Canadian mining company, Ivanhoe Mines has announced a new monthly production record of 50,176 tonnes of copper in concentrate from its Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the 30 days of April.
According to the company’s Executive Co-Chairman Robert Friedland and President and Chief Executive Officer Marna Cloete, the milestone was achieved across the operation’s Phase 1, 2, and recently commissioned Phase 3 concentrators, which collectively milled 1.35 million tonnes of ore at an average grade of 4.19% copper.
The Phase 3 concentrator, ramped up earlier this year, outperformed expectations with an average copper recovery rate of 87.4%, surpassing its design rate of 86%.
Since mid-March, production has surged to an average of 12,000 tonnes per week—an annualized rate of approximately 625,000 tonnes, exceeding 2025 guidance by about 12%.
The performance boost is credited to early 2024 initiatives that enabled higher-than-designed feed rates to Phase 3. During Q1, Phase 3 milled a record 1.51 million tonnes of ore, translating to an annualized milling capacity of 6.1 million tonnes—over 20% above its intended design of 5.0 million tonnes per year.
A major breakthrough for the operation came with increased access to hydroelectric power, which allowed management to finalize commissioning and initiate the start-up of a new on-site copper smelter, expected online in the coming weeks.
The Kamoa-Kakula complex drew between 130 MW and 140 MW during the quarter, including 100 MW of imported hydroelectric power as of April, supplemented by 50 MW of domestic supply. The remaining needs were met by on-site diesel generators with a 160 MW capacity.
An agreement signed during Q1 enabled an increase in imported hydroelectric supply via the Zambia-DRC interconnector, bolstering the site’s power reliability. Additional power is expected through 2025, primarily sourced from Mozambique via the Southern Africa Power Pool.
Looking ahead, further hydroelectric supply will come online as Turbine #5 at Inga II, with 178 MW capacity, begins wet commissioning in the second half of 2025. Ivanhoe expects to receive an initial 71 MW from this source, rising to the full capacity by 2026.
Meanwhile, feed grades to the Phase 3 concentrator are projected to improve in the second half of 2025, once underground development at the Kamoa 1 and 2 mines is completed.
These efforts are currently focused on establishing about 18 months of ore reserves, which will enable more flexible and efficient mining operations. While initial development is in lower-grade ore, grades are expected to rise to around 3% copper from late 2025 onward.
