Why did Mopani Copper Mines reject the Zambian government's copper concentrate export waiver despite being granted the largest quota?

Mopani Copper Mines rejected the export waiver because it has 'no plan to export any part' of its allocated copper concentrate and instead intends to use all of it in its own 'processing operations in line with our long-term strategy of strengthening domestic refining capacity.' The company emphasized that its 'priority is to smelt all available concentrate,' consistent with Zambia's policy goal of encouraging local value addition through smelting rather than exporting semi-processed material.

What is the purpose of Zambia's temporary suspension of the 10% copper concentrate export duty, and which entity is authorized to handle the exempted shipments?

Zambia's government suspended the 10% export duty on nearly 272,000 tons of copper concentrate for three months to address constrained smelting capacity — specifically triggered by Konkola Copper Mines' planned 60-day smelter shutdown for maintenance and repairs. The exemption allows shipments to be handled exclusively by the state-owned Industrial Resources Ltd., which has a metals-trading partnership with Mercuria Energy Group.

Abu Dhabi’s IRH Rejects Zambian Copper Concentrate Export Waiver

Jun 4, 2026

Abu Dhabi’s IRH declined a Zambian government waiver allowing copper concentrate exports, opting instead to process the metal domestically. This decision aligns with long-term strategies to strengthen local refining capacity amidst temporary smelter maintenance elsewhere.

bloomberg

2026-06-04

Abu Dhabi’s IRH Rejects Zambian Copper Concentrate Export Waiver

Abu Dhabi’s IRH Rejects Zambian Copper Concentrate Export Waiver

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