The Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – operated by Canadian mining firm Ivanhoe Mines – produced 116,313 tons of copper concentrate in Q3, 2024.
For the year-to-date, Kamoa-Kakula produced 303,328 tons of copper concentrate, with September output of 40,025 tons reflecting record production for the mine. As a result, the company has revised the production guidance range upwards to between 425,000 and 450,000 for 2024.
A total of 2.2 million tons of ore was processed at the Phase 1 and 2 concentrators during Q3, while the Phase 3 concentrator – commissioned in June 2024 – processed 1.1 million tons of ore and yielded 22,099 tons of copper concentrate.
Ivanhoe Mines aims to achieve a recovery rate of 86% during Q4, 2024, at its Phase 3 concentrator, having achieved a copper recovery rate of 84% during Q3. The company will increase its ore feed to the Phase 3 concentrator for processing by 3% by 2025, as part of the mine’s broader expansion strategy. Ivanhoe Mines is also constructing an on-site smelter with a capacity of 500,000 tons per annum to enhance value-added copper production. The smelter is expected to come online by year-end.
Meanwhile at the Kipushi Mine in the DRC, Ivanhoe Mines achieved a production rate of 17,817 tons of zinc concentrate during Q3,2024, having milled approximately 88,000 ton of stockpile ore. The company is implementing a debottlenecking program at the mine to support a 20% increase in concentrator processing capacity. Targeting 960,000 tons, the program will be complete in mid-2025.
