Ivanhoe Mines’ Kakula copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is set for completion in 2021. This is in the underground development which is currently ahead of schedule.
According to media reports, as at February this year, well over 8 km of underground development had been completed at Kakula, which at the time was already 1.7 km ahead of plan. The underground development work at Kakula is being performed by mining crews operating large-capacity, semi-autonomous mining equipment, such as jumbo drilling rigs and 50 t trucks.
Based on the results of the February 2019 Kakula pre-feasibility study, the project’s average feed grade over the first five years of operations is projected to be 6.8% copper, and 5.5% copper on average over a 25-year mine life.
Process plant and other surface infrastructure on track
Kakula’s original 3 Mtpa first processing plant module has already been redesigned during the basic engineering phase to a nameplate capacity of 3.8 Mtpa. Purchase orders have been placed for all major long-lead time mechanical equipment, plant earthworks is complete, and plant civil works are advancing rapidly. More than 4 400 employees and contractors currently are helping to construct the new Kakula mine, of which approximately 90% are Congolese nationals.
“We’re not just investing in a new mine, roads, hydropower plants, power lines and other important infrastructure, we’re investing in good-paying jobs and new opportunities for people who live in the DRC. And with our focus on skills training and apprenticeships for young Congolese, we’re helping build the DRC’s next generation of skilled tradespeople,” says Mark Farren, CEO, Kamoa Copper SA.
Kamoa-Kakula focused on producing “green copper”. Together with its joint-venture partners, Ivanhoe is committed to building modern, safe, mechanised mines that will be showcased for responsible, “green” mine development.
Ivanhoe Mine’s co-chairman Robert Friedland reiterated that the Kamoa and Kakula discoveries are the types of world-scale mineral systems needed to supply the copper for the electrification of the global economy. These, he further added, are pertinent in the ushering of the electric car era and other gadgets with a view to reducing the planet’s consumption of hydrocarbons.