Ivanhoe Mines has started copper concentrate production at the Kamoa-Kakula mining complex's Phase 3 concentrator in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Phase 3 concentrator, which processes ore from the Kamoa 1 and 2 underground mines, is designed to handle 5mtpa.

This capacity surpasses the design capacities of the Phase 1 and 2 concentrators by 30%. The Phase 1 and 2 concentrators, located 10km from the Phase 3 site, produced 35,474t of copper in May 2024.

With the Phase 3 concentrator's addition, the Kamoa-Kakula complex becomes the world's third-largest copper mining operation, trailing only Escondida in Chile and Grasberg in Indonesia.

Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin Mining each hold a 39.6% stake in Kamoa Copper, with the DRC Government owning 20% and Crystal River Global holding 0.8%.

Following the full ramp-up of the Phase 3 concentrator, the company plans to initiate a debottlenecking programme to further enhance its processing capacity beyond 5mtpa.

Furthermore, Kamoa Copper is nearing the completion of basic engineering for Project 95, an initiative aimed at boosting the metallurgical copper recovery rates of the Phase 1 and 2 concentrators from the current 87% to a targeted 95%.

Plans for a Phase 4 concentrator are also under way, which will be situated adjacent to the Phase 3 concentrator and is designed with the same processing capacity.

Additionally, Ivanhoe is advancing a 70,000m drilling programme on its majority-owned Western Foreland licence package, with ten drill rigs currently active on the Makoko and Kitoko prospects.