EXCLUSIVE: Zambian government orders liquidation of Vedanta’s KCM; awaits legal approval [UPDATE]

The Zambian government has filed an official document to the High Court to liquidate the assets of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), which is majority-owned by Vedanta Resources.

The government has called for the appointment of Milingo Lungu to act as the provisional liquidator, according to the document dated Tuesday May 21 and seen by Fastmarkets.

It is ordered that the provisional liquidator may take over the business of KCM, the operator of a 310,000 tonne per year copper smelter and major mines including Nchanga and Konkola in Zambia.

It is unclear whether all of the company’s assets will be included in the liquidation.

“Vedanta Resources and Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) are aware of media reports that Zambian state-owned company ZCCM-IH has obtained an order against KCM,” Vedanta said in a media statement later on Tuesday afternoon.

“ZCCM-IH owns 20.6% of KCM and has its nominees on the company’s board. Vedanta and KCM reiterate their request for an immediate and urgent meeting with Mr Edgar Lungu, President of Zambia, to discuss the matter,” the company added.

Additional reporting by Archie Hunter.

[This article was first published at 12pm and was updated to include comments released in a media statement from Vedanta Resources.]

What to read next
The publication of Fastmarkets’ assessments of Shanghai bonded aluminium, zinc and nickel stocks for April 30 were delayed because of a reporter error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated. The data effective for April 30 was published on May 7 as a result. The following assessments were affected:Shanghai aluminium bonded stocksShanghai zinc bonded stocksShanghai nickel […]
Global physical copper cathodes premiums were mixed in the week to Tuesday April 15, with US market moving down, Europe rising and Asia holding largely steady.
How much Canadian aluminium is being diverted from the US to Europe, when will it arrive and what impact will it have on premiums? The market appears to be split, but that could all change at the end of June, sources told Fastmarkets in the week to Thursday April 17.
Tariffs are creating a short-term period of volatility, but are not shifting conviction on the long-term fundamentals of the copper market, the chief executive officer of Rio Tinto Copper has said
Producers of copper appear to be adopting the public mantra of “keep calm and carry on” while trade tensions escalate. But this belies an underlying mood of concern that not just they, but the wider industry, has assumed
How tariffs, economic uncertainty and innovation are shaping the future of US copper production