The project is in the Kalahari Copper Belt and is expected to produce about 62 000 t/y of payable copper and 1.9-million ounces a year of payable silver in concentrate for more than 20 years.

Under the project scope, Fluor provided engineering, procurement and construction management for upgrading the Boseto processing plant, a transport corridor and a 40 km water pipeline from the Haka water pump station to Zone 5.

“The transition from construction to operations marks a major historical achievement for Khoemacau and Botswana. This modern mining and processing operation is expected to deliver substantial economic benefits to the country,” says Fluor Mining and Metals president Tony Morgan.

The project recently celebrated six-million continuous hours worked without a lost-time injury.

Construction began in October 2018, with more than 1 800 workers on site at the peak construction.