Canada-based Ivanhoe Mines has decided to proceed with long-lead equipment orders for its second production line to expeditiously complete its expanded production at the Kakula copper mine in Africa.
In a news release on September 21, the miner announced that it has placed orders for the machinery related to the secondary 3.8mn mt per year copper production line for its concentrate mill at the Congolese mine.
This equipment is part of phase two expansion of the Kamoa-Kakula project, run in partnership by three mining groups and the Democratic Republic of Congo government. It was initially slated for completion in Q1 2023. However, with the recent development, the Canadian explorer is predicting a Q2 2022 completion.
Robert Friedland, co-chairman of Ivanhoe Mines, said that the move is aimed at avoiding a global copper supply deficit situation that the world is currently headed towards.
In phase one, the company plans to produce 3.8mn mt of copper concentrate per year from the Kakula mine, beginning next year. With phase two, Ivanhoe’s annual concentrate production will be 7.6mn mt, making it the second-largest copper producing mine in the world.