The commissioning and ramp up phase of the Sepon Copper Project has proved very successful. Design copper production rates have been attained within 12 months of operation and the budget production target for 2005 was achieved. The majority of the process unit operations in the Sepon flowsheet including those described in detail in this paper are now operating at or very close to design levels. The process chemistry has shown to be robust with design copper recoveries being achieved by the process plant and high quality copper cathode being produced. As is expected in the first year of operation there has been some variability in plant performance primarily due to plant availability issues. Current operational challenges include developing consistency in plant performance and driving efficiency improvements in the process. Development and training of the Lao workforce both technical and operational is an additional priority for the Sepon operation.
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