Name of the Project
Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex.

Location
The Kolwezi district of Lualaba province, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Project Owner/s
Kamoa Copper – a joint venture (JV) between base and precious metals developer Ivanhoe Mines, with 39.6% ownership; Zijin Mining Group, with 39.6% ownership; Crystal River Global, with 0.8% ownership; and the DRC government, with 20% ownership.

Project Description
Ivanhoe Mines has announced outstanding economic results in an independent integrated development plan for the tier-one Kamoa-Kakula copper project.

The Kamoa-Kakula Integrated Development Plan 2020 comprises three development scenarios: the Kakula definitive feasibility study (DFS), the Kakula-Kansoko prefeasibility study (PFS) and the Kamoa-Kakula preliminary economic assessment (PEA).

Kakula
The Kakula DFS proposes the development of a Stage 1, six-million-tonne-a-year underground mine and surface processing complex at the Kakula deposit, with a capacity of 7.6-million tonnes a year built in two modules of 3.8-million tonnes a year. For this option, 110-million tonnes will be mined at an average grade of 5.22% copper producing 8.5-million tonnes of high-grade copper concentrate and containing about 10.8-billion pounds of copper.

Kakula-Kansoko
The Kakula-Kansoko 2020 PFS evaluates the development of mining activities at the Kansoko deposit in addition to the Kakula mine, initially at 1.6-million tonnes a year, to supply the concentrator at Kakula, eventually ramping up to six-million tonnes a year as the reserves at Kakula are depleted.

Kamoa-Kakula
The Kamoa-Kakula 2020 PEA assessed an additional development option of mining several deposits on the Kamoa-Kakula project as an integrated, 19.2-million-tonne-a-year mining, processing and smelting complex, built in multiple stages.

At the end of January 2023, Ivanhoe announced the positive findings of an independent integrated development plan (2023 IDP) for the project. The 2023 IDP consists of a PFS (Kamoa-Kakula 2023 PFS) for the Phase 3 and Phase 4 expansions of the complex over a 33-year life-of-mine (LoM), as well as an updated PEA (Kamoa-Kakula 2023 PEA) that includes an LoM extension case to 42 years overall.

Kamoa-Kakula 2023 PFS – Phase 3 and 4 expansion, involves a staged increase in nameplate production of up to 19.2-million tonnes a year over a 33-year LoM.

The first stage is the debottlenecking of the operational Phase 1 and Phase 2 concentrators from the current nameplate capacity of 7.6-million tonnes a year to 9.2-million tonnes a year by the second quarter of 2023.

The Phase 1 and 2 concentrators will process ore initially from the Kakula mine, which is being expanded to meet this capacity, and then supported by the Kakula West mine from 2029.

This will be followed by the construction of the five-million-tonne-a-year Phase 3 concentrator. This concentrator will process ore from the adjacent Kamoa 1 and 2 underground mines, as well as the connecting Kansoko underground mine. The design capacity of the Phase 3 concentrator is 30% larger than the original design capacities of the Phase 1 and 2 concentrators, which are located about 10 km to the south. The process design of all three concentrators is comparable, therefore, the bulk of the equipment is the same or similar, resulting in a commonality of spare parts, while also leveraging operational and maintenance experience.

The Phase 3 concentrator increases the total design processing capacity of the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex to 14.2-million tonnes a year. Phase 3 is expected to increase annualised copper production to more than 600 000 t, positioning Kamoa-Kakula as the world’s fourth-largest copper mining complex, and the largest copper mine on the African continent. 

In the fourth and final phase, an additional five-million-tonne-a-year concentrator, which will take the total processing capacity to 19.2-million tonnes a year, fed by an expansion of the Kamoa mines, will be built.

Kamoa and Kakula will supply a blend of copper concentrate for the smelter as the ore reserve grade tapers over time.

Kamoa-Kakula 2023 PEA – LoM extension case, proposes a nine-year LoM extension of the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex, in addition to the Kamoa-Kakula 2023 PFS.

This case includes the addition of four new underground mines in the Kamoa area – Kamoa 3, 4, 5 and 6 – to maintain the overall production rate of up to 19.2-million tonnes a year.

The Kamoa-Kakula PEA is preliminary and includes an economic analysis that is partially based on inferred mineral resources. These resources are considered too speculative geologically for the application of economic considerations that would allow for their being categorised as mineral reserves and there is no certainty that the results will be realised.

Potential Job Creation
Kamoa-Kakula has generated more than 12 000 jobs from its operations and construction activities, with more than 95% of those positions filled by Congolese nationals.

At the end of November 2023, about 2 000 construction workers were at the smelter site, with the number expected to peak at 3 000 in December 2023.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The Kakula DFS yields an after-tax net present value (NPV), at an 8% discount rate, of $5.5-billion and an internal rate of return (IRR) of 77% over a 21-year LoM, with a payback of 2.3 years.

The Kakula-Kansoko PFS yields an after-tax NPV, at an 8% discount rate, of $6.6-billion and an IRR of 69% over a 37-year LoM, with a payback of 2.5 years.

The Kamoa-Kakula 2020 PEA yields a potential after-tax NPV, at an 8% discount rate, of $11.1-billion and an IRR of 56% over a mine life of more than 40 years, with a payback of 3.6 years.

The Kamoa-Kakula 2023 PFS case yields an after-tax NPV, at an 8% discount rate, of $19.1-billion at a long-term copper price of $3.70/lb.

The Kamoa-Kakula 2023 PEA case yields an after-tax NPV, at an 8% discount rate, of $20.2-billion.

Capital Expenditure
The Kakula DFS estimates peak funding at $775-million, remaining initial capital costs at $646-million and expansion capital costs at $594-million.

The Kakula-Kansoko 2020 PFS estimates peak funding at $848-million, remaining initial capital costs at $695-million and expansion capital costs at $750-million.

The Kamoa-Kakula 2020 PEA estimates peak funding at $784-million, remaining initial capital costs at $715-million and expansion capital costs at $4.46-billion.

The Kamoa-Kakula 2023 PFS estimates the remaining capital cost for the total Phase 3 expansion at $3-billion, including the mine, concentrator, smelter, infrastructure and investment in off-site hydropower infrastructure.

Planned Start/End Date
The initial production of copper concentrate at the Kakula mine processing plant began on May 25, 2021, with commercial production achieved on July 1, 2021.

The Phase 2 concentrator started commercial production in April 2022, four months ahead of schedule.

The Phase 3 concentrator expansion was completed months ahead of schedule in May 2024 and is expected to fully ramp up early in the third quarter of 2024.

Latest Developments
Ivanhoe Mines has achieved first concentrate production at the Phase 3 concentrator.

The concentrator was completed nearly two quarters ahead of schedule and is expected to increase Kamoa-Kakula’s output to more than 600 000 t/y of copper once it is fully ramped up.

The new concentrator is processing ore from the newly developed Kamoa 1 and 2 underground mines.

At five-million tonnes a year, the design capacity of the Phase 3 concentrator is 30% greater than the design capacities of the Phase 1 and 2 concentrators, located 10 km from the site of the third concentrator.

With the addition of the third concentrator, Kamoa-Kakula is now the third-biggest copper mining complex in the world, following Escondida and Grasberg, in Chile and Indonesia respectively. It is the largest copper operation on the African continent.

Kamoa-Kakula is expected to continue being supported by imported power until grid stability improves, with the operation currently importing a large quantity of hydroelectric power from Zambia and Mozambique.

Kamoa Copper is working with the State-owned power company La Société Nationale d’Electricité to deliver grid improvements across southern DRC, which are expected to be completed in 2025.

Additionally, the company is rolling out backup generation capacity on site, increasing its backup capacity from 70 MW to more than 200 MW by the end of the year.

The third concentrator requires 75 MW of power once fully ramped up, while the first and second concentrators require a combined 105 MW.

Meanwhile, the Kamoa-Kakula project is almost complete with the basic engineering of Project 95 – an initiative targeting increased metallurgical copper recovery of the Phase 1 and 2 concentrators. The current recovery rate of the concentrators is estimated at 87%, with Project 95 aiming for a rate of 95%.

Once the Phase 3 concentrator is fully ramped up, the company will start a debottlenecking programme to further increase the concentrator’s processing capacity to more than five-million tonnes a year.

A Phase 4 concentrator is in the works and will be located adjacent to the Phase 3 concentrator. It is also being designed with a processing capacity of five-million tonnes a year.

Given the additional processing capacity coming online and optimisation initiatives progressing, Kamoa Copper aims to publish an updated life-of-mine for the Kamoa-Kakula complex by the end of the year.

Ivanhoe is also progressing a 70 000 m drill programme on its majority-owned Western Foreland licence package that is adjacent to Kamoa-Kakula, where ten drill rigs are currently active on the Makoko and Kitoko prospects of the licence.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Kakula DFS/ Kakula-Kansoko PFS/ Kamoa-Kakula PEA: OreWin (overall report preparation, mining, logistics, power and economic analysis); China Nerin Engineering (smelter design and basic engineering contract for the smelter); DRA Global (mine surface infrastructure and metallurgical processing); Epoch Resources (tailings storage facility design); Golder Associates (hydrology models and recommendations); KGHM Cuprum R&D Centre (technical adviser on certain mining methods and geotechnical); Outotec Oyj (smelter technology); Paterson and Cooke (paste backfill plant design and surface/underground paste distribution system); SRK Consulting (mine geotechnical recommendations); Stantec Consulting International (mining and mineral reserves); Wood (mineral resources estimation); Kamoa Copper and SNEL, together with Stucky SA (engineering, procurement and construction management – Turbine 5); Voith Hydro (contractor Turbine 5); and Metso Outotec (direct blister furnace).

Kamoa-Kakula 2023 PFS/Kamoa-Kakula 2023 PEA: OreWin; China Nerin Engineering; DRA Global; Epoch Resources; Golder Associates Africa; Metso-Outotec Oyj; Paterson and Cooke; SRK Consulting; and MSA Group.

Epiroc (Minetruck MT65 S haulers, the world’s highest payload underground truck in the field, as well as Scooptram ST18 S loaders, Boomer 282 face drilling rigs and Simba E70 S production drilling rigs).

Contact Details for Project Information
Ivanhoe Mines, tel +1604 688 6630 (North America), tel +27 11 088 4300 (South Africa) or email info@ivanhoemines.com.