Canadian mining company, Ivanhoe Mines has announced the commencement of “Stage Two” dewatering activities at its Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex as part of the mine’s Rehabilitation process.
According to the company’s Executive Co-Chair Robert Friedland and President and Chief Executive Officer Marna Cloete…, the Stage Two dewatering operations follow the completion of Stage One on June 2, 2025, which successfully stabilized underground water levels following seismic disturbances at the Kakula Mine’s eastern section.
The new phase focuses on installing four high-capacity, submersible pumps—each capable of moving 650 litres per second—alongside permanent surface infrastructure to drain the eastern side of the mine from the surface.
The engineering team has received four of the five ordered pumps from Hefei Hengda Jianghai Pump Co., Ltd, located in Anhui Province, China. These are currently being installed; the fifth pump will be shipped later and held in reserve as a backup. Each pump is a powerful 4.2 megawatt unit, measuring 12 metres in length (including motor assembly) with a diameter of 1.28 metres.
Installation began on August 15, 2025, and two of the four pumps have already been hoisted into place—fully operational by the end of the month—while the remaining two are slated to be functional by mid-September. These pumps are to be lowered down in pairs through two adjacent, existing 400-metre shafts reaching a deep section of the eastern mine workings, accompanied by associated valves and piping.
A dedicated 20 MW generator will power the pumps, ensuring minimal grid disruption during operations. Once activated, the pumps will remain submerged until around the end of November, by which point underground water levels are expected to subside near the shafts’ bottoms.
Meanwhile, Stage One’s temporary underground pumping infrastructure will be redeployed to assist in the broader dewatering effort once Stage Two is fully operational.
On the western side of the Kakula Mine, no seismic activity occurred. As a result, dewatering that side is expected to complete within eight weeks, accelerating the return to high-grade mining zones. With water levels dropping, rehabilitation can proceed, and selective mining within accessible eastern workings is projected to begin in Q1 2026.
Furthermore, copper grades from the Kakula Mine are expected to improve toward year-end as access to higher-grade areas is restored. The company anticipates reinstating its 2026 and 2027 copper production guidance in mid- to late-September, with an updated long-term integrated mine plan due in Q1 2026.
In parallel, refurbishment of Turbine #5 at the Inga II hydroelectric facility is nearing completion, with commissioning activities already underway and expected to conclude early in Q4 2025.
Why this matters
- Strategic recovery path: The methodical transition from temporary stabilization (Stage One) to comprehensive dewatering (Stage Two) underscores Ivanhoe’s commitment to safely restore operations across the entire Kakula Mine.
- Efficiency and resilience: The deployment of high-capacity pumps, supported by a dedicated power source, reflects efficiency in responding to challenges posed by seismic activity and flooding.
- Production outlook: With the western side dewatering expected soon and eastern access being prepared, Kamoa-Kakula is on track to resume high-grade mining, potentially lifting production and guiding renewed forecasts for 2026–2027.
- Infrastructure milestones: Progress at the Inga II hydroelectric facility adds to operational resilience, enhancing power reliability at a critical stage of the mine’s rehabilitation.
With operations ramping up across the east and west sections of the mine, mining is expected to restart in key high-grade zones by early 2026. Meanwhile, energy infrastructure improvements support this recovery. Investors and industry observers can anticipate updated production guidance in September and a comprehensive mine plan in early 2026.
