Ivanhoe Mines to restart part of Kakula Mine project
Ivanhoe Mines has announced plans on restarting operations at the Kakula underground mine, part of the Kamoa-Kakula copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), following a temporary suspension due to seismic activity in the eastern portion of the mine.
The suspension, initiated on May was a precautionary measure taken by Kamoa Copper, the operating company jointly owned by Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin Mining Group (each holding 39.6%), Crystal River Global (0.8%), and the DRC government (20%).
Two-stage dewatering strategy
The western section is expected to resume operations later this month, contingent upon the successful progress of dewatering efforts. To support this, Kamoa Copper has implemented a two-stage dewatering strategy. The first phase, which has already been completed, involved the installation of temporary pumps, boosting water removal capacity to approximately 4,400 litres per second. The second phase, currently underway, includes the procurement of four high-capacity pumps and the construction of permanent infrastructure. Delivery and installation of the new pumps are expected within 90 days.
Meanwhile, the mine’s phase one and two concentrators remain operational, though running at half capacity, processing ore stockpiled on the surface. Once mining resumes in the western area, freshly mined ore from that zone will be directed to the concentrators. Operations at the Kamoa underground mine and the new phase three concentrator are continuing unaffected by the recent disruptions.
In parallel with these recovery efforts, Ivanhoe Mines and Kamoa Copper, in collaboration with external geotechnical experts, are finalizing a comprehensive assessment of the mine’s structural conditions. The results of this evaluation, along with detailed plans for resuming operations in both sections of the mine, are expected to be released in the coming week. Despite the recent challenges, the Kakula Mine remains well-positioned for recovery, having completed over 18 months of underground development ahead of schedule. This provides significant operational flexibility for safe re-entry and resumption of mining activities.
