Ivanhoe Mines of Canada announced that Kakula project in the Democratic Republic of Congo can become the world’s second-largest copper mining complex. The results came after an independent definitive feasibility study (DFS) for Kakula project were made public on Tuesday.
The underground mine planned at the Kamoa-Kakula concession is expected to generate 6mn mt of ore per annum at an average feed grade of 6.6pc copper over the first five years of operation. Ivanhoe announced that DFS was conducted by nine engineering firms.
The company claims that Kakula mine construction is ahead of schedule and production will start in less than a year. The mine will have green credentials for producing environmentally responsible copper.
The company has conducted a pre-feasibility study for extracting 1.6mn mt of copper a year from the Kansoko mine to take advantage of an expanded plant capacity of 7.6mn mt per year at Kakula.
The Kamoa-Kakula project is in partnership with Zijin Mining Group of China. Kakula, Kansoko, Kakula West and Kamoa North is expected to produce more than 800,000mt.
Underground mine and surface processing complex at Kakula will have the capacity to produce 7.6mn mt will be completed in two stages of 3.8mn mt each.
Ivanhoe Mines is also involved in the Platreef palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-gold-rhodium discovery in South Africa. The company is also upgrading its Kipushi zinc-copper-silver-lead-germanium mine in Congo.