Canadian mining company, Ivanhoe Mines, has reported a record monthly zinc production at its Kipushi Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), highlighting the operation’s rapid rise among the world’s leading zinc producers.
The company announced that Kipushi produced 25,677 tonnes of zinc in concentrate in May 2026, the highest monthly output since the mine resumed operations.
The production level is equivalent to an annualized rate of more than 308,000 tonnes of zinc, surpassing the mine’s official 2026 production guidance range of 240,000 to 290,000 tonnes.
Ivanhoe Mines said the record performance comes at a time when global zinc prices are approaching four-year highs, strengthening the economic outlook for the operation. The company expects Kipushi to become the world’s fourth-largest zinc-producing mine this year.
Executive Co-Chairman Robert Friedland and President and Chief Executive Officer Marna Cloete said the latest production milestone demonstrates the effectiveness of ongoing optimization efforts at the mine, which restarted production in 2024 after decades of inactivity.
Located in the mineral-rich Central African Copperbelt, Kipushi is regarded as one of the world’s highest-grade zinc deposits. The underground mine is jointly owned by Ivanhoe Mines and the DRC state mining company, Gécamines.
The latest result marks a significant improvement from previous records. Kipushi produced a record 22,629 tonnes of zinc in December 2025, which at the time represented an annualized production rate exceeding 270,000 tonnes.
The new May output demonstrates continued operational improvements and growing processing efficiency.
Ivanhoe has been investing in debottlenecking and optimization initiatives to increase the mine’s throughput capacity. The company recently completed a programme that expanded concentrator processing capacity by 20%, from 800,000 tonnes to 960,000 tonnes of ore annually.
The upgrade has already contributed to a series of production records achieved since commissioning.
The strong performance follows a remarkable year for the operation. Kipushi produced a record 203,168 tonnes of zinc in 2025, nearly quadrupling output from the previous year and successfully meeting production guidance. Ivanhoe subsequently set a 2026 production target of between 240,000 and 290,000 tonnes of zinc in concentrate.
Industry analysts view Kipushi as an increasingly important supplier of zinc and critical minerals, including germanium and gallium, which are used in semiconductors, defence technologies and clean-energy applications.
Ivanhoe has previously indicated that the mine’s projected output places it among the most significant zinc operations globally.
The record May production underscores the growing importance of the DRC in global mineral supply chains and strengthens Ivanhoe Mines’ position as one of Africa’s leading diversified mining companies.
As optimization efforts continue and zinc demand remains robust, Kipushi appears on track to exceed earlier expectations and establish itself as one of the world’s premier zinc-producing assets.
