Kilembe Mines is a

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

and

cobalt Cobalt is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. The free element, pr ...

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

, the third-largest economy in the

East African Community The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of seven countries in the Great Lakes region of East Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republics of Kenya, Burundi, ...

Location

The mine is located in Kilembe, a suburb of the town of

Kasese Kasese is a town north of Lake George in the Western Region of Uganda. It originally grew around the copper mine at Kilembe, while attention later turned to cobalt mining. It is the chief town of Kasese District, and the district headquarters ...

, in the foothills of the

Rwenzori Mountains The Ruwenzori, also spelled Rwenzori and Rwenjura, are a range of mountains in eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peak of the Ruwenzori reaches , and the range' ...

in the Western Region of Uganda The mine is approximately , by road, west of Kampala, the country's

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

and largest city. The coordinates of Kilembe Mines are:0°12'30.0"N, 30°00'25.0"E (Latitude:0.208333; Longitude:30.006944).

Overview

Kilembe Mines is Uganda's largest copper mine, with estimated deposits of

in excess of 4,000,000 tonnes and an undetermined amount of

ore. In addition, there approximately , of unexplored acreage at the site.

History

In July 1950, two

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

mining companies, Frosbisher Limited and Ventures Limited, formed a joint venture, named Kilembe Mines Limited, whose objective was to mine copper from under the

near Kasese. Kilembe Mines Limited built and operated a copper smelter in Jinja and maintained offices in

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

, the country's capital. Other assets include a housing estate for staff in Kasese and the 5MW

Mubuku I Power Station Mubuku I Power Station is a mini-hydroelectric power station in Uganda. Location The power station is located between Bugoye and Kitoko, straddling the Mubuku River in Kasese District in Western Uganda. The station is in the foothills of the Rw ...

in the Rwenzori Mountains. In 1962, Kilembe Mines Limited was acquired by Falconbridge of Africa, who sold it to the

Government of Uganda Uganda is a presidential republic in which the President of Uganda is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government business. There is a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is ...

in 1975. Copper extraction ceased in 1982 due to dilapidated equipment, high inflation and insecurity. In 2013, after nearly 30 years of dormancy and after several failed attempts to privatize the mine, a

consortium A consortium (plural: consortia) is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for ...

led by Tibet-Hima Mining Company Limited, won the competitive bid to manage, rehabilitate and operate Kilembe Mines Limited for 25 years from 2013 until 2038. In exchange for those rights, the consortium paid a cash down payment of US$4.3 million and is expected to make an annual payment of US$1 million until the end of the concession. Also, the consortium will invest US$135 million into rehabilitating and improving the mine and will increase the capacity of Mubuku I Power Station to 12MW. In addition to the cash payments above, the Ugandan government will receive royalties on the minerals extracted as well as taxes from Kilembe Mines Limited business operations.

Recent events

, the managers at Kilembe have set September 2015 to resume copper extraction. The mine will be revived in stages. A copper smelter will be constructed at Kilembe to process the ore and produce 99.9% pure copper for export. When fully operational, the mine will employ 4,000 full-time workers. On September 14, 2022, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development appointed a new board of directors for Kilembe Mines Limited, the governing company for the mines. Hon. Sanjay Tanna, a prominent businessman and politician who was the former Member of Parliament for Tororo Municipality, was sworn in as the Board chairman, alongside Atwoki Gilbert Mujogya, Ruth Sengonzi, Semitala Nobert, Eric Chandiga and Hon. Loice Bira Bwambale, who all serve as Board Members. Ministers Ruth Nankabirwa Sentamu and Evelyn Anite of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and Ministry of State for Privatisation and Investment, respectively, unveiled plans for the redevelopment of Kilembe Mines, which is expected to bring about industrialization, employment opportunities, and additional revenue. With the new board leadership, several companies are expected to express interest in partnering with the government through a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA). The restoration of the mines and the process of procuring an investor is a significant step to achieve this goal, according to the government. Kilembe Mines is known to contain reserves and resources of copper in ore and tailings, as well as potential for cobalt, copper, and associated base metals, making it a key element in the transition to clean energy. The current price of copper is between $ 10,000 and $ 10,500 per tonne.

Board of Directors KML (2022).

References

External links

Kilembe Mines Worker Killed in Line of Duty
{{Kasese District Copper mines in Uganda