The construction of the second phase of Huagang Mining is currently progressing smoothly. As of September 30, a total of 84 equipment and material tenders have been completed, and 97 contracts have been signed, reaching 97% of the tender plan; mining infrastructure stripping has reached 36.597 million cubic meters, completing 76.7% of the total project volume; concrete pouring has completed 40.753 million cubic meters, achieving 57.14% of the construction drawing design volume; the overall progress of the beneficiation system No. 2 and tailings pond project has reached 80% and 75%, respectively; key equipment such as semi-autogenous grinding, primary crushing station, and flotation machine in the beneficiation system are currently in transit.
In the face of the severe impact brought by the sudden COVID-19 pandemic this year, Huagang Mining, jointly invested by China Railway and China Power Construction, has overcome many difficulties such as local material shortages, limited transportation logistics, and the mobility of foreign employees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the goal of "on schedule, high quality, completed early, and put into production early," adhering to "high standards at the start, high efficiency in promotion," strengthening scientific decision-making, enhancing command and scheduling, concentrating resource advantages, working hard, racing against time, and rapidly advancing the construction of the second phase.
Second phase mining infrastructure stripping operations
Focus on system management to build first-class projects
Huagang Mining's copper-cobalt mine is located in Kolwezi, Lualaba Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, controlling an estimated ore volume of 250 million tons, with copper grade at 3.47% and cobalt grade at 0.215%, resulting in 8.68 million tons of copper metal and 540,000 tons of cobalt metal, with a planned total investment of 6.664 billion USD.
In response to the severe situation this year, Huagang Mining has specially established a construction command team for the second phase of the project, led by the company's main leaders, with 7 working groups and an office, drawing on management elites and technical backbones to form a management team, clarifying responsibilities, refining divisions of labor, and strengthening the organization, leadership, and command scheduling of the second phase of construction. First, advance planning and adapting to local conditions, a detailed "Milestone Node Plan for the Second Phase of Construction" was formulated at the beginning of construction; second, monthly weekly and monthly construction plans are developed, implementing weekly and monthly progress reports and early warning systems, forming a planning and control model of "weekly to ensure monthly, monthly to ensure quarterly, quarterly to ensure yearly"; third, an assessment and incentive mechanism is established, with strict assessments, rewarding the excellent and punishing the poor, and including project safety, quality, and progress in the important indicators of "labor competition" to mobilize and stimulate the work enthusiasm of all employees of the company and participating units; fourth, a site meeting is held every two weeks, problem-oriented, to timely solve practical problems arising during construction, supervising and inspecting all participating units to fully implement safety, quality, technology, and progress requirements to ensure that each project is completed on time with high quality and efficiency.
Focus on technical management to build quality projects
Based on summarizing the experience of the first phase of construction and drawing on advanced international mining experiences, Huagang Mining has leveraged strengths and avoided weaknesses, innovating to support the high standard quality of the second phase with technology. First, a technical communication mechanism has been established with the design unit, insisting on combining on-site inspections with technical exchanges, focusing on in-depth discussions and research on the configuration of mining and beneficiation processes, equipment selection, overall layout, and investment estimates, resulting in 36 optimization proposals for the "Preliminary Design of the Second Phase of the SICOMINES Copper-Cobalt Mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo"; second, by reviewing product design drawings and documents, strengthening control over the product design phase to ensure that purchased products meet design requirements, controlling product quality from the source of production; third, the "Huagang Mining Equipment Supervision Management Measures" have been formulated, with separate supervision plans developed according to equipment types and characteristics, using key point witness supervision to control product quality and delivery progress during equipment manufacturing; fourth, strictly following the construction node plan for the second phase, with the principle of "those who can do it first," a horizontal implementation chart for construction drawings is developed, gradually carrying out construction drawing design work to fully guarantee on-site construction needs.
Focus on compliance management to build efficient projects
Huagang Mining has also specially established a bidding leadership group led by the company's main leaders, with a bidding office set up to comprehensively strengthen the supervision and inspection of the bidding process and results, legally and compliantly promoting the procurement bidding work for equipment and materials for the second phase of construction. First, focusing on the node plan for the second phase of construction, a step-by-step implementation and orderly promotion strategy is adopted to complete the procurement bidding for major equipment, given the characteristics of a wide variety and large quantity of bidding equipment; second, careful organization of pre-bidding market research and technical and business exchanges is conducted, specifically inviting leading and excellent suppliers in the industry to participate in bidding, with many well-known domestic and foreign companies such as Outotec, Metso, Aif Smith, and CITIC Heavy Industries becoming suppliers for the second phase of equipment, ensuring the quality of purchased equipment from the source; third, adhering to the principles of "openness, fairness, and justice," strictly following the procedures for bid opening and evaluation, strengthening secondary negotiations and clearing work, comparing configurations, performance, prices, and measuring costs, striving to achieve the best cost-performance ratio for winning equipment and saving procurement costs; fourth, major equipment is managed with graded transportation according to "important, urgent, general," and a packaging plan for second phase equipment and materials is developed, effectively utilizing box capacity, rationally loading, and strictly controlling logistics transportation costs. As of now, the bidding for major equipment such as the beneficiation system, smelting system, and roasting system has been fully completed, and some large equipment is already in transit, set to arrive at the construction site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on schedule.
Focus on construction management to build quality projects
Huagang Mining has also established a construction and quality safety management team on-site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, preparing a responsibility matrix, revising construction systems, strengthening supervision and inspection, and enhancing construction management. First, in conjunction with the actual construction of the second phase, the "Implementation Rules for Construction Quality Management," "Construction Progress Management Measures," "On-site Engineering Change Management Measures," "Project Acceptance Management Measures," and "Supervision Work Management Measures" have been revised successively to further standardize management behavior and implement management functions; second, a safety quality responsibility system is implemented, supervising participating units to fulfill their "management" and "supervision" responsibilities, forming a safety quality management system based on "institutional guarantees and personnel management as the core"; third, using the PDCA method of planning, execution, inspection, and correction, engineering progress management is strengthened, closely monitoring key processes, key projects, and key links to ensure that engineering projects are completed on time; fourth, the construction management work is specified and quantified based on actual on-site construction. Standardized construction sites are promoted, ensuring clear areas, distinct functions, complete signage, and civilized hygiene, achieving scientific management, civilized construction, and essential safety requirements, realizing standardized and regulated construction sites with zero accidents in safety and quality.
Focus on cooperation management to build win-win projects
Huagang Mining insists on synchronously promoting domestic bidding and foreign construction. According to the construction schedule of the second phase project, multiple top domestic large modern construction groups are invited to bid for key projects such as civil engineering, steel structure specialty engineering, and installation engineering. After scientifically following procedures and multiple rounds of consultations, Huagang Mining signed 9 construction contracts with China Railway Seventh Bureau, China Railway Ninth Bureau, China Nonferrous Metal Industry Sixth Construction Co., Ltd., China Railway Sixth Bureau, and China Railway Steel Structure, and held a signing ceremony in Beijing. On-site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Huagang Mining actively provides material support, technical services, and supervision guidance for participating units, creating favorable conditions for construction while urging all participating units to accelerate resource allocation and construction team building. Each participating unit meticulously organizes construction, ensures material supply, implements prevention and control measures, and establishes assessment mechanisms, gradually achieving safety, quality, and progress goals for the second phase of the project. As of now, the second phase of the infrastructure stripping project has invested 311 Chinese employees, 947 Congolese employees, over 410 sets of mining equipment, and 100 sets of auxiliary equipment; the second phase of civil engineering has invested 187 Chinese employees, 1606 Congolese employees, and 199 sets of large equipment; for the second phase of steel structure specialty engineering and installation engineering, there are 53 Chinese employees, 26 Congolese employees, and 2 sets of large equipment. Huagang Mining plans to ultimately reach 765 Chinese employees, 340 Congolese employees, and 41 sets of large equipment, thereby fully ensuring the second phase project is completed and put into production on schedule.
In August 2019, Huagang Mining officially launched the construction of the second phase of the mining construction project. The second phase project, consisting of seven major systems: mining engineering, mineral processing engineering, roasting engineering, smelting engineering, tailings pond engineering, public auxiliary facilities, and administrative welfare facilities, is planned to be put into production in July 2021. After reaching full production, the project will have a total annual mining and selection scale of 9.1 million tons, a cathode copper output of 253,500 tons, and a cobalt content of 5,180 tons in crude cobalt hydroxide products.□
Website Editor: Gong Li