Kamoa-Kakula copper mining complex, in DRC
TSX-listed Ivanhoe Mines’ Kamoa-Kakula mining complex, in the Democratic Republic in Congo, has set a new monthly production record, with 29 800 t of copper in concentrate produced in May.
The operation achieved record output despite planned interruptions during the month, such as scheduled maintenance on the Phase 1 plant for two days.
Production was supported by the 3.8-million-tonne-a-year Phase 2 concentrator contributing to commercial production as of April 7.
The Phase 1 and Phase 2 concentrator plants are processing at a rate of eight-million tonnes a year, which will ramp up to 9.2-million tonnes of ore a year by the second quarter of 2023.
Ivanhoe confirms that the Phase 2 plant is performing at comparable throughputs and recoveries compared with the Phase 1 plant.
The company expects the project to deliver in the upper end of its 2022 copper production guidance of between 290 000 t and 340 000 t.