World’s biggest miner wants slice of Kalahari Copperbelt

Under the terms of the deal, as published on the Australian Securities Exchange last week, BHP has committed to financing Cobre Limited for exploration expenditure at the Kitlanya Projects, located in both the north and south of the Copperbelt.

Running southwest to northeast, the 1,000-kilometre Kalahari Copperbelt is known to contain healthy amounts of copper, silver, lead, and the critical minerals sought after globally for their importance in the green energy transition. Several companies are rapidly advancing projects on the copperbelt, which in 2024 hosted the country’s largest ever private sector acquisition when a Chinese group snapped up Khoemacau Copper Mine in a $1.2 billion deal.