Our project at a glance
We are planning to build shaft and surface facilities. With jobs for around 800 people, the vast majority of the facility will be underground. Above ground, around 200 people will be employed in the much smaller surface facilities. Our project will indirectly lead to around 3,000 more jobs in the region.
The company premises The company premises are located to the east of Spremberg. It is accessed via the B156 to the south. The site is connected to the rail network with its own loading station.
The shafts
The copper deposit is accessed via a double shaft system. Each of the shafts is approximately 7.5 meters wide and provides access to the deposit, which is approximately 1,000 meters deep.
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When building our shafts, we use the so-called freezing process. Holes are drilled into the ground and pipes are inserted into them. A cooling system is connected to the pipes, through which coolant (liquid nitrogen) is introduced. This removes heat from the surrounding earth and freezes the ground. This ensures a high level of stability and makes the shaft very stable.
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This process does not pollute the groundwater or the soil. And when the soil thaws, no residues remain in the soil.
The mining process
Chamber pillar construction is a common mining method for seam-type deposits. In order to stabilise the ceiling, the so-called hanging wall, parts of the deposit are left standing, which then serve as supporting pillars. The mined material is brought to the surface on conveyor belts, where it is crushed and ground.
The tried and tested method: the chamber pillar construction
Avoid subsidence and calculate in advance
Chamber pillar construction is a very good method of preventing subsidence. To further increase stabilisation, we will use the backfilling method. This involves using unused overburden, known as "waste material", to stabilise the slopes. The underground excavation work is regularly measured and monitored. A variety of observation methods are used on the surface. This ensures that no unforeseen changes occur.
The processing
The path to the copper concentrate:
The flotation process
Above ground, the extracted copper ore is crushed, ground and placed in a liquid to which oxygen is added. The copper particles in the rock cling to the oxygen particles and rise to the top. A layer of foam forms there, which is skimmed off - the copper concentrate. The copper concentrated in this way has a purity of 20 to 35 per cent. After the flotation process, the copper concentrate is transported by rail to a smelter, where it is further processed into cathodes.rt bildet sich eine Schaumschicht, die abgeschöpft wird – das Kupferkonzentrat. Das so aufkonzentrierte Kupfer hat eine Reinheit von 20 bis 35 Prozent. Nach dem Flotationsverfahren wird das Kupferkonzentrat per Bahn zur Verhüttung, zu einem sogenannten Smelter abtransportiert und dort zu Kathoden weiterverarbeitet.
Using the location advantage: Storage of residual materials
We benefit from the regional mining tradition: the residues from the production process, the so-called tailings, consisting of quartz and silicates, are to be stored on our site in a former lignite mine after interim storage. Another option is storage using the usual stacking process. Here, the tailings are first dried and then stacked.
Roadmap
No comparable mining project has been developed and put into operation in Germany for more than half a century. That is why we have been in close contact with experts worldwide, the authorities, politicians and scientists right from the start. We are currently in the regional planning procedure (ROV), in which we are checking whether our project is in line with higher-level state and regional planning. As things stand, this will be completed in 2023. This will be followed by the planning approval procedure, in which our project and its impact will be examined in even greater detail. We plan to start construction of the plant in 2031.