Mining with China: China-built Copper Mine in Kazakhstan
China-built Copper Mine in Kazakhstan
As we traverse a vast expanse of grassland in Kazakhstan, the shape of an industrial plant gradually emerges from beyond the horizon. Soon, we can make out massive piles of ore and a conveyor belt stretching some three kilometers. It is our destination: Pachaku Copper Mine Dressing Plant, a project constructed by the China Nonferrous Metal Industry’s Foreign Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd., or NFC for short.
Challenges
Pachaku, in the northeastern Kazakh province of Pavlodar, is known around the world for its abundant deposits of copper. The facility under construction is the largest of its kind in the country. Upon completion, it will be able to handle 30 million tons of copper ore annually, which will double the country’s copper productivity and offer some 2,000 jobs to locals. The Kazakh government considers the plant a key national project.
However, technical difficulties and time restraints have frequently plagued construction, leading a world-famous engineering company to drop out. The NFC took over the project after thorough investigation and signed a contract with Kazakhstan worth US$486 million in February 2014.
The Chinese enterprise has faced down many challenges in the process, the worst of which has been the extremely cold weather. The temperature was minus 20 degrees Celsius with piercing wind when we arrived at the construction site. Our faces were numb after walking only 200 meters against the wind. “It’s not that bad,” grinned Liu Jianhui, the project manager who had lived there several years.
According to Liu, it can drop as low as 45 degrees below zero at worst, which can freeze construction work. Plastic sheets and cotton quilts are employed to wrap facilities in addition to hot-air blowers on the construction site. These indigenous methods have kept work moving in even the bitterest of weather.
To make sure the staff remains healthy, Chinese managers provide a gym, other indoor recreational space and quality food. They also organize various sport and cultural events on holidays to improve morale.
It is the duty of outsiders to learn the rules and regulations of the host country.
“Our Kazakh supervisors are very strict with management,” notes Qin Junman, deputy general manager of the NFC. “The construction process must be precisely calculated by days, and every task completed as specified. It’s the same with safety. When work is done 1.3 meters and higher above the ground, a lift and safety belt must be used, or they will shut us down until a correction is made.”
The Chinese team eventually learned how to strictly adhere to every criterion specified by the Kazakh supervisors. “Construction not only exported our technology, but gave us rich working experience, which will ultimately upgrade service quality and prepare an entrance to European and American markets,” Qin continued.
To date, about 80 percent of the project has been completed. The plant to process sulphide ores has begun operation. The Chinese team is working hard on the final leg of the project, the dressing plant for the clay pit, which is expected to be fully completed by mid-year.
Honors
The ore grinding facility serves as the heart of the copper dressing plant, and with it the stunning visual impact of three giant pillars roaring up and down. “They are eight to 12 meters in diameter respectively, with the largest weighing 80 tons. They are the largest of their kind in the world,” notes Ju Shiyi, construction manager of the Pachaku project. “Never has anyone on earth installed three such machines at the same time. The process was extremely complicated: A few centimeters of deviation during hoisting would have led to total re-installation.” Fortunately, they were successfully installed the first time thanks to thorough reconnaissance and calculation on-site.
Managers from both sides were checking the massive machines when we approached them. When asked for his impression of the project, the local supervisor gave a thumbs up. “It’s been more than a year since I began collaborating with my Chinese partners,” he said. “Now we cooperate seamlessly, without any hitches at all. I’m often touched by their professional dedication highlighted by speed and quality.”
The impressive performance of the Chinese team has also earned praise from the Kazakh government. In December 2016, before its National Independence Day, the Kazakh government highlighted several projects of national importance, with the Pachaku Copper Mine Dressing Plant as one of the centerpieces. President Nazarbayev praised it for the vigor and vitality it was bringing to the drowsy copper industry, and granted it the Golden Eagle Quality Award as the best national industrial project.
“The secret of the project’s success is the cooperative relationship with mutual benefits between companies as well as the two countries,” concluded Wang Hongqian, general manager of the NFC. As the president of Kazakhstan Mining Limited proclaimed, “The NFC is trustworthy. We look up to and appreciate its excellent performance and wish to work together as much as possible in the future.”