First Quantum spent $30 million on there SXEW plant back in 1998...

First Quantum spent $30 million on there SXEW plant back in 1998 at Bwana Mkubwa, Zambia which produced 10,000 tonnes of cathod copper and 90,000 tonnes of sulphuric acid. They upgraded it in 2000 to 35,000 tonne capability for another $25 million.

The FQ plant required extra facilities (crushing) that the tailings that AVM will be mining do not.

It seems that AVM could get the project going with a SXEW plant costing considerably less than $65 million, it depends on the size of the plant.

Heres an old FQ news release on there SXEW plant:

Tue Jan 20, 1998
Construction of the Bwana Mkubwa Copper Mine completed 3 months ahead of schedule

The company is pleased to announce that construction of its 100% owned Bwana Mkubwa Copper Mine (BMCM) at Ndola in northwest Zambia has been completed ahead of the scheduled completion date of March 1998. Commissioning is now in progress with the first acid production scheduled to commence on January 29th, and the first tailings slurry flowing into the plant on January 30th.


The Board of Directors wishes to congratulate the project management, contractors and staff for completion of the BMCM within budget, (approx. US$30million) and in an astonishing 20 months from commencement of feasibility study. Of particular note and importance to shareholders, the plant has been built to a much higher specification than was originally planned at the feasibility study stage. Whereas the original design called for the construction of a plant with a 5-7 year life, the completed plant has the specifications for a 15 year life and has been built at no extra cost. This exceptional achievement will provide processing capacity for any additional ore proven up within the mining licence and the recently acquired adjacent prospecting licence areas.


The Company also wishes to acknowledge the extremely valuable assistance provided by personnel from the Minerals and Mines Department of Zambia, in Lusaka. Their cooperation, assistance and professional approach to this development have ensured the success of the project.


The BMCM is an integrated copper and acid plant based on the famous Bwana Mkubwa copper mine on the Zambian copperbelt. The project comprises the processing of copper oxide tailings by SXEW technology and the production of sulphuric acid by way of sulphur burning. The plant is designed to produce 10,000 tonnes/year of cathode copper and 95,000 tonnes/year of sulphuric acid of which 65,000 tonnes will be available for sale. Operating cash costs are expected to be US$0.33/lb. Recent sulphuric acid sales in the copperbelt region have been at prices ranging from US$225 to US$250/tonne.


First Quantum is also progressing with its negotiations and discussions regarding the acquisitions of additional assets within the copperbelt of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Management is confident that positive results will be announced in the coming months.