More than 850,000 tonnes of copper sold in first half of 2021- DRC
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) sold 871,956 tonnes of copper and 44,654 tonnes of cobalt in the first half of 2021, according to statistics provided by the services of the Ministry of Mines.
This biannual production places the country in a position to beat its own record of 1.6 million tonnes of copper produced in 2020, thus maintaining its position as a continental leader.
According to the source, copper and cobalt production for the first half of 2021 represents an increase of 10 and 15% year-on-year, respectively. So the DRC is on track to produce 1.7 million tonnes of copper this year, if the performance of the first six months continues through the rest of the year. This is not impossible, especially when we know that the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine has been in production since last May.
Meanwhile, the world is witnessing an explosion in demand for copper, due to its role in the energy transition.
According to specialists, cobalt is not shrinking, which is essential for the production of batteries used by electric vehicles. A fast-growing market which, according to specialists, depends on the DRC as the world’s largest producer with around 70% of the total annual supply.
It should also be noted that the Government of the DRC has already started to review the agreement of 6 billion US dollars concluded with China in 2007 for the exploitation of copper and cobalt against infrastructure.
