008. In 2009 it showed a little
decrease of 7% and was at 217 thousand tonnes. The major contributing company
was Vale S A. The Vale S A has its mining operations at “Vale 118” and Sossego in
Carajas, state of Para. The production from Sossego was 126 thousand tonnes in terms
of copper content. The other major producer was Mineracao Caraiba S A with 23
thousand tonnes from its mine at Jaguarari in the State of Bahia.
Cariba Metals SA(CMSA) was the only electrolytic copper producer in Brazil
which produced 220 thousand tonnes of Primary copper in 2009 which decreased by
12% in 2009 to reach 204 thousand tonnes. The annual demand of copper in the
country was met with by imports of 217 thousand tonnes of copper of metal The
major countries from which Brazil imported copper metal were Chile (75%) and Peru
(25%).
In 2008, the Vale SA has included three more mining projects of sulphide ores
namely the Salobo, the Alemao and Cristalino deposits and one oxidized ore deposit
of project “Vale 118”. All these projects are located in the mineral province of
Carajas, State of Para. The Salova metals SA, a subsidiary company of Vale SA has
plans to invest $ 1.2 billion to produce 129 thousand tpy by 2011 and 254 thousand
tpy of copper by 2013. Valle SA is also planning to produce 10,000 tpy of copper
cathode from the project 118 at an estimated cost of $ 235 million. Vale SA’s another
subsidiary Usina Hidrommetalurgica de Carajas SA (UHC) has plans to construct a
semi-industrial scale copper processing plant with an estimated plan of $ 58 million.
UHC would also produce copper concentrate at its Sossego project using
hydometallurgical technology based on pressure oxidation followed by heap leaching,
solvent extraction and copper electrowinning.
Feasibility study of Cristalino deposit for an estimated reserves of 312 million
tonnes of copper ore (grading 0.77% Cu) is expected to produce 90,000 tpy of copper
concentrates by the end of 2011.
Vale SA is also conducting intensive prospecting to identify new copper areas
in Carajas district. Mineracao Maraca S A completed a feasibility study for Chapada
Cu-Au-Ag project in Alto Horzonte, in the State of Goias with estimated reserves of
434 million tonnes. The Chapada mine is projected to produce 51,000 tpy of copper
concentrate by 2012.
Keeping in view the present scenario and future plans of Brazil’s copper
industry, the country has a good future both in terms of production as well as trade.
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