TSX-listed miner Ivanhoe Mines has said its Kakula mine development site, 10 km south of Kamoa’s initial Kansoko mine site, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), started receiving power from the national grid in December.

Kakula’s development is being fast-tracked, with a prefeasibility study under way.

The Kakula boxcut was successfully completed in October and the first blast for the twin declines at Kakula took place in November.

Based on the results from an independent National Instrument 43-101 preliminary economic assessment, released in November, Kakula’s ultrahigh copper grade is expected to average 6.4% over the first ten years of production.

An updated mineral resource estimate for Kakula is being prepared, based on drilling completed to the end of December, and is expected to result in a significant upgrade and expansion of the Kakula mineral resource.

Results from drill holes completed forwards the end of December will form the basis of the new estimate, which will encompass the entire strike length of the Kakula discovery, now extending beyond 12 km. This represents an increase of 60% in strike length, which will be used to calculate the new resource estimate, compared with the 7.7 km strike length covered by Kakula’s current resource estimate.

The new resource estimate will enable Ivanhoe and joint venture partner Zijin Mining Group to assess early and expand production scenarios by incorporating resources from Kakula West and Kansoko to support the main Kakula development plan.

Meanwhile, Ivanhoe also noted that ongoing upgrading work at the Mwadingusha hydropower plant, in the DRC, had almost tripled its interim power output from 11 MW to 32 MW, representing 45% of the plant’s designed capacity.

Three of Mwadingusha’s six generators have now been modernised, with the remaining three generators due to be upgraded and fully operational by the end of 2019 – restoring the plant to its installed output capacity of about 71 MW of power.

The work at Mwadingusha, part of a programme to eventually overhaul and boost output from three hydropower plants, is being undertaken by engineering firm Stucky, of Lausanne, Switzerland, under the direction of Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin, in conjunction with DRC State-owned power company La Société Nationale d’Electricité.

Once fully reconditioned, the three plants will have an installed capacity of about 200 MW.

Ivanhoe chairperson Robert Friedland said a long-term, sustainable supply of electricity is essential to the company’s vision to develop Kamoa-Kakula in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

“The upgrading programme is a significant public–private partnership, which is vital to secure sustainable, clean electricity for the Congolese people and for the development of a Tier 1 copper mine at Kamoa-Kakula,” he noted.