Canadian mining firm Ivanhoe Mines has restarted operations at the ultra-high-grade Kipushi zinc-copper mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), after undergoing more than three decades of maintenance work.
First ore concentrate was produced on June 14, following the initial feed of ore into the mine’s new concentrator on May 31.
“Returning the historic Kipushi zinc-copper-lead-germanium-gallium mine to production alongside our DRC state-owned joint-venture partner Gécamines marks a century after Kipushi’s first operations,” said Ivanhoe Mines Founder and Executive Co-Chairman, Robert Friedland.
The mine is set to produce 100,000-140,000 tons of zinc concentrate in 2024 and up to 278,000 tons annually over the next five years, which would rank it as the world’s fourth-largest zinc producer. Ivanhoe Mines is also upgrading the Kipushi Mine’s concentrator capacity by 20%, aiming to increase production to 960,000 tons per year.
“The Kipushi mine is a significant example of the growing importance of the DRC as a provider of high-quality, vital strategic minerals for global markets,” added Friedland.
Output from the mine will be supplied to global commodity traders CITIC Metal and Trafigura under off-take and project financing agreements signed with the two companies.
