Sentinel mine
{{Short description|Copper mine in North-Western, Zambia}}
{{Infobox Mine
| name = Sentinel mine
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| state/province = North-Western Province
| country = Zambia
| owner = First Quantum Minerals
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| products = Copper
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| amount = 300,000 tons/year
| opening year = 2015
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The Sentinel mine is a large copper mine located in north-west Zambia in North-Western Province, part of FQM Trident Ltd.{{cite web|url=http://www.first-quantum.com/Our-Business/Development-Projects/Sentinel/default.aspx|title=Reserves & Resources|year=2013|publisher=first-quantum.com|accessdate=2013-06-21}}
The mine is owned and operated by Canadian-based First Quantum Minerals, which purchased the rights to the project in 2010,{{cite web | url=http://www.miningweekly.com/article/first-quantum-says-new-zambia-mine-smelter-to-cost-24bn-2012-03-26/rep_id:3650 | title=First Quantum says new Zambia mine, smelter to cost $2.4bn | publisher=Mining Weekly | date=26 March 2012 | accessdate=19 November 2018}} Construction began in June 2012, and the first product was extracted in August 2015, though full-scale production did not begin until November 2016.{{cite web | url=https://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFKCN0QX11F20150828 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831062701/http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFKCN0QX11F20150828 | url-status=dead | archive-date=August 31, 2015 | title=First Quantum Minerals launches $2.1 bln Zambia copper mine | publisher=Reuters | date=28 August 2015 | accessdate=19 November 2018}}{{cite web | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/countries-push-to-extract-more-cash-from-big-mining-companies-1542568635?mod=hp_lead_pos5 | title=Countries Push to Extract More Cash from Big Mining Companies | publisher=The Wall Street Journal | date=18 November 2018 | accessdate=19 November 2018}} The mine cost about $2.3 billion to build, and employs about 6,000 people.
Sentinel mine has a single reserve of copper ore, measuring an estimated 1.03 billion tons of ore with a copper content of 0.51%, or about 5.2 million tons of pure copper. It is expected to yield about 300,000 tons of copper concentrate annually over a 15-year productive lifespan.