Production begins at Kamoa-Kakula’s Phase 1 project. Credit: Ivanhoe Mines.

Ivanhoe Mines has commenced copper production from the Kamoa-Kakula mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The move follows the completion of initial hot commissioning tests on the ball mills and other processing equipment at the mine’s concentrator plant.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

Located in the Kolwezi District of Lualaba, the Kamoa-Kakula mine is being developed in phases. The first phase is estimated to produce 200,000tpa of copper.

The second development phase is expected to see the mine have a total annual copper production capacity of 400,000tpa.

Ivanhoe Mines co-chair Robert Friedland said: “The initiation of production puts us on the path to establish Kamoa-Kakula as the second largest, and perhaps eventually the largest, copper mining complex in the world.

“What really excites our geologists is the profound potential to find additional Kamoa-Kakula-like copper discoveries on our massive Western Foreland exploration licences right next door, in an identical geologic setting.”

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Ivanhoe Mines expects the Kamoa-Kakula project to become one of the world’s largest copper producers.

The project is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines, Zijin Mining Group, Crystal River Global, and the Government of the DRC.

Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin Mining Group each own 39.6% of the project. The DRC government holds a 20% interest while Crystal River Global owns 0.8%.

The Kakula mine is expected to have an initial mining rate of 3.8 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa). The rate is planned to be increased to 7.6Mtpa in the third quarter of 2022.