Kamoa Copper SA Mining crews produce a record 548,000 tonnes of ore in November as mining ramps up in advance of the Phase 2 concentrator start-up

A total of 548,000 tonnes grading 5.46% copper was mined during the period from October 21 to November 20, including 362,000 tonnes grading 6.60% copper from the Kakula Mine’s high-grade centre and 63,000 tonnes grading 3.61% copper from the Kansoko Mine.

Mark Farren, CEO of Kamoa Copper, commented: “548,000 tonnes of ore mined is a major increase compared to our previous monthly record of 409,000 tonnes mined. We expect to see continued growth in monthly mine production as we introduce additional mining crews to fill the second concentrator. We remain firmly on track to start the Phase 2 concentrator production in Q2 2022.”

Production was boosted by the arrival of a new mining equipment supplied by Sandvik of Stockholm, Sweden. The new equipment is being used to ramp up mining operations in advance of the start of the Phase 2 concentrator plant.

The inflow of water from the water-bearing structure intersected in October at Kakula’s northern perimeter drift was brought under control in early November, and normal mining operations have resumed in the area.

The project’s surface stockpiles now contain approximately 3.92 million tonnes of high-grade and medium-grade ore at an estimated, blended average of 4.64% copper. Contained copper in the stockpiles at the end of August now totals more than 181,000 tonnes (the current copper price is approximately US$9,600 per tonne).

Chart 2: Cumulative tonnes and grade of ore stockpiles at the Kakula and Kansoko mines – May 2020 to November 2021.

Chart 3: Growth in contained copper in ore stockpiles at the Kakula and Kansoko mines – May 2020 to November 2021.

Kamoa-Kakula’s Phase 1 and 2 concentrator plants and the ore stockpiles at the Kakula northern declines. The blended stockpiles currently contain approximately 1.98 million tonnes grading 5.08% copper.

The Kakula southern decline and ore stockpiles containing a combined 1.32 million tonnes grading 4.34% copper (consisting of 465,000 high-grade tonnes @ 6.09% copper and 853,000 medium-grade tonnes @ 3.39% copper).

The Kansoko decline and ore stockpiles containing a combined 619,000 tonnes grading 3.86% copper (consisting of 194,000 high-grade tonnes @ 5.60% copper and 425,000 medium-grade tonnes @ 3.07% copper).

Figure 1: Underground development completed at Kakula Mine to December 1, 2021 (in black).

Kamoa-Kakula is projected to be the world’s highest-grade major copper mine, with an initial mining rate of 3.8 Mtpa at an estimated, average feed grade of more than 6.0% copper over the first five years of operations, and 5.9% copper over the initial 10 years of operations. Phase 1 is expected to produce approximately 200,000 tonnes of copper per year, while the Phase 2 expansion is forecast to increase production to approximately 400,000 tonnes of copper annually. Based on independent benchmarking, the project’s phased expansion scenario to 19 Mtpa would position Kamoa-Kakula as the world’s second-largest copper mining complex, with peak annual copper production of more than 800,000 tonnes.

The Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines (39.6%), Zijin Mining Group (39.6%), Crystal River Global Limited (0.8%) and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (20%). A 2020 independent audit of Kamoa-Kakula’s greenhouse gas intensity metrics performed by Hatch Ltd. of Mississauga, Canada, confirmed that the project will be among the world’s lowest greenhouse gas emitters per unit of copper produced.

Electricians Richard Onkarabetse Keetile (left), and Khris Mpanda Ilunga inspecting electrical control panels for a newly-installed, underground pumping station at the Kansoko Mine.