Ivanhoe Mines reported that the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) produced 100,812 tonnes of copper in Q2 2024, with the Phase 3 concentrator set to reach steady-state production in Q3 2024, increasing the annual copper production capacity to over 600,000 tonnes.
Robert Friedland, Executive Co-Chair of Ivanhoe Mines, highlighted that the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex produced 186,925 tonnes of copper in the first half of 2024. Ivanhoe Mines maintains its 2024 annual production guidance for Kamoa-Kakula at between 440,000 and 490,000 tonnes of copper in concentrate.
Kamoa-Kakula’s Phase 1 and 2 concentrators milled 2.3 million tonnes of ore in Q2, with an average feed grade of 5.3% copper. The concentrators produced 99,706 tonnes of copper, with an average flotation recovery rate of 87.0%, exceeding the design recovery rate of 86.0%.
The newly completed Phase 3 concentrator produced its first concentrate on June 10, 2024, and is currently finalising hot commissioning. Since then, it has produced 1,100 tonnes of copper in concentrate.
As of June 30, 2024, Kamoa-Kakula’s surface run-of-mine (ROM) stockpiles contained 4.82 million tonnes of ore at an average grade of 3.26% copper. This includes 2.31 million tonnes of ore at Kakula with an average grade of 3.72% and 2.51 million tonnes of ore at Kamoa and Kansoko with an average grade of 2.85%. This stockpiled ore, containing over 70,000 tonnes of copper, is being used for the hot commissioning and ramp-up of the new Phase 3 concentrator.
Grid power stabilises
Kamoa Copper is working with the DRC’s state-owned power company, La Société Nationale d’Electricité (SNEL), to address instability in the southern DRC’s grid infrastructure since late 2022.
The project, funded by Kamoa Copper, aims to increase transmission capacity and improve grid reliability. Production and mining head grades increased in the second quarter due to improved grid stability, allowing underground crews to mine higher-grade areas of the Kakula Mine.
Since mid-March, grid power to Kamoa-Kakula has been supplemented by imported power via the Zambian interconnector. Kamoa Copper’s engineering team is expanding on-site backup generation capacity to ensure full backup for Phase 1, 2, and 3 operations.
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On-site backup power generation capacity is expected to increase to over 200 MW by the end of 2024. An additional 72 MW of new generation capacity has been delivered to site. Installation and commissioning of the new generators is expected to be completed in early August, increasing the total on-site generation capacity to 135 MW.
On July 4, 2024, Trafigura Group and ProMarks signed a Memorandum of Understanding to study the technical and economic feasibility of building a 2,000 MW high-voltage electricity interconnector in Angola. The project aims to export surplus green electricity to the DRC Copperbelt and Zambia, with a joint venture to develop, finance, construct, and operate.
