Reuters reported that Zambia's largest cobalt producer Chambishi Metals will restart production this week after suppliers in the Democratic Republic of Congo delivered enough cobalt concentrates.

Operations at Chambishi were suspended in December and placed on maintenance due to losses the company suffered owing to the global economic slowdown.

Output was due to restart in October but Mr Derek Webbstock CEO of Chambishi Metals said that production would only start this week following the arrival of the raw materials. He said that we have received enough cobalt concentrates from Congo and we will start processing cobalt this week.

Mr Webbstock could not state the exact quantity of the cobalt concentrates delivered and at what capacity the plant would resume output but insisted the raw materials received were sufficient to start and sustain production. Chambishi had forecast output at 3,400 tonnes of cobalt in 2009 from 2,500 tonnes in 2008 before it suspended operations.

He said that we initially expect about 300 workers to resume working and more will probably be engaged as production increases. The company would start processing copper concentrates after China Nonferrous Metals Mining Corporation unit, Luanshya Copper Mines restarted output.

He added that "The copper we processed before came from Luanshya and we can only talk about restarting the processing of copper after Luanshya starts production."

(Sourced from Reuters)